For the first time ever I managed to land slowly and safely onto a helipad because of your video. Now I just have to hone my skills to do it from 500m out rather than 5 kms out! Thank you, you've opened a door to whole new world of flight simming to me. Liked and subscribed!
YESSSS! Good for you! Yeah man, I felt like I had discovered simming for the first time all over again once I started gaining control over the choppers. You're going to wind up getting hooked. When you're ready to step it up a notch, I've got two more advanced tutorials in our "How-To" section of the channel. You can watch me flounder around in my early days of trying to fly without the assits.
OK, you convinced me to try the helicopter again. I've set up the trim on my joystick hat switch so I'm ready to trim, trim, trim. Thanks for a great video.
Thanks for the video. This is the best explanation I have found on how to fly the helicopter in the sim. Most of my channel's flights are planes, but I do love choppers. You have made it easy to understand, and the first flight I did after setting up the way you said, was 1000% better. Thanks again!
That is so great! I had been avoiding the choppers for years, too. But I came across a video somewhere of a simmer explaining why he loved them so much and something clicked inside. I felt like i was missing a whole element of the flight experience. Now I fly them at least as often as the planes, especially when I want to do some sightseeing of the big cities. Thanks for dropping me a line!
Holy maccaroni. Thank you a million. Never flew helis as I never got the "vibe" with them and never had control over them. Thanks to your video I was able to fly the heli for the first time in a decent manager without crashing. Still have to train the landing part to catch it when going down to not crash it. But thats a training thing. Without your video I would not have tried it again. Thanks. You opened a new world in MSFS for me.
Here's something to try from one of my "No-assists" training videos ... when you're coming in to land, don't look at the ground. Just keep your eyes on the horizon. It will feel very weird and you'll REALLY want to look at the pad ... don't do it! Something about using the horizon as your stablity indication overrides a part of your brain that makes it easier to control the chopper near the ground.
you're a lifesaver nick. i was fumbling around for an hour with other tutorials that were completely missing the mark for me - don't know why i didn't think to check your channel sooner
Thank you! This video helped me a lot after I watched it I went and got the bell 407 and tried it, It helped a lot,but the hardest thing for me is getting it moving forward. Then slowing down enough to land
I just found your video. No one talks about how to set up the trim on helicopters except you. I tried helicopters before, and it didn't work out, and now I understand why. It's the trim. I never use the trim for helicopters. Now I understand how to set it up. I am excited to learn how to fly helicopters again. Thank you!
13:08 I might have a problem with my joystick, as when I lift the helicopter with the collective without touching the cyclic, it instantly spins to the right. [EDIT] It seems like pivoting the cyclic replaces the pedals when you don't have them...but it's way too sensitive...any millimeter in the opposite direction and the helicopter spins to the other way! Why are there no helicopter lessons in this game?
Try going into your controller sensitivity settings and dialing things back a little bit on that twist axis. That should give you a little more breathing room for overcorrections. You might also increase the dead zone size a bit so you will have a larger neutral position.
Spinning to the right is absolutely normal. The main rotor spins one way, the body of the helicopter spins the other way. You need to use the pedals to counteract that. If you have the assists of you will need to use far more than you expect.
When you're ready for the assists to come off (and you will be once you get the hang of it) check out the advanced tutorials in the how-to section of the channel. Good luck! 🚁
25:14 I turned off all the assists and it's going pretty well, except for the landing 😅 I have a Logitech Extreme 3D Pro and when I try to go smoothly, there's no way to make the helicopter descend as slowly as you do. If I try to slow it down, it takes off again immediately, as if there wasn't even 1mm of margin on the control to stabilize it.
@@MSFSFlightPlans I'm on it right now and I just realized that I didn't choose the helicopter joystick settings, it was on the default ones...now that I selected it, the helicopter is impossible to control 😆I fail to understand why, to be honest 😅😅
Okay, took me a few minutes but I finally understand where trim is with helicopter controls and I managed to be close to fully stabilizing...but the moment I twist the joystick left or right, even with a slight touch, it's hard not to bounce left and right 😆Maybe it's something that shouldn't be done at all?
Choppers out everyone! ooh err madame! Finally i get what's happening. Great tutorial Nick, that's of course if YT let this one through, i'm having no luck of late, but i'm still here.
I've reached the conclusion that the algo must have an element that intentionally randomizes exposure, even if it hurts YT on a momemt by moment basis, just so that it prevents any possible way of gaming the system, which, of course, would harm it more in the long run.
I was never really much of a helicopter guy until i got the Mini-500 about two months ago. Since then, i been really liking some heli flights. Totally different world of flying. I've got some good close up views of Mt Rushmore, the Giza Pyramids, and many other places. I like landing it on beaches at islands in the middle of nowhere. This little heli is easy to simulate landing and getting out. I have quite a few videos of it. Fun stuff. Oh and btw, congrats on your channel growth mate 🙌
wow thank you because off to you I can now fly a heli started of around Liverpool within 30 minutes i was in Niagara falls just in time for all the missions in 2024 just about to down load that mod for Niagara falls thank you so much I've subscribed to your channel your videos are interesting im learning lots from them
Question sir: Is it possible to properly fly helos without rudder pedals? And is it possible to simulate rapid descent yet gently touchdown like in RW footages?
Yes and yes. Some of the best heli simmers I know cut their teeth using twist-grip joysticks instead of pedals. To do a controlled rapid descent, drop the colletive and pull back on the cyclic. It will take some practice to get it just right. But you don't want to drop more than about 500 fpm while you're stationary or you'll enter a vortex ring state (if that setting is activated), and you might not be able to recover. Check out Captain Helisim or Belatu42's channels for some great piloting tutorials.
Yes, for sure. For most helicopters, you don't need to adjust the roll trim much at all. Really light and powerful ones like the 500E can take a little trimming just to make life easier ... but most can be left alone.
Best video out there on helicopters. I just have two questions. I purchase the Virpil Hawk 60 collective and was wondering when do I ever use the throttle that is on the collective stick? And would that key binding be propeller pitch or throttle? I think I’m using this wrong. I thought this makes the helicopter go fast as you increase it and when you decrease it it slows the helicopter down but I don’t think that’s the case lol so do I keep that wide open before takeoff and leave it alone? And also, I didn’t see any trim settings for the tail rotor. Do you need those as well as the other lateral trim and longitude trim? because I don’t use Rutter petals I use this stick with the twist ver alpha prime oh, and what helicopter are you using in your video?
Glad you found it useful ... let me see if I can hit all your questions: For (almost) all the helis in the sim, the throttle will automatically go to max once you get it started up, and a lot of them will also automatically engage the governor. For the handful that don't adjust the throttle, I mapped it to the hardware I would use for the throttle for my planes, though I believe there is a specific setting in the sim for helicopter throttles, so be sure to check that. I am not sure if the Virpl collective twist-throttle can be mapped in the same way, but it's worth trying it out. My collective doesn't have the twist, so I can't cofirm that it will work properly. For choppers, unlike planes, it is the collective, not the throttle, that provides more lift and/or speed by increasing the pitch of the rotor blades. Of course, this effect also occurs to a lesser extend in planes with adjustable pitch propellors, but throttle is even more important in planes. For MOST choppers, once you get it started and set the throttle, the governer will handle everything throttle-related for the duration of your flight and you should not have to touch it again from there. There is not a trim for the tail rotor in choppers, at least not in the same way it would work for trimming the rudder in a plane. Instread, when adjusting would would be considered rudder trim in a fixed wing, it will adjust the roll effect in a helicopter, not the yaw (as would be the case in a plane). In a heli, yaw is completely at the mercy of your anti-torque pedals. Fortunately, helicopters don't like to yaw once you get some decent forward speed. In other words, at slower speeds, you'll need to provide more pedal input (maybe a lot more based on your assist settings) than you will once you get some air flowing around the airframe at higher speeds. The heli in the video is the Mini-500, but it might not be the absolute best choice as far a controllability for a practice chopper. Since that upload, I purchased the Wasp (or the Scout ... they come together). I have found both to be incredibly manageable and forgiving vs a lot of the others. And they're just plain cool, so totally worth the money, IMO. If you are not yet on our Discord server, check out any of our recent vids for that link. We've got guys in there who fly choppers in real life and could speak much more authoritatively than I if you want to drop a question in there. Good luck and have fun!
@@MSFSFlightPlans I absolutely appreciate your time and effort with your feedback and getting back to me very very well explained you sure you’re not a teacher lol. Anyway thank you for responding back and yes happy flying. My rig I spent A lot of money overtime, but that’s what I love to do and when I had a long at work i just wanna come home and get in my Simulator and go into another world if you know what I mean. Thank you. My Rig for flying DOF H3 motion simulator, Virpil alpha prime with vpc warbrd base, VKB STECS Throttle, VIRPIL HAWK A-60 collective. And for racing moza r9 direct drive. With moza Srp pedals. And of course, the holy Grail of all Pimax Crystal VR headset. With 13900k rtx 4090 64 gb. You earned a sub from me.
Awesome! Once I get my ducks in a row, I'd love to get a motion platform. I'll probably take the VR plunge later this year. I'm saving up to rebuild my PC as soon as the 5090s come out.
@@MSFSFlightPlans I will say this once you head into VR you will not go back to 2-D ever again lol and when you do decide to take that leap, I can help you with anything you need to know about vr and Motion platform and setting it up. You will be in awe my friend I can promise you that lol.when is the 5090? I can’t even imagine what the price is going to be with that beast of a card coming out? Are you going to purchase MSFS 2024?
I'm sure the 5090 won't be cheap, but I don't want to leave anything on the table for performance potential ... I get the sense we may share that kind of sentiment. I do plan on grabbing 2024, but I may wait a week or two to make sure there aren't any problems significant enough to disrupt our flights for the channel since I can't fit both sims on this computer at once.
Love your videos. Been flying helicopters in sim for years. I would suggest circling your helipads and looking for best path to land (not over buildings) when it’s clear from another direction.
I was thinking the same thing to myself as rewatched that flight ... "Okay Nick, you've got 300 degrees of clear landing area... let's go over that obstruction instead." Then again, we did get a nice look at all those flags flopping around.
@@MSFSFlightPlans you know I have been a X-Plane fan and user for years, but did the switch to MSFS, since that’s where it’s all headed, so it’s now my only one I use.
@@MSFSFlightPlans sorry, just saw you asked “helicopter” not system. I personally fly Cowansims’ MD500 a lot. It’s my favorite. Next would be the H145 since I can do missions.
Pretty much all the modern choppers have governors built in, and most in the sim will turn on automatically. Some of the Cowansims need a manual activation, so just be sure to check. But to answer the question ... full throttle. The governor will take it from there.
@@MSFSFlightPlans I have watched another tutorial about if using a dedicated collective, you should turn off the governor. what do you think about that? I'm a newbee to helicopters I want to fly the H145 but its not easy to do.
Oh wow, you jumped right into the big boys with that 145. I might try the 206 or the G2 or something simpler until you start getting comfortable with everything. Regarding the governor and the other comment about your throttle, I always engage the governor. But it sounds like you might have to switch your collective lever (whatever you are using for that control) specifcally over to "collective" in the sim. It may be thinking your throttle is your collective, as adding throttle should not bring you airborn. For ALMOST all of my choppers, I just adjust the throttle by grabbing and moving it with my mouse in the sim. In other words, I just delete the binding for throttle so it doesn't connect to any of my external gear. Since you usually don't have to mess with it once you throttle up before takeoff, it's not a big hassle. So go back to that initial part of my tutorial where I go over all the sim bindings and make sure whatever you are using for a collective is set to collective and whatever you are using for throttle is deleted. You might have it double-bound so that the sim doesn't know which is which. Let me know how it goes!
Great explanation Nick and diversity on your channel, so to move forward if have to trim my noise down and not hit that cyclic that much ? And to fly harder I have to increase the collective ?
Enjoy your video on flying helicopters I've got more common sense in my little finger then most people do believe I can fly a helicopter I would like to see more of your videos thank you again
I got myself a Virpil collective and stick (the basic ones) for Christmas because they were having a big sale. I got the higher end base for the stick, though. I am still using the cheap logitech pedals. I'm thinking about a pedal upgrade, but I really can't decide what I would get ifI pull the trigger ... so many good options.
I have been on a pursuit of helicoptery mastery ... and I'm slowly inching along. It is NOT easy. I like to use the FlyInside choppers for practice because you can really tweak the assists once you get in the aircraft, unlike the other models where it is either just on or off in the sim. So far, I still can't land without a lot of patience and effort if I turn off the in-sim assists. Getting up and flying straight is not too much of a problem, but, as you've probably noticed, there is an extreme gimbaling effect when you try to hover close to the ground. I belive that is true to life for real choppers, pilots call them the "gremlins". I've pinpointed my problem, however. Something in my brain causes me to move the cyclic in the opposite direction than I should be moving it when the chopper starts to sway, thereby compounding the undesireable effect. I think it is just going to take a lot of hours and reps until I can disengage the impulse from my physical reaction. I reached out to a guy named Captain Helisim (he has a YT channel) to see how he got so good at landing without assists, his secret broke my heart ... hundreds, if not thousands, of hours of helicopter flight in the sim.
@@MSFSFlightPlans Hey Nick! Me again after a long while. Still using MSFS 2020 (esp. after the way 2024 was received). I finally picked up the Mini 500 on the Black Friday sale. That reminded me, I never did reply to your most informative comment, for which, thank you btw. I myself have been on somewhat of a pursuit of getting better at helicopters (don't think I can use the word mastery as you did quite yet). I think one of the most difficult aspects of flying helis virtually is the missing physical cues you get from your seat/airframe attachment in a real bird. We simply don't have those "sensors" operating and so that information loop has to be substituted with other "feedback loops" that aren't as effective and as you hinted at, take much longer to develop (time investment). This is probably esp. true of the ground effect regime where things get "weirder" and probably somewhat compounded by the bird's type given each individual bird may have its own quirks when airborne within one rotor diameter of AGL. Case in point, I've found no matter how hard I try it is almost impossible for me to get a butter smooth touchdown moment in the Cabri, but in the Mini 500, I can repeatedly achieve it without even trying. I do hope to get better controls with time. A collective would be nice but I'd be happier even with a more sensitive throttle than my old Saitek at this point, which is years old. In your video, how come you have a GPS under the main panel where as my Mini 500 only has the radio panel. Do you have a separate Avionics add-on?
There is a little rocker switch that says "Avionics" on the floor behind the cyclic. Hit that to switch the stack. I've found the landings get much smoother if you don't look at the ground. I know it sounds crazy, but go out to LA and do some building hopping. Instead of looking at the pad, just focus on the horizon. You'll still see it in your perifery, and you'll really have to fight the urge to look down, but it helped me a lot.
That's what I've heard. I'm waiting for our next other-worldly landscape to take it for a recorded tour. I feel like it just wouldn't be right over, say .... Melbourne. Too bad we already did a flight over Gosses Bluff, that would've been perfect!
@@MSFSFlightPlans I tried to take it out to see the Nazca Lines in the peruvian desert but they don't show up on bing maps. But thw valley of the moon nearby is stunning.
Oh heck yeah, valley of the moon is a really cool place. If you haven't seen our video in the F-35, you should check that one out. You'll feel like you're on another planet once we get up into the mountains.
I’ve landed the ornithopter on the South Col of Mt. Everest… just. Need boosters firing constantly to get up to 26,000ft. Last week I flew a Chinook over the summit and landed on the Northeast Ridge, which is almost 10,000ft above service ceiling, so I have to give it to the Chinook in terms of raw power and stability. It also sounds better.
Issue: the helicopter does not fly via “thrust” in any direction - however it is a rotary wing that flies and pulls the aircraft into the air. The thrust you speak of is only effective IGE
That's the first time I've heard that. Most of the stuff on the internet (which, granted, is not the most accurate depot of information) refers to the rotor force as thrust one it starts creating horizontal momentum for the aircraft ... or maybe I have that backwards.😒
My only complaint is that I can’t get the HPG 160 for Xbox. Meanwhile I just got the Huey. I love helicopters. You have to be patient with yourself, but you will get the hang of it and when you do it’s really satisfying. After you get the hang of it fly over your favorite city at night, it’s really cool.
Do you know how to adjust conrtoller sensitivity in the sim? If not, I think there are some YT videos that'll show you how. That would probably do the trick.
Man, I wish I could offer more advice ... I'm just not famliar enough with the controls on most HOTAS rigs. Perhaps a little noodling around on some of the forums could yield some results. I have to image there are other simmers in the same boat.
Trim, in both choppers and fixed-wing planes, makes slight adjustments to the control surfaces to level out the flight tragectory so you don't have to keep "fighting the stick." If trimmed out properly, the aircraft should fly straight and level without excessive control inputs ... unless, of course, you are trimming for a climb or descent.
You can ask as many as you want, there is no limit on questions this week. On most helicopters there is a little switch right on the top of the cyclic (fligth stick). For planes, most have a wheel of some kind down by the pilot's right knee, and many also have an electric trim switch up on the yoke where the thumbs would rest.
I tried again but can’t fly these aircraft, the helicopter is spinning like hell and Ian getting dizzy in VR I can’t go forward only hoover. I don’t now what Iam doing wrong I have a Xbox game pad. I use the standard helicopter controls profile and have mapped my own.
Having the Xbox controller is definitely going to be a handicap for the choppers. I feel like there is just too much finesse required from the controls and you might not be able to get enough range of motion to provide that on the game pad.
I'd throw that question out to our Discord crew. I started with a yoke and then added the Virpil stick, so I never really broke into the entry-level HOTAS world. But I know a lot of those guys could probably point you in the right direction. I'm telling you man, just upgrading to any kind of more advanced controller from the Xbox pad is going to be life-changing for you!
I tried using a game pad on their helo profile. Its no good, and I gave up. After watching this video, I'll try mapping collective to Y and A buttons instead of left stick. And rudder map to X and B. I dunno, I feel like giving up too.
Great guide, wish I'd found it earlier lol. So, here's a quick, easy(ish?) method for taking off forward rather than vertical, if that's your preference. 1) Once throttle is set, adjust vertical trim to -45% 2) Set collective to 100% 3) As you ascend, pull back on flight stick to counter the nosedive from the trim. Point the nose down just a little. 4) The chopper will begin to level itself. Reduce collective to stay level (This can happen in just a few seconds in some choppers. Be ready) 5) Optimally you want collective to rest around 85% 6) You should be flying level and close to max speed. All you need now is small adjustments to Vertical & Lateral trim and collective to find your happy place It may take a few tries to get the "feel" of steps 1-4 but hopefully you shouldn't find it too difficult. Before long you won't even need to check speeds etc. It will come naturally. Hope this helps! Pro Tip: If using a controller, don't have vert and lat trim on the same stick. If you do you will always inadvertently alter one while adjusting the other. Nightmare! Use different buttons for each, or at least add a tab for one (eg Right Stick for vertical and LB + Right Stick for lateral)
Xbox Controller tip for Tail Rotor. I got so annoyed that the TR wouldn't auto-center. Google offered no solution. Finally figured it out: Clear controls for "Increment/Decrement Tail Rotor" and instead map to "Rudder Axis Left/Right"
I need help with mine when I stepped left or right on the rudder start spinning like crazy I got the cyclic and rudder assist on and I still don't have not control. Any advice thanks
Without being there to see what's going on it person, I might try adjusting the pedal sensetivity in the sim ... give yourself a small deadzone range, too, to see if that helps. That'll give you a little wiggle room around the neutral position without activating anything. And those things are super sensitive until you get some air flowing around the chopper to keep it centered, so just give it the SLIGHTEST amount of input when stationary or not moving forward very fast. It doesn't take much to lose control before you get going.
For the first time ever I managed to land slowly and safely onto a helipad because of your video. Now I just have to hone my skills to do it from 500m out rather than 5 kms out! Thank you, you've opened a door to whole new world of flight simming to me. Liked and subscribed!
YESSSS! Good for you! Yeah man, I felt like I had discovered simming for the first time all over again once I started gaining control over the choppers. You're going to wind up getting hooked. When you're ready to step it up a notch, I've got two more advanced tutorials in our "How-To" section of the channel. You can watch me flounder around in my early days of trying to fly without the assits.
OK, you convinced me to try the helicopter again. I've set up the trim on my joystick hat switch so I'm ready to trim, trim, trim. Thanks for a great video.
You got this, brother! Nice and eeeeeeeasy and then .... TRIM YOUR FACE OFF!!!!
Thanks for the video. This is the best explanation I have found on how to fly the helicopter in the sim. Most of my channel's flights are planes, but I do love choppers. You have made it easy to understand, and the first flight I did after setting up the way you said, was 1000% better. Thanks again!
That is so great! I had been avoiding the choppers for years, too. But I came across a video somewhere of a simmer explaining why he loved them so much and something clicked inside. I felt like i was missing a whole element of the flight experience. Now I fly them at least as often as the planes, especially when I want to do some sightseeing of the big cities. Thanks for dropping me a line!
@@MSFSFlightPlans I did some sightseeing ones in the Bell47G, but I was always fighting the helicopter. Now it is much more relaxed and enjoyable!
Holy maccaroni. Thank you a million. Never flew helis as I never got the "vibe" with them and never had control over them. Thanks to your video I was able to fly the heli for the first time in a decent manager without crashing. Still have to train the landing part to catch it when going down to not crash it.
But thats a training thing. Without your video I would not have tried it again. Thanks. You opened a new world in MSFS for me.
Here's something to try from one of my "No-assists" training videos ... when you're coming in to land, don't look at the ground. Just keep your eyes on the horizon. It will feel very weird and you'll REALLY want to look at the pad ... don't do it! Something about using the horizon as your stablity indication overrides a part of your brain that makes it easier to control the chopper near the ground.
@MSFSFlightPlans thanks for the tip. Will try it next time. :)
PRICELESS VIDEO!!! I started and gave up frying helicopters 99 times until this video. THANK YOU.
Your victory is my reward! Glad it helped.
you're a lifesaver nick. i was fumbling around for an hour with other tutorials that were completely missing the mark for me - don't know why i didn't think to check your channel sooner
Maybe in a year or two, I'll be able to post another one for MS2024. The controller setup is not very intuitive over here. Good luck with those helis!
Thank you! This video helped me a lot after I watched it I went and got the bell 407 and tried it, It helped a lot,but the hardest thing for me is getting it moving forward. Then slowing down enough to land
You'll get the hang of it. It's all about reps and muscle memory once you get the basics down.
That was incredibly clear, Nick... let's hope I can remember all of that, Thanks!!
I just found your video. No one talks about how to set up the trim on helicopters except you. I tried helicopters before, and it didn't work out, and now I understand why. It's the trim. I never use the trim for helicopters. Now I understand how to set it up. I am excited to learn how to fly helicopters again. Thank you!
Glad you found us and even more delighted you've decided to take another crack at the choppers. Good luck! Let us know how it goes.
13:08 I might have a problem with my joystick, as when I lift the helicopter with the collective without touching the cyclic, it instantly spins to the right.
[EDIT] It seems like pivoting the cyclic replaces the pedals when you don't have them...but it's way too sensitive...any millimeter in the opposite direction and the helicopter spins to the other way!
Why are there no helicopter lessons in this game?
Try going into your controller sensitivity settings and dialing things back a little bit on that twist axis. That should give you a little more breathing room for overcorrections. You might also increase the dead zone size a bit so you will have a larger neutral position.
@@MSFSFlightPlans Those are the settings I forgot about 😅 I'll check those out during the next session, thanks! 🙏
Spinning to the right is absolutely normal. The main rotor spins one way, the body of the helicopter spins the other way. You need to use the pedals to counteract that. If you have the assists of you will need to use far more than you expect.
That is a tremendous explanation. Thank you so much.
You're very welcome!
Best helicopter tutorial there is
When you're ready for the assists to come off (and you will be once you get the hang of it) check out the advanced tutorials in the how-to section of the channel. Good luck! 🚁
Absolutely brilliant!!! Now it's my turn 😁
Have fun!
25:14 I turned off all the assists and it's going pretty well, except for the landing 😅
I have a Logitech Extreme 3D Pro and when I try to go smoothly, there's no way to make the helicopter descend as slowly as you do. If I try to slow it down, it takes off again immediately, as if there wasn't even 1mm of margin on the control to stabilize it.
Just keep practicing. It's all about the reps. One day, you'll suddenly realize something just clicked and you'll have it!
@@MSFSFlightPlans I'm on it right now and I just realized that I didn't choose the helicopter joystick settings, it was on the default ones...now that I selected it, the helicopter is impossible to control 😆I fail to understand why, to be honest 😅😅
Okay, took me a few minutes but I finally understand where trim is with helicopter controls and I managed to be close to fully stabilizing...but the moment I twist the joystick left or right, even with a slight touch, it's hard not to bounce left and right 😆Maybe it's something that shouldn't be done at all?
Choppers out everyone! ooh err madame! Finally i get what's happening. Great tutorial Nick, that's of course if YT let this one through, i'm having no luck of late, but i'm still here.
I've reached the conclusion that the algo must have an element that intentionally randomizes exposure, even if it hurts YT on a momemt by moment basis, just so that it prevents any possible way of gaming the system, which, of course, would harm it more in the long run.
I was never really much of a helicopter guy until i got the Mini-500 about two months ago. Since then, i been really liking some heli flights. Totally different world of flying. I've got some good close up views of Mt Rushmore, the Giza Pyramids, and many other places. I like landing it on beaches at islands in the middle of nowhere. This little heli is easy to simulate landing and getting out. I have quite a few videos of it. Fun stuff. Oh and btw, congrats on your channel growth mate 🙌
Thanks! And thanks for dropping a line!
wow thank you because off to you I can now fly a heli started of around Liverpool within 30 minutes i was in Niagara falls just in time for all the missions in 2024 just about to down load that mod for Niagara falls thank you so much I've subscribed to your channel your videos are interesting im learning lots from them
That is FANTASTIC! Welcome to the channel ... and helicopters! 🚁
Love this vid, after watching, you have made me wanna try helos again. Maybe just one more try.
Question sir: Is it possible to properly fly helos without rudder pedals? And is it possible to simulate rapid descent yet gently touchdown like in RW footages?
Yes and yes. Some of the best heli simmers I know cut their teeth using twist-grip joysticks instead of pedals.
To do a controlled rapid descent, drop the colletive and pull back on the cyclic. It will take some practice to get it just right. But you don't want to drop more than about 500 fpm while you're stationary or you'll enter a vortex ring state (if that setting is activated), and you might not be able to recover.
Check out Captain Helisim or Belatu42's channels for some great piloting tutorials.
@@MSFSFlightPlans Thank you. One more thing, is lateral rotor trim is less urgent (sim-wise) than rotor longitudinal?
Yes, for sure. For most helicopters, you don't need to adjust the roll trim much at all. Really light and powerful ones like the 500E can take a little trimming just to make life easier ... but most can be left alone.
good job! i'm taking a few lessons and that helped. Greetings from Perth Western Australia
Awesome! Thank you!
Very calm easy tutorial still good in MSFS 2024/
Best video out there on helicopters. I just have two questions. I purchase the Virpil Hawk 60 collective and was wondering when do I ever use the throttle that is on the collective stick? And would that key binding be propeller pitch or throttle? I think I’m using this wrong. I thought this makes the helicopter go fast as you increase it and when you decrease it it slows the helicopter down but I don’t think that’s the case lol so do I keep that wide open before takeoff and leave it alone?
And also, I didn’t see any trim settings for the tail rotor. Do you need those as well as the other lateral trim and longitude trim? because I don’t use Rutter petals I use this stick with the twist ver alpha prime oh, and what helicopter are you using in your video?
Glad you found it useful ... let me see if I can hit all your questions: For (almost) all the helis in the sim, the throttle will automatically go to max once you get it started up, and a lot of them will also automatically engage the governor. For the handful that don't adjust the throttle, I mapped it to the hardware I would use for the throttle for my planes, though I believe there is a specific setting in the sim for helicopter throttles, so be sure to check that. I am not sure if the Virpl collective twist-throttle can be mapped in the same way, but it's worth trying it out. My collective doesn't have the twist, so I can't cofirm that it will work properly.
For choppers, unlike planes, it is the collective, not the throttle, that provides more lift and/or speed by increasing the pitch of the rotor blades. Of course, this effect also occurs to a lesser extend in planes with adjustable pitch propellors, but throttle is even more important in planes. For MOST choppers, once you get it started and set the throttle, the governer will handle everything throttle-related for the duration of your flight and you should not have to touch it again from there.
There is not a trim for the tail rotor in choppers, at least not in the same way it would work for trimming the rudder in a plane. Instread, when adjusting would would be considered rudder trim in a fixed wing, it will adjust the roll effect in a helicopter, not the yaw (as would be the case in a plane). In a heli, yaw is completely at the mercy of your anti-torque pedals. Fortunately, helicopters don't like to yaw once you get some decent forward speed. In other words, at slower speeds, you'll need to provide more pedal input (maybe a lot more based on your assist settings) than you will once you get some air flowing around the airframe at higher speeds.
The heli in the video is the Mini-500, but it might not be the absolute best choice as far a controllability for a practice chopper. Since that upload, I purchased the Wasp (or the Scout ... they come together). I have found both to be incredibly manageable and forgiving vs a lot of the others. And they're just plain cool, so totally worth the money, IMO.
If you are not yet on our Discord server, check out any of our recent vids for that link. We've got guys in there who fly choppers in real life and could speak much more authoritatively than I if you want to drop a question in there.
Good luck and have fun!
@@MSFSFlightPlans I absolutely appreciate your time and effort with your feedback and getting back to me very very well explained you sure you’re not a teacher lol. Anyway thank you for responding back and yes happy flying. My rig I spent A lot of money overtime, but that’s what I love to do and when I had a long at work i just wanna come home and get in my Simulator and go into another world if you know what I mean. Thank you. My Rig for flying DOF H3 motion simulator, Virpil alpha prime with vpc warbrd base, VKB STECS Throttle, VIRPIL HAWK A-60 collective. And for racing moza r9 direct drive. With moza Srp pedals. And of course, the holy Grail of all Pimax Crystal VR headset. With 13900k rtx 4090 64 gb. You earned a sub from me.
Awesome! Once I get my ducks in a row, I'd love to get a motion platform. I'll probably take the VR plunge later this year. I'm saving up to rebuild my PC as soon as the 5090s come out.
@@MSFSFlightPlans I will say this once you head into VR you will not go back to 2-D ever again lol and when you do decide to take that leap, I can help you with anything you need to know about vr and Motion platform and setting it up. You will be in awe my friend I can promise you that lol.when is the 5090? I can’t even imagine what the price is going to be with that beast of a card coming out? Are you going to purchase MSFS 2024?
I'm sure the 5090 won't be cheap, but I don't want to leave anything on the table for performance potential ... I get the sense we may share that kind of sentiment. I do plan on grabbing 2024, but I may wait a week or two to make sure there aren't any problems significant enough to disrupt our flights for the channel since I can't fit both sims on this computer at once.
ohhhhh tour operator becomes Flight Instructor ynow this was a very good Tutotial Thank You
Love your videos. Been flying helicopters in sim for years. I would suggest circling your helipads and looking for best path to land (not over buildings) when it’s clear from another direction.
I was thinking the same thing to myself as rewatched that flight ... "Okay Nick, you've got 300 degrees of clear landing area... let's go over that obstruction instead." Then again, we did get a nice look at all those flags flopping around.
Since you've got a lot more experience than me.. I have to ask, what's your favorite helicopter to fly in the sim?
@@MSFSFlightPlans you know I have been a X-Plane fan and user for years, but did the switch to MSFS, since that’s where it’s all headed, so it’s now my only one I use.
@@MSFSFlightPlans sorry, just saw you asked “helicopter” not system. I personally fly Cowansims’ MD500 a lot. It’s my favorite. Next would be the H145 since I can do missions.
Great video, Do more please.
I fly the Bell G47 and love it. Which heli controls are you using? Great tutorial!
I've got Virpil controls for the cyclic and collective. For now, I still have the cheap Logitech pedals.
Great video maybe i missed it how much throttle did you set before take off
Pretty much all the modern choppers have governors built in, and most in the sim will turn on automatically. Some of the Cowansims need a manual activation, so just be sure to check. But to answer the question ... full throttle. The governor will take it from there.
@@MSFSFlightPlans thank you for your reply.
@@MSFSFlightPlans I have watched another tutorial about if using a dedicated collective, you should turn off the governor. what do you think about that? I'm a newbee to helicopters I want to fly the H145 but its not easy to do.
I need your help please when setting full throttle the helicopter takes of without any input from the collective how can i fix this
Oh wow, you jumped right into the big boys with that 145. I might try the 206 or the G2 or something simpler until you start getting comfortable with everything. Regarding the governor and the other comment about your throttle, I always engage the governor. But it sounds like you might have to switch your collective lever (whatever you are using for that control) specifcally over to "collective" in the sim. It may be thinking your throttle is your collective, as adding throttle should not bring you airborn. For ALMOST all of my choppers, I just adjust the throttle by grabbing and moving it with my mouse in the sim. In other words, I just delete the binding for throttle so it doesn't connect to any of my external gear. Since you usually don't have to mess with it once you throttle up before takeoff, it's not a big hassle. So go back to that initial part of my tutorial where I go over all the sim bindings and make sure whatever you are using for a collective is set to collective and whatever you are using for throttle is deleted. You might have it double-bound so that the sim doesn't know which is which. Let me know how it goes!
Great explanation Nick and diversity on your channel, so to move forward if have to trim my noise down and not hit that cyclic that much ? And to fly harder I have to increase the collective ?
You got it!
Enjoy your video on flying helicopters I've got more common sense in my little finger then most people do believe I can fly a helicopter I would like to see more of your videos thank you again
Excellent tutorial! What controls are you using for your stick, throttle, and pedals?
I got myself a Virpil collective and stick (the basic ones) for Christmas because they were having a big sale. I got the higher end base for the stick, though. I am still using the cheap logitech pedals. I'm thinking about a pedal upgrade, but I really can't decide what I would get ifI pull the trigger ... so many good options.
@@MSFSFlightPlans awesome thanks. Normally do you fly with maximum realism or do you have any assists turned on?
I have been on a pursuit of helicoptery mastery ... and I'm slowly inching along. It is NOT easy. I like to use the FlyInside choppers for practice because you can really tweak the assists once you get in the aircraft, unlike the other models where it is either just on or off in the sim. So far, I still can't land without a lot of patience and effort if I turn off the in-sim assists. Getting up and flying straight is not too much of a problem, but, as you've probably noticed, there is an extreme gimbaling effect when you try to hover close to the ground. I belive that is true to life for real choppers, pilots call them the "gremlins".
I've pinpointed my problem, however. Something in my brain causes me to move the cyclic in the opposite direction than I should be moving it when the chopper starts to sway, thereby compounding the undesireable effect. I think it is just going to take a lot of hours and reps until I can disengage the impulse from my physical reaction.
I reached out to a guy named Captain Helisim (he has a YT channel) to see how he got so good at landing without assists, his secret broke my heart ... hundreds, if not thousands, of hours of helicopter flight in the sim.
@@MSFSFlightPlans Hey Nick! Me again after a long while. Still using MSFS 2020 (esp. after the way 2024 was received). I finally picked up the Mini 500 on the Black Friday sale. That reminded me, I never did reply to your most informative comment, for which, thank you btw. I myself have been on somewhat of a pursuit of getting better at helicopters (don't think I can use the word mastery as you did quite yet). I think one of the most difficult aspects of flying helis virtually is the missing physical cues you get from your seat/airframe attachment in a real bird. We simply don't have those "sensors" operating and so that information loop has to be substituted with other "feedback loops" that aren't as effective and as you hinted at, take much longer to develop (time investment). This is probably esp. true of the ground effect regime where things get "weirder" and probably somewhat compounded by the bird's type given each individual bird may have its own quirks when airborne within one rotor diameter of AGL. Case in point, I've found no matter how hard I try it is almost impossible for me to get a butter smooth touchdown moment in the Cabri, but in the Mini 500, I can repeatedly achieve it without even trying. I do hope to get better controls with time. A collective would be nice but I'd be happier even with a more sensitive throttle than my old Saitek at this point, which is years old. In your video, how come you have a GPS under the main panel where as my Mini 500 only has the radio panel. Do you have a separate Avionics add-on?
There is a little rocker switch that says "Avionics" on the floor behind the cyclic. Hit that to switch the stack. I've found the landings get much smoother if you don't look at the ground. I know it sounds crazy, but go out to LA and do some building hopping. Instead of looking at the pad, just focus on the horizon. You'll still see it in your perifery, and you'll really have to fight the urge to look down, but it helped me a lot.
Nice tutorial. Thank you.
Glad it was helpful!
Unpopular opinion: Ornithopter is best helicopter.
That's what I've heard. I'm waiting for our next other-worldly landscape to take it for a recorded tour. I feel like it just wouldn't be right over, say .... Melbourne. Too bad we already did a flight over Gosses Bluff, that would've been perfect!
@@MSFSFlightPlans I tried to take it out to see the Nazca Lines in the peruvian desert but they don't show up on bing maps. But thw valley of the moon nearby is stunning.
Oh heck yeah, valley of the moon is a really cool place. If you haven't seen our video in the F-35, you should check that one out. You'll feel like you're on another planet once we get up into the mountains.
I’ve landed the ornithopter on the South Col of Mt. Everest… just. Need boosters firing constantly to get up to 26,000ft.
Last week I flew a Chinook over the summit and landed on the Northeast Ridge, which is almost 10,000ft above service ceiling, so I have to give it to the Chinook in terms of raw power and stability. It also sounds better.
It's the funnest of them all but it's a pain to land imo
Issue: the helicopter does not fly via “thrust” in any direction - however it is a rotary wing that flies and pulls the aircraft into the air. The thrust you speak of is only effective IGE
That's the first time I've heard that. Most of the stuff on the internet (which, granted, is not the most accurate depot of information) refers to the rotor force as thrust one it starts creating horizontal momentum for the aircraft ... or maybe I have that backwards.😒
This is brilliant, thank you so much!
You're very welcome!
And I don´t have pedals, just a joystick and throttle, so what can I map to instead of pedals?
If your joystick twists, map that to the pedals. If not, any kind of left-right toggle or paired button combo would be my next suggestion.
Ohh, I really need that!
My only complaint is that I can’t get the HPG 160 for Xbox. Meanwhile I just got the Huey. I love helicopters. You have to be patient with yourself, but you will get the hang of it and when you do it’s really satisfying. After you get the hang of it fly over your favorite city at night, it’s really cool.
My problem is my collective, too aggressive and i don`t know how to fix it. I use HOSAS
Do you know how to adjust conrtoller sensitivity in the sim? If not, I think there are some YT videos that'll show you how. That would probably do the trick.
@@MSFSFlightPlans I can change the sensitivity of the vectors, but not the thruster.
Man, I wish I could offer more advice ... I'm just not famliar enough with the controls on most HOTAS rigs. Perhaps a little noodling around on some of the forums could yield some results. I have to image there are other simmers in the same boat.
@@MSFSFlightPlans Thank you
What is trim. I want to start MSFS
Trim, in both choppers and fixed-wing planes, makes slight adjustments to the control surfaces to level out the flight tragectory so you don't have to keep "fighting the stick." If trimmed out properly, the aircraft should fly straight and level without excessive control inputs ... unless, of course, you are trimming for a climb or descent.
@@MSFSFlightPlans last question, is their a certain button on a flight stick/collective
You can ask as many as you want, there is no limit on questions this week. On most helicopters there is a little switch right on the top of the cyclic (fligth stick). For planes, most have a wheel of some kind down by the pilot's right knee, and many also have an electric trim switch up on the yoke where the thumbs would rest.
@@MSFSFlightPlans thank you
I tried again but can’t fly these aircraft, the helicopter is spinning like hell and Ian getting dizzy in VR I can’t go forward only hoover. I don’t now what Iam doing wrong I have a Xbox game pad. I use the standard helicopter controls profile and have mapped my own.
Having the Xbox controller is definitely going to be a handicap for the choppers. I feel like there is just too much finesse required from the controls and you might not be able to get enough range of motion to provide that on the game pad.
@@MSFSFlightPlans yes maybe I have to buy a entry level hotas what do you recommend?
I'd throw that question out to our Discord crew. I started with a yoke and then added the Virpil stick, so I never really broke into the entry-level HOTAS world. But I know a lot of those guys could probably point you in the right direction. I'm telling you man, just upgrading to any kind of more advanced controller from the Xbox pad is going to be life-changing for you!
@@MSFSFlightPlans Thanks mate 👌
I tried using a game pad on their helo profile. Its no good, and I gave up. After watching this video, I'll try mapping collective to Y and A buttons instead of left stick. And rudder map to X and B. I dunno, I feel like giving up too.
Great guide, wish I'd found it earlier lol.
So, here's a quick, easy(ish?) method for taking off forward rather than vertical, if that's your preference.
1) Once throttle is set, adjust vertical trim to -45%
2) Set collective to 100%
3) As you ascend, pull back on flight stick to counter the nosedive from the trim. Point the nose down just a little.
4) The chopper will begin to level itself. Reduce collective to stay level (This can happen in just a few seconds in some choppers. Be ready)
5) Optimally you want collective to rest around 85%
6) You should be flying level and close to max speed. All you need now is small adjustments to Vertical & Lateral trim and collective to find your happy place
It may take a few tries to get the "feel" of steps 1-4 but hopefully you shouldn't find it too difficult. Before long you won't even need to check speeds etc. It will come naturally.
Hope this helps!
Pro Tip: If using a controller, don't have vert and lat trim on the same stick. If you do you will always inadvertently alter one while adjusting the other. Nightmare!
Use different buttons for each, or at least add a tab for one (eg Right Stick for vertical and LB + Right Stick for lateral)
I'm going to give it a try. I hear you on the trim mapping. I use two totally separate switches.
Xbox Controller tip for Tail Rotor. I got so annoyed that the TR wouldn't auto-center. Google offered no solution. Finally figured it out: Clear controls for "Increment/Decrement Tail Rotor" and instead map to "Rudder Axis Left/Right"
I need help with mine when I stepped left or right on the rudder start spinning like crazy I got the cyclic and rudder assist on and I still don't have not control. Any advice thanks
Without being there to see what's going on it person, I might try adjusting the pedal sensetivity in the sim ... give yourself a small deadzone range, too, to see if that helps. That'll give you a little wiggle room around the neutral position without activating anything. And those things are super sensitive until you get some air flowing around the chopper to keep it centered, so just give it the SLIGHTEST amount of input when stationary or not moving forward very fast. It doesn't take much to lose control before you get going.
Really appreciate it.
My pleasure- and good luck! Be careful ... it will be hard to get back in the planes once you enter the lair of the helis.
Excellent thank you
Nice flying. I find the constant trimming a little excessive though. My two cents.
Thank you!
always the same mistake, talking like a machine gun
If I was alive in the 1920s, maybe they'd call me "Tommy Mouth" ... I wouldn't mind that at all.