Hi guys,
I am looking for a quality input peripherals for flying a helicopter.
I already have a Thrustmaster T16000 joystick and want to expand on it. From what I figured I need some kind of self centering pedals and some kind of lever. On the internet I saw some builds that turned a throttle into a lever for going up down.
Do you know about some quality gear that has good sensors (like the T16000) but also isn’t too hard on your budget?
Cheers
Unfortunately, bespoke helicopter flight controls and low price do not really go together. If you think of flight simulators as somewhat of a niche pastime and then think of flying helicopters a niche within a niche it starts to make some sense. Supply and demand… the market for controls specifically for flying helicopters is fair small hence the controls tend to be on the expensive side.
Many people do actually settle to using a HOTAS and set of rudder pedals for that very reason. It is also worth using a joystick that you can either remove the centring spring from, or use cable ties to compress the spring. A centring spring can make flying helicopters quite tiring and far removed from how real helicopter controls work.
I use MFG Crosswind rudder pedals that are really good for all round flight simulation use and work great for helicopters. Like the cyclic (joystick) though a real helicopter anti-torque pedals are not spring to return to their centre position. I have the centring spring on my pedals set very light for all round use.
For a cyclic I use an old Logitech G940 force feedback joystick with hardly any centring force, just enough to give the stick a slight feeling of weight really.
For a long time I used my Thrustmaster Warthog throttle for a collective. More recent I invested in the Virpil collective that attaches to my chair. I bought that because I have flown helicopters in flight sims for 10+ years so to me it was worth investing in. It is very high quality and great to have but certainly not essential. Also certainly not cheap either.
My advice would be to initially consider a have decent set of rudders pedals that you can use for all aircraft types. Use a conventional throttle for the collective and likewise for the stick - taking not of my comments above about the spring…
Beyond that and if you want something more authentic for helicopters, have a look as the Virpil website - but be aware they make quality stuff with a price tag to match. Alternatively, lookup Puma flight controls for an all in one solution- but again, not cheap.
@Blitzer303 Thank you for your time and answer. I checked out the crosswind pedals you mentioned. They look like they are build to last and 250-300€ I could see myself pay for those. Thanks for the recommendation 
I tested the resitance on the Thrustmaster T16000 Joystick and it is definitely on the very light side and I don’t see myself getting tired using it.
In fact I have used it before with the Airbus helicopters and it was alright. Though because of the lack of pedals I had to use the twist of the joystick to compensate as pedals. This was then very tiring indeed and not much fun to fly with. You probably get tendinitis when you do this over along er period of time. Other than that I think the joystick will be good because it is so easy going.
But I probably will cheap out with the collective and use a modified throttle for this.
My next steps after this is to buy the next quality PCVR Headset and sometime later a moving chair like the YAW 2 to complete my setup. Then sim heaven awaits ^^
Having no centring spring will also make fine movements much easier. The airbus helicopters are modern and very easy to fly in MSFS. Worth bearing in mind.
I have had my MFG pedals for several years now and they have been faultless. You can actually get an optional damper kit that would likely be very good for helicopters. If the kit had been available when I got my pedals I would have got that as well.
Does the dampening kit add more resistance and thus allow more precise movements?
I found this throttle here that looks promising. Because of the curved design one could add a longer handle to it and basically have a collective.
At least the clutch dampers it kinda depends on whether you get more precision. For example I have found that they cause bit too much resistance to very fine movements towards the center of a joystick with springs on. There are reasons I’d frankly want to keep the damper on all the time, especially the reduction in spring induced oscillations, but ultimately I chose to keep the damper off in normal usage. Never tried a hydraulic steering damper with pedals so don’t know on that, but I think they main reason here, helicopter wise, is the ability to use the pedals with the spring completely removed, since the damper provides resistance against movement and keeps the pedals where you left them.
Another thing to consider if you want to go for extended (and dampened, for springless use) flight stick for the extra leverage and precision.
The collective lever is in comparison less important. If you have a TWCS lying around from your T16000 that’s a better bet than the jittery Logitech quadrant, even if the movement is not realistic.
Old thread, but I have a question:
I know I can use my TM16000 joystick for cyclic. I have a TM throttle as well (the other part of the HOTAS.) I would try to remove the joystick spring (or just live with it.) I currently use it for DCS, but had planned to upgrade to a better stick for that sim.
I suppose I could use the TM ‘throttle’ as a collective, and the rotary knob as a throttle. Yes?
Or…
Would it make more sense to map collective and throttle to two levers on my Honeycomp Bravo?
