Well, I pulled the trigger and bought the CM3 base, Constellation Alpha grip, TCS Upgraded Rotor stick, Shark-A grip, and associated mounting gear.
Now comes the hard part - waiting. Everything is out of stock. Probably months until my first helicopter crash. 
Bittersweet! That is painful! Well done though. Can’t wait to hear your thoughts when it arrives and you had a play!
Thank you all for your excellent advice. I think you helped me make the right choices.
I think Virpil still label everything “out of stock” in their online shop. But it usually ships quite quickly, at least that was the case everytime I ordered something from them here in Germany.
Most things, yes. But some things show ‘In Stock.’
That might not mean anything. Online stock status is notoriously unreliable.
You give me hope. 
This one shows it’s in stock.
Hello all, i am now to this post but not the forums.
I have the cm3, which I decided on after a ton of research. With the clutches snugged slightly and springs loose it works like a dream.
Also have the 200mm extension and alpha prime grip. Makes for a great cyclic. I made a little mounting box for the cyclic that sits on the floor and I can roll up to it in my office chair.
I also have a collective without throttle plus the sharka A grip on order since March 6, still waiting.
Oh yeah, also have Thrustmaster TPR’s , with damper 
You will have a great setup!! Now all you need is patience. Me too.
Sounds like a mirror of my setup. Also got the cm3 base mounted on a box but mine is fitted on runners at the front of my seat box so I can have it central or slid to the left. Makes config for different aircraft a breeze.
Runners sound like a great idea. My setup is still a WIP, as I don’t have a yoke yet.
If Honeycomb becomes reliable that is the direction I’m leaning toward.
Yeah mines still WIP too. That’s before I get into the tinkering phase. Yoke concept is done but not implemented yet. Throttle mounting is next up.
I asked Komodo some questions via their contact form 2 weeks ago. No reply.
So yeah, looks like it will need to be Virpil for me too. Just wish they did a simpler grip than the Hawk one!
There is definitely room in the market for a mid-range, all in 1 plug’n’play chopper setup!
P.S. I also asked Fly Tampa via their support email why my PC was crippled whilst flying through their Las Vegas, also no reply. Support these days!! 
I’ve had no issues with the FlyTampa KLAS addon. The strip looked stunning.
You have Addons_Linker, right? Maybe there’s a conflict with something else.
I did the flight in my Edgely Optica, with very little additional addons enabled.
I just flew the HPG H145 again with the Virpil Constellation Alpha and Hawk grips. They are very similar to the real thing and just feel great 
Yes of course lol.
In VR though?
I will try again with all disabled except Vegas. But I don’t have any other mods in the area.
Yeah it does look AMAZING. But it just really struggles, especially at night… and weirdly it’s at it’s worst (9fps) when facing AWAY from the main detail – in the south of the main strip just as you pass the Pyramid, heading north, look left so you can see the princess castle hotel. It’s just the Rio hotel visible beyond and auotgen! If I fly close to the Rio it’s fine. It’s like something in that castle is the worst part but generally the centre with all the fountains, animated billboards and so on is really lurchy as it loads in the textures, then smooth again. But the bit in the south is bad whatever until I look north again (TOWARDS the detail). Really weird!
Anyway, sorry, back to on-topic:
I don’t doubt they are awesome, but I really have gone off the H145 (and 160) so just wanted a head that better represents pretty much the only one I am flying now. Civilian (you know which lol). That Komodo one would have been ideal but I don’t trust them now and I think it’s correct they are all 3D printed, not as good quality by far.
Darn you and that pesky VR… always getting the way of my excellent opinions and advice.
Don’t bother. Shoddy 3d printed ■■■■, MASSIVELY overpriced, the worst ‘customer service’ ever. Like they’ve taken full payments and never delivered the gear after 2 years. Their stuff breaks and they offer no assistance in repair or replacement.
They are literally the worst.
You can’t go wrong with Virpil.
And the Calibri is too twitchy for a first helo. Use the Bell 407 that comes with MSFS. heavier helos are easier to fly and this one is fool proof. You’ll struggle with the smaller one until you understand the basics.
As for paid helos. I can’t speak to any, but from what I’ve read the COWAINSIM 206 has the best flight model. Not the InFlightSim or whatever it was called. But I’ve just read that in a few forums (helisim etc) so YMMV.
But if you want the best helo flight dynamics and realistic airflow - MSFS isn’t it. There is no real downwash, no real vortex rings and no apparent cushion of air you can sit on.
Go to DCS and buy the Huey or the Apache. It might not be as ‘pretty’ (in some cases, in other’s it’s way more pretty than MSFS) but the flight model and dynamics are MUCH more accurate than this dumbed down sim can handle.
No… just, no 
Both FlyInside 'copters sit head and shoulders above the rest (IMHO).
There is these things. Maybe could be better, but there is.
It’s not, really. The 407 is terrible and not a good thing to learn from (IMO).
Look back a few posts.
I think your advice is good for Baracus. He was contemplating Komodo, but I think he came to the same conclusion. Now it we could just find him a good grip for a VPC TCS Plus (Upgraded) that fits his B-206 to a tee…
I have DCS, but haven’t opened it for two years (since I got this sim.)
Now that I have a proper cyclic/joystick and collective I plan to get back there (for reasons…)
The Sharka is the simplest and IMHO the best fit for a civilian heli. Still has plenty of buttons/switches without having too much going on like perhaps the other offerings have.
