The latest Info from Discord dated May 19th:
“No plans for a 2020 version atm, but this can change in the future if there’s a high enough demand for it”
AFAIK the focus is currently on MP/Console release.
That, and the first FS24 update, correct.
Any estimated update date for MSFS2024? Cant wait for this patch. Especially since I’ve never seen headphones (1 time only), they don’t show up for me and I couldn’t use the slightly more muted sound…
Personally, I’m still disappointed with the flight dynamics. So far, only two developers have adopted external flight models, because the native helicopters in MSFS 2024 feel much more like drones to fly than real helicopters.
Please note that this aircraft uses a full native CFD flight model. An external flight model (custom) is far beyond the scope of this product, and would likely make it incompatible with consoles.
Moreover, the flight model has been developed by a pilot with experience on the type, and has been validated by a beta testing team including various helicopter pilots.
If you are a helicopter pilot with experience on this type, feel free to contact us and provide clear, objective feedback.
For me as non real live pilot but a RC 3d heli flyer the flight dynamics feels on point. The rigid rotorhead is very direct in comparison to other helos with dampers. Every change in collective must be counteracted with yaw, the faster the change, the stronger the correction. In forward flight you have to counter the roll tendecies caused by the lift difference between the blade facing the relative wind and the blade facing away from the relative wind.
It is absolutely an handflown machine without modern QOL assistance.
I love doing acrobatics in it but I recommend to do it in VR for better spatial awareness.
But there are two points I have to criticize: On my installation I can’t change the smoke color, doesn’t matter if I change it in walkaraound or the EFB. It’s always white. The second point is the hover behaviour in the grond effect. I can’t hold the height as clean as with other helos. As example, the MH60 is like on rails, but it also has the little helpers. In the Bo105 I lose height after transition from steady hover to a slow taxi, max. 20 knots, which I then counter with slightly more collective. Then on transition from taxi to steady hover I’ll gain height, which I started to precounter with slightly less collective, but then it has a tendency to fall like a stone. The range of the collective for hover maneuvers over ground feels strangely small, almost binary. Hovering in higher heights are much smoother. But as I mentioned. I’m no real life pilot, so it could be this is the accurate behaviour of this helo and I simply have to git gud XD
edit: typos
As for hovering, it’s possible, but it’s actually more difficult with the Bo105 than with other helicopters (I’m not comparing it to the MH60, because it’s such a stable platform with its support systems that you can stand in cargo bay on your head inside without falling over ;)). Besides the rotor angle itself, you have to be very gentle with the collective (I have a physical Virpil), and with such a large lever surface, movements are literally millimeters to get the right amount of power to hover. If someone only uses a joystick or HOTAS, it might be virtually impossible to catch.
Yah, that’s the next investment i’ll do: a set of Virpil equipment will replace or extend my saitek x56 Hotas.
In comparison with the Bell Huey, which is more likely the same era, the Hotas does pretty well. I don’t have to touch the collective for near ground hover maneuvers, or if so just a gentle push with my palm. The Bölkow reacts to aggresive for my HOTAS and I don’t want to experiment with curves or so.T hat’s why I’m getting a real collective lever, the same as in your pic.
It is worthwhile to change the curves a bit. A sensitivity of -0.3 on both axes of the cyclic and a extremity deadzone of 0.3 goes a long way. This gives you way more control without sacrificing any actual degree-of-freedom because you don’t really use the extreme inputs anyway.
It’s the second method in this video
In the video he changes the hardware controller curve, but you can get the same result with doing it in the control settings override just for the helicopters you want.
I talk a bit about ground effect with this helicopter in my video. It’s actually very realistic.
I’m a private helicopter pilot, so my experience is limited to a handful of airframes, but here is my current list…
The most realistic helicopter flight models in MSFS2024:
- Taog’s H500C/OH6A - (awesome native CFD w/custom VRS, RBS & Eng. damage)
- Stratoware/Miltech MBB Bo 105 - (same as above but without the custom code)
- Default Cabri G2
- Default R66
- Digital Aeronautics Mi-2 Hoplite
- Cowansim H125
I don’t have any real world experience with any airframes that have stability systems like the H145.
I don’t find the TAOG 500 very realistic either. I’m a student pilot, and VRS is practically nonexistent.
VRS is more difficult to get into than most people realize. As a student pilot, how did your instructor have you setup to practice recovery?
Hi Belatu42,
First of all, congratulations on your videos—I always watch them as soon as they come out.
I’m currently flying the R22, but I recently had the chance to experience VRS, and I have to tell you that it literally scared me. I felt the helicopter sinking rapidly, and my instinctive reaction was to pull collective. However, the instructor firmly told me not to do that and instead to push the cyclic forward.
Gradually, that nightmare came to an end, but I can honestly say that the experience left me shocked.
The point I’d like to make is that, in my opinion, the original 2024 code is probably still not mature enough to faithfully simulate rotary-wing flight. Don’t get me wrong—it works perfectly well for consoles, but for PC simulation enthusiasts, I don’t think we’re there yet.
As for my virtual cockpit setup, I use a Reverb G2 together with a Virpil WarBRD-D base equipped with a 200 mm extension and a 3Dafi collective.
Best regards.
Yeah, It’s especially scary when the ground starts rushing at you. I found setting up with a tailwind and some kind of ‘distraction’ on the ground to focus and you can get into trouble if you’re not paying attention.
It’s really difficult in the sim to get zero airspeed for VRS to occur. Try setting up next to a skyscraper for reference.
When you get the descent rate to build it will scare you, but you don’t get the shocking airframe cavitations in the sim.
edit: don’t forget zero airspeed means backwards and lateral movement too. The airspeed indicator may register zero, but that doesn’t mean your airspeed is.
It would be nice if the instrument panel were darker and glossier. I would be happy if an add-on cockpit livery were released.
The original looks too dull and dirty.
This ultimately comes down to the art direction followed by the Stratoware team.
If you have specific suggestions or looks you’d like, create a ticket here for the Strato team to review: https://bugs.miltechsimulations.com/
Any news on the marketplace release? Waiting cash in hand!
We are currently addressing some ingestion issues on Marketplace preventing release. With that completed we can push it out