Finally I got the H500C and I did some testing yesterday. Surprisingly I found it much easier to control than the H160. Don’t know if it is for the model or if too many assistances when you don’t know very well what you are doing are counterproductive.
In any case, thank you for your recommendation!
This seems to be a common theme with realistic flight models, they often seem to be more intuitive. Probably because they make more sense over a wider range of the flight envelope than less well simulated models.
My tips as a virtual helicopter pilot
First complete all the helicopter training sessions in the training section.
After that :dont stick to only one helicopter, try them all
See to it that your peripherals are well calibrated using calibration-software from the manufacturer of your peripheral
Master your landings. Know how to flare.
Look at helicopter-videos of real helicopters and learn from them.
Keep calm when you dont have full control over your helicopter
For those who want to practice precision landings, I discovered a really nice heliport in Japan with a multitude of runways of varying diameters.
Tokyo Heliport (RJTI), Japan
35°38’09.7"N 139°50’19.6"E
In addition, just 3km away, there are also helipads on the rooftops of numerous buildings, ideal for practicing short hops from one to another.
NIce!!
Thank you!!
This is a terrific find. Thank you!
Very Nice! Thanks!
Things that helped me, keep your eyes outside the ship. Watching ground references in the distance help you to keep from over controlling. When decending to a target keep the target steady in the picture. Adjust cyclic and collective to follow a line gradually to your target. Average 60 kt approach. Watch out for over torquing when approaching a landing. Gradually come in to a hover adjusting collective and pedal ever so slightly. I prefer to work on US helicopters and getting used to the left pedal and left tilt of the cyclic. I agree the new MD 500C flight dynamics are nice. I also like the Shrike 530F. I use an Saitek X52 which I have tie wraped the springs along with a Skywalker pedal system. Also when I am really in the mood I have a Pro Flight Trainer cyclic and collective. Practice Practice Practice. Good luck to all! - Update - Per the following post, yes - Head tracking (TrackIR 5 or similar) is the best way to really enjoy any flightsimming endeavor!! VR is pretty dang cool as well!!! Also - Anti Torque Pedals - typically keep your heels on the ground and make corrections with the balls of your feet. Allows far greater precision when controlling your movements. I know, also depends on the type of pedals you are using. Cyclic control settings - dont use curves. Leave it flat. This allows quicker corrections so you don’t get that pendulum back and forth movement. You may apply a small bit of damping to help smooth input reaction. And lastly be sure to trim your cyclic properly. This helps when preparing to lift off. Add collective slowly and notice when it becomes light on the skids. Correct and hold the nose with pedals. If the nose dips forward trim back a bit. Or vise versa. Lean the cyclic slightly to couter drift, and see if you can slowly raise it straight up off the pad into a hover and hold it there. With it properly trimmed you don’t have to fight the tendancy to fall off the bubble constantly, you can just concentrate on position and attitude. OK - I know a bit long winded, but these are the things I had to fight and learn very slowly over the years. Hope it may help some. Enjoy.
I fly helicopters in MSFS 2024, XP 12, and DCS and do quite well. The controls I use to fly them isn’t anything special. Just a VKB Gladiator NXT joystick, Thrustmaster TWCS throttle, and Logitech rudder pedals. As above keeping your eyes outside the cockpit will help you quite a bit. Personally I use a head tracker (TrackIR 5).
