I thought that would be the case but I purchased the H-160 earlier this year and immediately fell in love with it. Its just such a beast of a high tech helicopter. Doing chauffeur missions with it in various locations around the world is such good fun.
The H-145 with the action pack is pretty much the most fun and immersive thing FS2020 has to offer in any add on I’ve purchased. Which is pretty much the reason it seems like its the inspiration for so much of the direction FS2024 is going in from what I can see.
I realize it’s sketchy, that’s why I want to do it in a sim with zero consequences when I crash repeatedly and likely make a lot of ground beef figuring it out.
I don’t get the people that call you out for doing unsafe things in a sim. I get it, sometimes I fly like it’s real life and set conservative minimums for myself. Also though it’s fun to push the envelope with no consequences
Hardware wise I would say it depends on your budget and/or willingness to invest. Controls that are either bespoke or better for helicopter use tend to be expensive.
Pedals - IMO half decent pedals with no centre detent are highly recommended. A decent set of pedals could be used for all aircraft types so worth investing wisely IMO. Personally I have the MFG Crosswinds with damper (disconnect the spring for helis). Also have quick release so I can swap the pedals in seconds.
Cyclic - ideally a stick where the centring spring can be removed or disabled. The Thrustmaster Warthog while a good stick has a very strong centring spring and really not suited to flying helicopters in standard form. I have Virpil CM3 base (set with minimal spring pressure and friction set to hold the stick where I put it. Its mounted to my desk using their long desk mount with a 200mm extension and Alpha prime grip. It is not ‘perfect’, but very, very good and really enjoyable for helicopters - thats all I use it for.
Collective - you can absolutely get away with a HOTAS throttle. Clearly not as immersive as a bespoke collective but a decent throttle will give you decent enough control. For me I saw the Virpil collective (plus base) as an investment that was worth while for me. Not a cheap option and it is really only useful for helicopters. It is much more immersive and authentic/intuitive feeling. The twist throttle is really useful for doing autos.
The all-in-one Puma set-up would also be worth considering - again its a bespoke option for helis and with a price to match. IMO though its still worth considering and probably similar to the over cost of my current solution.
Helicopter wise - the Default Cabri is not actuall that bad to be fair. All the Cowansim helis I have are pretty good, the R66 is probably my favourite/most used right now. The flight model is believable and enjoyable - not a difficult heli to fly. The R22 is very good, albetit a bit slow - it is the only helicopter I have flow IRL and I beleive Cowansim have done a good job of simulating how it feels to fly. I don’t have the Huey yet, but will likely pick it up at some point - I believe the good things I hear…
I waited a year to try my hand at rotorcraft. I actually bought some (H145, Lama) a year ago, and saved money for a year so I could get a proper setup.
Crosswinds Rudder
Virpil CM3 with Alpha Prime and a 200mm extension.
Virpil TCS Rotor Base with Shark grip.
I think I made good choices as I start with the Cabri.
Once you grasp how a helicopter reacts to changes induce through different phases of flight its really not that bad. Worth flying in clear skies initially to eliminate wind as an influence which can be really quite noticeable.
I would also recommend sticking with one particular helicopter for a while and ideally one that is NOT assisted like the H145.
Worth checking YouTube to watch some clips about helicopter flying search for “Helicopter Lessons In 10 Minutes or Less” some really useful and well explained information to pick up there.
Great choice of hardware (yes I am biased!) and the Cabri is a good place to start. Not the best helicopter for MSFS but certainly a sound choice as a starting point. The R22 (Cowansim) would be IMO the best payware alternative - its quite twitchy and reasonably real to life (IMO). Not saying there are not better helicopters for MSFS, but really the R66 is a tad easier to fly.
EDIT: sorry I meant I probably enjoy the R66 more (cruising speed mainly), but the challenge of the R22 would probably make it better overall for learning - even though it is likely to be harder.
Oh and one other thing definitely turn off the in-sim assists. Yes it will be harder but also more rewarding and I would say better long term so you are not reliant on the assists.
People who have a relatively basic HOTAS set up for flight sim need to know how essential rudder pedals are for a decent chopper flying experience.
I don’t often fly in VR anymore these days but flying choppers is way, way easier in VR. Its all about power management via the collective and knowing what your distance is between you and where you want to land and how quick you can safely descend in that distance. Having a sense of depth makes a huge difference. Its so much harder in 2D.
Could not agree more about pedals - going a budget route to ‘try them out’ is really a false economy if you ask me.
Likewise with VR. Helicopters and VR are really a match made in heaven. I have really not looked back since switching to VR. I did try going back to my TrackIR (still a very good alternative) when my orginal VR headset died, I was almost shocked how much more difficult it felt even though I had spent many years flying with TrackIR before VR.
Thankfully I have high end rudder pedals (Virtual Fly Ruddo Rudders).
Not a lot of options out there for collectives. Probably will settle on the Virpil Shark collective with counter balance (as I main the KA-50 in DCS and am good with it), but I hear mixed things about the Virpil and Winwing. I looked athe Bruener one but they don’t even list the price LMAO. Kinda like a, “if you have the ask…” so probably won’t go that route. I do want a collective for immersion and precision. My VKB STEC throttle works well as a collective, but just not the same and a little awkward.
Helicopter flying in sims is relatively niche compared with people who enjoy flying commercial jets or even GA aircraft. Not unsurprisingly I guess hardware manufactures do not see the appeal of making collectives for a limited demand and when they do the price reflects demand.
The only thing I find a slight issue with my Virpil collective is it can need the friction being increase a little now and then. It really just a case of it’s weight overcoming the friction. At some point I may well get the counter balance as I believe would make a positive improvement.
I believe Virpil only sell their bases with the counter balance upgrade now. Incidentally, if you do decide to invest in a collective I would personally say it is worth getting one with a twist throttle. It is more expense but really ought to be a one-time purchase. Personally I am really glad I got the Plus Base with the throttle - all about the immersion during start-up/shutdown and executing auto rotations.
I agree 100%. The counterbalance (now standard) really is a huge deal, and it works beautifully. I may not use the twist throttle on mine much, but when I need it, it will be there.
I always aim to start from cold and dark and shut down at the end of my flights so really like the added immersion of the throttle. It really comes into it’s own if you fly a helicopter without a governor and/or use it when doing autos.
Incidentally, if you fly helicopters with a idle release button (the Bell 206 for example) you can mess around with the curves in MSFS so the idle release in the sim matches the physical hardware idle release button.
I started to get serious with helicopters a few months back after years and years of fixed wing. They are challenging but the flights as you describe are so rewarding; being close at the terrain.
I’ve bought a lotttttt of choppers for MSFS the past few weeks as I enjoy fiddling with them and I feel that the H125 by Cowansim (currently on sale!) is perhaps the easiest model for me to practice those skilled landings. I do believe its more often mentioned as a very good training chopper around youtube so you could check it out and see if its to your liking.
Personally I also very much love the Alouette III from Taogs’, aside from the mentioned Huey which indeed is great too. Have a blast exploring, I sure am too.
Welcome to the world of choppers.
They are so much fun.
Can be a bit tiring flying with both hands and feet.
If you don’t already have them, pedals and head tracking take choppers to another level, and improve fixed wing flight also.
