I can already see this subject being somwhat unpopular with some. But I want to bring it up anyway.
The only helicopters I really enjoyed flying were the simple ones in older versons of flight simulator. Like FSX.
FS24 does have assists. But they are still bound to the new physics and can feel clunky and overly sensitive. Or in the case of the tail rotor assists, too rigid. They are not satisfying for me to use and having to have a white knuckle grip on my normal flight stick for any period of time is not enjoyable. Not everybody has specialized helicopter flight sim setups.
Setting the flight model in FS24 to FSX mode in the settings has no affect on helicopters. I wish that it did. Beacuse while I think helicopters are cool, I cant stand flying them as it is. Overly sensitive tail rotors, clunky assists, having to hold the joystick for the entire time is not fun. It might be fun for a small group of hard core sim pilots, but not for me. And I suspect Im not alone.
Just beacuse somthing is realistic doesnt mean its fun.
When trying to hover, even a slight change in the amount I twist my stick causes the nose to flail back and forth. Its hard to fly smoothly and pointed strait unless I turn my sensitivity way down.
Might want to consider them. I used to fly helicopters in P3D, XP, DCS and MSFS without them and when I got them it was a huge game changer. Much better control.
This is what I’ve figured out with helicopters in MSFS: You can’t really fly choppers WELL in MSFS without pedals, because there are many instances where you need to keep a little bit of tail rotor in full-time, which you theoretically could do with a twist stick, but your wrist will likely explode and fall off afterwards. Also, cyclics are sensitive controls, so short-handled flightsticks tend to over-command even if you’re delicate. You need a much longer stick that enables finer control to do helicopters really well. It’s also hard to be delicate with a normal flightstick if the self-centering springs are strong - you might not be able to gently nudge the stick to get a little bit of input because the spring fights back.
You can buy helicopter-specific controls, but they tend to be pricey. Some flight sticks let you swap out the stick portion with a longer one; then it becomes a question of mounting the base properly. But in general, I’ve found helicopters possible but challenging in MSFS with “normal” equipment (and no pedals).
Can’t hurt to have more options, but I’m pessimistic about Asobo actually developing an additional easy helicopter mode.
You may have to look for helicopters with automation features (autohover, autoland, autotakeoff, autopilot) like some Airbus models (there’s at least one of those in FS2020 from Hype Performance Group I think, dunno if the H125 or H225 in FS2024 have that sort of thing).
Or give the new powered-lift aircraft in FS2024 a try if you haven’t already and see if they’re satisfying to fly. (the Joby S4 and Archer Midnight)