Simviation Forums

Hope I don't get "flamed," but it would be nice if some of the newly designed choppers had some sort of "leveler" (like an auto-pilot) that would enable extended flying without the constant attention to altitude,speed, etc.

It would be fun to tour one end of the state to the other in a chopper and just be able to rubberneck, PLUS have the versitility to land darn near anywhere (as opposed to a fixed wing craft).

I realize it's not realistic to have an AP on a whirly-bird and purests will take issue, but then again, purests don't have to use it. But it would be a fun thing to play around with. (It is a sim after all).

As you say.it's a sim after all which means it should be real as it's a simulator......perhaps you meant a game  ::)

Are you talking FS.9 as FS.X, although I don't have it it said to be a lot better for helicopters.

Personally I have never got on with any helicopters in FS.9.

I guess I don't understand the context of your speech.  :-?

I was just saying (regardless of sim OR game) that it would be nice to be able to "lock" a chopper to a specific height/speed while flying to go sight-seeing over long distances. It gets kind of fatiguing to control a whirly-bird for long periods without constantly correcting for up/dn/overspeed/slowing down, etc.

I only have FSX (no acceleration/SP1 or SP2). That's all.  :-/

I haven't seen any.  The thing about heli's is that they are by their nature, "attention heavy" to fly.

About the best you can do is trim the "throttle" and keep a steady hand on the stick.

You may want to ask in the forums at www.hovercontrol.com. There ARE a couple of realistic helicopter autopilots in existence for FS, but they can give you the details on where to get it, how it works, etc.

And just so you know....many helicopters in real life DO have autopilots installed. It is not just a fixed-wing toy.

Sean,

Really?? I had no idea. OK then.....for those out there that say "AP isn't realistic" for helos,...see above.   8-)

Thanks! That would be very, very cool!  ;)

Mick

Yep, for example, my father flys Eurocopter AS365 "Dauphin" helicopters for a living, and they have autopilots on them.
Other examples off the top of my head include most other Eurocopter helicopters, such as the EC-135 and 145, as well as the Sikorsky S-76.

Dang! What a cool job THAT would be. Those are AWESOME birds!

Mick:

As an avid sim helicopter pilot; I can sympathise with your position - the default 206 is pretty twitchy and it takes a lot of practice to get used to. There are however ways to make it more enjoyable for a non- RL pilot. Follow Sean's advice and go to Hovercontrol - they've got a section that'll tell you how to adjust FS9 to make the Jetranger much more accurate to real life. The short, short version is this: in Settings, go to Aircraft/Realism and reduce the 'General' slider to about 90% That'll reduce the twitchiness to manageable levels.

Keep in mind though that if you want to enjoy the wonders of helicopter flight; your best tool in the sim is the same as in real-life: experience. It takes a lot of practice to control a chopper well; but the hours of practice are well worth the effort. Helicopters are unstable - especially at low speeds - and once you learn to deal with it, it becomes second nature and no longer a problem. After a while, you won't want an AP.

Touring in a Jetranger is certainly possible and enjoyable - if you want a peek, check out a little vid I made: Autumn in Oregon

Jeez, I'm such an attention hound.

Actually, I have my sliders all the way down. I like the "easy" factor. Life has given me a fairly low frustration factor and if the learning curve is too deep, I tend to lose interest, thus, my sliders are all the way down.

I don't have FS 9. Never have, don't think I'll go "retro" and get it now. I had FS2004 and that got deleted when I got FSX...and am eagerly awaiting the next version.

Anyway, my original post wasn't to suggest the FS franchise turn into an "arcade game," just that the reality be flexible enough to allow the serious flyer to make it "as real as it gets" OR for the casual gamer to enjoy the beautiful FS scenery and get a nice auto-ride out of the deal. That's all... 8-)

Very Nice video, BTW, Dave!

[quote]I
I only have FSX (no acceleration/SP1 or SP2). That's all.

As of today, I am now up to SP 2.  8-)