Controlling the Aircraft

[stayalive]

To keep it short and to the point here are some issues:
Note: Optimizing controller sensitivities/deadzone did not fix those issues.

1. Aircraft controls feel very loose and inconsistent(under the same circumstances)
- collective sometimes responds fast, sometimes does not respond at all(under the same circumstances)
- Pedals - in windy conditions - even FULL pedals are not enough to stop heli. spin.
- Rolls - Aircraft tends to roll too easily(most noticeable with collective input - it rolls right?!?).
- Landing(without "auto hover") - collective responds with abrupt up/down movements, even with very gentle inputs (which results in aircraft slamming into ground or hovering above LZ refusing to descend, little "UP" input goes up too quick, "DOWN" input slams into ground)

Overall - It feels as if the helicopter is totally out of control and i'm constantly fighting to keep it in the air. I understand that helicopters are very hard to control, but combined with sluggish(and sometimes none responsive controls) it's almost impossible to fly.

On a positive note: I LOVE THIS GAME and what it has to offer - keep up the good work!!

[MD500Enthusiast]

ummm i can controll the helicopter just fine but then i'm a helicopter pilot. the torque, pedal seems not to have enough of an effect even in calm winds conditions if you ask me. if you've ever flown a real helicopter it's very squirelly with the pedals in strong winds. also make sure you have your collective set to analog if you've got it on your joystick throttle. the abrupt down/up movement has to do with ground effect not being properly programmed also depending on wind in real helicopters there is a up down effect because wind effectively increases rotor efficiency depending on the situation, just like if you fly through etl you get more lift and that can account for the up downs and well although less dramatic in real life. though the right roll thing is an well known issue and hopefully will be fixed but that could also be that you're not flying the helicopter in trim i.e the pedals. when you raise collective you need left pedal when you lower you need right pedal.

[Arcto]

I'm finding landing and take off difficult...well mainly landing. I keep veering off wildly in random directions. I presume this is just to do with pedal work and me not being used to it. I can land a chopper in arma pretty much anywhere but there's no real rotor or wind affect in that.

More practice

[lusht]

I'm finding landing and take off difficult...well mainly landing. I keep veering off wildly in random directions. I presume this is just to do with pedal work and me not being used to it. I can land a chopper in arma pretty much anywhere but there's no real rotor or wind affect in that.

More practice

I use the autohover button alot. It stiffens the helicopter and decreases sensitivity. This enables very precise hovers and landings.

Other than that, they are not that hard to fly, i play in trainee mode with hud disabled. Just keep an eye on your instruments, pitch and vertical speed are crucial.

Compared to FSX dodosim and Black shark, they are just right kind of challenge/fun for me.

[Arcto]

BlackShark was a nightmare

[stayalive]

Well, I tried to keep it short but looks like more info would help...
I'm not a pilot but have extensive flight sim experience (FSX, blackshark, IL2 to name a few) - I prefer to fly in extreme weather conditions because of the added challenge, however, I'm never nervous flying(most realistic settings) but in this game it seems that I'm always on edge, ready to counteract a sudden (and very violent) effect....for example, in the second single player mission I fly a medium class heli(after the first leg of the flight with the light chopper
), take off is a breeze, a bit of pedal work to keep the chopper lined up for the landing approach on the rooftop and then, all of a sudden (without pilot input and not exceeding minimums) the helicopter rolls right, I pull left on the stick(full left) but the helicopter keeps rolling right to the point of no return. I've tried that mission a dozen times and finally gave up...something is clearly wrong. I understand the challenges of flying a chopper (as a simmer) but I think the combination of harsh wind effect and no way to balance it = unavoidable disaster.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy playing(again, on expert level) TOH very much, I love the challenge, but it's a bit over the top to the point of feeling like flying a chopper is taking a 50/50 chance everytime you take off....what will the chopper do next? pitch down suddenly? Refuse to descend with even with FULL collective down? Roll right or left unexpectedly?
I also double checked the my hardware, it seems to work very gracefully with other sim games. I'm sure these issues will be addressed at some point, I don't expect to have no ground effects, wind effects etc. all I'm saying is that the helicopter(as it is set up right now) is not capable to fly in such conditions SAFELY. Yes, I can fly it too, but I can't imagine flying under the same circumstances in real life.

[DarkCrow]

I too came from many other flight sims Blackshark as well as fsx included and had many of the same problems when first flying this. Once I got used to the differences I really like it. Just like everybody else though I can't stand the excessive ground effect.

What helped me was watching NightSta1ker's real life video of flying a helicopter and observing his controls. I realized I was holding to tight and chasing the helo instead of inticipating it's movement with many small inputs. What fun this sim is! Now if I could only play for more than 10 minutes without crashing to desktop lol. That will soon come.

[CarlGustaffa]

Yes, I can fly it too, but I can't imagine flying under the same circumstances in real life.

Try adding realistic conditions to the equation. Wrt weather, choppers are actually a bit more comforting than fixed wings that respond very quickly to weather. So flying under unstable air masses will be a smooth ride compared to a bumpy ride in a small GA plane.

In one trip we had heavy easterly winds, which for us means it comes over the mountain. It was "on hell of a ride" until we passed 4000 feet, where we cruised the leg at 5500 feet in smooth air. But getting down again at our destination, Oh My God - everything in the cabin (maps, pilot bags, not beer bottles) fly all over the place and we couldn't even read our instruments or checklist. On short approach the runway was all over the windscreen, and we were (way) left and right of centerline within milliseconds, and I was 110% sure of doing a missed.

Then at about 30-50 feet AGL - dead silence from the weather and the smoothest landing ever. Very very weird experience. Same deal on return leg (we just went there for coffee ), where the PA28 became horrible to us immediately after takeoff, and we'd just done a mental picture of the departure since map reading was out of the question (also a routine flight), and wait until we reached enough altitude to clear the mountain winds.

I believe the trip down took us about 1:20, and the return trip only some 50 minutes or so. Fairly bad medium altitude winds, making low level flying impossible due only the direction of the wind.

What I'm saying is that in the game, realistic conditions can't exist. Even MSFS left a lot to be desired wrt weather simulation.

As for ground effect (I'm not a chopper pilot), I agree. It should have more "checkpoints" (center, left, right, forward, aft of rotor) and apply the force more gradually.

[MD500Enthusiast]

Well, I tried to keep it short but looks like more info would help...
I'm not a pilot but have extensive flight sim experience (FSX, blackshark, IL2 to name a few) - I prefer to fly in extreme weather conditions because of the added challenge, however, I'm never nervous flying(most realistic settings) but in this game it seems that I'm always on edge, ready to counteract a sudden (and very violent) effect....for example, in the second single player mission I fly a medium class heli(after the first leg of the flight with the light chopper
), take off is a breeze, a bit of pedal work to keep the chopper lined up for the landing approach on the rooftop and then, all of a sudden (without pilot input and not exceeding minimums) the helicopter rolls right, I pull left on the stick(full left) but the helicopter keeps rolling right to the point of no return. I've tried that mission a dozen times and finally gave up...something is clearly wrong. I understand the challenges of flying a chopper (as a simmer) but I think the combination of harsh wind effect and no way to balance it = unavoidable disaster.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy playing(again, on expert level) TOH very much, I love the challenge, but it's a bit over the top to the point of feeling like flying a chopper is taking a 50/50 chance everytime you take off....what will the chopper do next? pitch down suddenly? Refuse to descend with even with FULL collective down? Roll right or left unexpectedly?
I also double checked the my hardware, it seems to work very gracefully with other sim games. I'm sure these issues will be addressed at some point, I don't expect to have no ground effects, wind effects etc. all I'm saying is that the helicopter(as it is set up right now) is not capable to fly in such conditions SAFELY. Yes, I can fly it too, but I can't imagine flying under the same circumstances in real life.

it would help if you can tell us what your speed is, and also what you're doing with your pedals as you're descending and lining up with your landing spot, it might just be pilot error. but i have noticed the right roll although not as bad as what you're describing.

[stayalive]

it would help if you can tell us what your speed is, and also what you're doing with your pedals as you're descending and lining up with your landing spot, it might just be pilot error. but i have noticed the right roll although not as bad as what you're describing.

Speed - 70/60 knots and slowing
Pedal input - about 10% left (or as needed to keep nose straight)
Glide slope: Approaching rooftop from the E/SE, altitude - approx 500ft above rooftop landing area.

Maybe i'm approaching from the wrong angle/direction? (on windy conditions i usually take 3 steps to land: 1. Letting the wind turn the helicopter so that my nose is pointing into the wind 2. Start a consistent glide slope 3. Establish controlled hover above LZ for a controlled touchdown).

Once the helicopter start rolling right i try to counter balance it(as needed)with left cyclic but the wind effect quickly overtakes the heli. even with GRADUAL FULL cyclic left. I've tried to start from the "saved" point(approaching the rooftop) with FULL cyclic left which stops the roll to the right but puts the helicopter in very violent turns and unstable movement, definitely not suited for landing...especially on a rooftop.