Flying Choppers in Flight Simulator 2000 & FS98

Page 2 - Lessons

Welcome aboard the MD520N, or the FS2K Bell 206!

In a real heli the main controls are the Cyclic & Collective levers, the yaw pedals & the throttle.

In FS the

1. Your joystick throttle lever is used for altitude control. We will call the throttle lever the COLLECTIVE - because you use it to control lift (altitude)
2. Forward & back stick is used for speed & should be used lightly. Forward stick to increase speed, back stick to reduce speed - both used in conjunction with the throttle lever (for altitude control). We will call the Stick - the CYCLIC
3. Side movement of stick is used for turning & for stabilization.
4. Twist grip on your joystick simulates the 'torque, or yaw, pedals'. This is use to counter yaw movements (turning sideways) & for positioning when landing, etc. The Torque Pedals are not used to balance a turn as they would be in a fixed wing aircraft.
5. The engine speed in flight in most modern helicopters, if not all, is controlled automatically by a 'governor'. The governor will automatically increase & reduce engine speed as required. It is not necessary for the pilot to control engine speed.
   

It is VERY important to note that gentle movements & patience are required to control a heli.

Good forward view is particularly important when controlling a chopper. In most helicopter flying, the outside view is the primary instrument. Thus - so should it be in FS.

These are the settings I recommend: Hit 'W' for full screen view, then hit Shift Z Z' to obtain the crucial airspeed & altitude readouts.

You now have a good view yet you can still see your speed & height.

View Demo Video.- 'simvhover'
Hovering is an essential practice. It will help you to get a feel for the handling as well as improve the low altitude control necessary for landing.
The hovering is conducted at Meigs field.
Steps.
1. Try lifting off a few feet. Increase throttle lever (collective) gradually & use it to fine control you height >> & then lower collective gently to touch down.
2. Now try lifting slowly & hold position using all controls. Lower Collective to land gently. Practice this for a long time. If you can do this you are 75% on your way to mastering the machine! If your machine will not hold position try adjusting your stick settings one small setting at a time.
3. It doesn't matter if you move forward a bit. Pull gently back on the stick to slow down & lower collective to land.
4. If you keep crashing - save your frustration by turning CRASH to OFF in Aircraft Settings.

5. When you have achieved the ability to hover on the same spot (or near that spot), try gently turning using yaw peddals (twist grip) to try to achieve a 360 degree (full circle) turn & land hopefully not far from where you took off.

PRACTICE HOVERING -> Then practice some more & keep practicing. You will learn more from this than any other single procedure.

Note: If you find you cannot hover - make sure your stick settings are as illustrated on page 1 & that you are in the MD520N. Don't give up, I nearly did! Now I'm so glad I persisted. Take another look at the videos...

Coming to a halt at Meigs

View demo video 'simvfrwrd'

Lift the bird up to a controlled hover. When stable, gently move the stick forward & control altitude using throttle (collective) lever. As soon as you reach a few miles per hour, level the machine out & allow yourself to travel forward at between 10 & 25 knots. Ensure you do not climb or descend much using the throttle (collective) lever. As you approach a chosen landing point decrease speed by gently pulling back on the stick & you may need to decrease or increase throttle (collective) lever to adjust height. As you slow down gently loose height & try to control all this to attain virtually zero forward speed as you are just a few feet above ground. Then lower collective (throttle lever) & touch down! Easy? No. But you will improve if you practice this.

Flight to the round space in Chicago.
View Demo. (simv1stflight)

Now that you can hover, move forward & land, let's go for a flight to an easy location. That round section between Meigs & the buildings in Chicago. It's a nice spot for trial landings.
Don't worry if you don't get there or miss. It will come with practice.

View demo video 'simvH'

Actually this is not easy. If you can do this you'll be able to land on rooftops.

This is a repeat of the landing - but you need to be able to be precise so practice on the previous lessons is essential.

The main problem landing on a point is vision. You cannot see when you are over the H so you really need to guess. Watch yourself using the Instant Replay, pressing 'S' to obtain preferred view. When you become pretty good at landing you will probably want to view your flights quite often using the Replay facility.

Now just practice.

Approaching NY Helipad

Landing smoothly on a rooftop, especially the World Trade Center in NYC, is perhaps the qualifier for proficiency of FS Helicopter Flight, like your virtual PPL(H).

If you have practiced, & practiced & become able to land on the H at Meigs, your are ready for rooftop landing.

Let's start with an easy one. Start at 111 Wall St. (Go > Airport > 111 Wall St.). You will find another rooftop 'H' if you turn to your right & head uptown. This is a wide rooftop & makes a good practice point.

Landed? OK, now try to come back to 111 Wall St.!

View Video (simv111)

When you can land on a rooftop, you are nearly qualified!

In real life the licence you require is a PPL(H), that's a Private Pilots (Certificate) License, Helicopter rating.(or Private Pilot Certificate - Helicopter)

This is, however, simulation. But for the sake of achievement, we'll visualize a qualification called

SPL(H). I.E. Simulated Pilots License, Helicopters.

Let's face it, if you can fly FS2000 or 98 Helicopters, you have achieved a skill. I would respect anyone who can land smoothly on the World Trade Tower as a fully qualified SPL(H).

Once you have practiced landing at 111 Wall St., you can try World Trade Center. It's not easy with a suspended platform. But you will be able to do it with practice.

Good luck & let Simviation know when you achieve your SPL(H)! Who knows, maybe we could form a virtual organisation?

View Video 'simvTradeC'

520N on approach at World Trade Center

Recommended! - Real Heli Pilot Dave Cook's Tutorials - both linked to from the Help page