Can you fly a heli?

[beefhole]

I don't understand why everyone has such a hard time with helos. I guess it just comes naturally to me.

Actually, that's entirely possible-heli flying requires very smooth stick control, which for some people just doesn't come natural-for example, I know I have a smooth touch because I've flown tight formation in turbulence in RL, so I'm pretty good with choppers... I just need to work out that landing thing.

[TwoLow]

Very well put. My dad plays FS and hes in his late 50's. For him to remember all the buttons and use the stick is quite a achievement for someone who has never flown (as a pilot), didn't grow up playing video games, etc. This game has brought us closer I am proud to say as we have never conversed on the phone so much as of lately.

To put him in a chopper is suicide!

[alrot]

Never could never will,i dont like choppers,BTW i have rudder pedals

[The Avro Arrow]

Yeah after i changed the realism setting she dont spin.

[CAFedm]

Learning - flying them is not problem, and have made at least 3 good landings (in the EC-120), but try landing it at NIGHT...only had one good landing there!  

[ashaman]

I'm probably in a worse shape than the rest of the simulated world, if we speak about flying a helo.

I can barely take off with the damn thing. If I try very strongly I can even make it go appoximatedly where I want. But nothing changes the fact that:

1) I'll end up going where I don't want and crashing because the damn thing is not enough responsive to commands and if I try to force my will on it, it will find a way to crash anyway.

2) If I try to hover, invariably, the engine will die on me making me plummet from whatever height I was back to the ground (where in a whatever fixed wing plane you have at least a little time to try and start the engine again, and if you can't you can try to glide to salvation anyway). My question is: do real helos hovering risk a engine out? I don't think so, but if so, how many in real life died for this kind of mishap?

3) Landings are beasts, due to the limited angle of view in the simulator and the sluggishness of power variation in the helos and their tendency of going their own way no matter how insistant you are in telling them not to, the only way I found not to crash is to keep the crash option in the realism menu disabled, and this is cheating. I don't like to cheat, I don't like the helos. Amen.

In the end I think I'm not made to pilot the damn things. I've renounced even trying. They're too damaging.

To my ego, that is.

[Dan]

I will admit that it has taken me about 12 hours or so of intensive practice to learn, but I can happily plonk my chopper on top of any building anywhere, with weather conditions as well.

I know it is stressful, but I find it much easier than a zero visibility jumbo flight! Really, I do...  ;D

The reason I said the 206B is becasue everyone has got it, I prefer to fly the Jordan Moore Huey, as I know Theis agree's its one lovely bird!
Dan

[Gidsey]

yes its my fave heli. nice and easy to control. landing just takes patience...

[Delta_]

I can't land them hovering, i'm always moving a bit.  I'm getting there.  I can hover normally though.  ;)

Ashaman, some helis have auto-rotation.  Which means they can glide back down when the engine cuts out.  The blades simply spin and don't lock when the heli is free falling, this slows its decent.  ;)

[DJ_Zephyr]

I try from time to time, but never liked it.  With my X45 being as stiff a controller as it is, it can really wear out the arms.  I've almost figured out the basics, tho, but only on the R22.  Other ones like the 206 and the Eurocopter I downloaded once have a lot more torgue and can be bears to control!

[salterb52]

nope not a all ive never even been in a heli in reel life so i stick to winged

[EGNX]

they make me cry  :'(

[ashaman]

Ashaman, some helis have auto-rotation.  Which means they can glide back down when the engine cuts out.  The blades simply spin and don't lock when the heli is free falling, this slows its decent.  ;)

If it's so, I never had the pleasure to know one (on the sim), can you name one? I'll download it immediately, if only to try it.

This anyway doesn't explain why the engine stops working abruptly while I try to hover. Really it's something that puts me off like nothing else toward helos, this.

[Theis]

Im a helicopter instructor......

says alot....

[commoner]

...mmm.....only in SLEW mode........would that be a YES or a NO?...........I never miss a landing and it goes where I say so I suppose it's a resounding YES!....commoner

BTW ..Don't worry DAN....I said NO..