I can't help but share my simulator opinions (
http://www.heli-chair.com ). I feel that without very extensive
modeling, the physics of rotor wing flight is very difficult to
reproduce with a computer. I have not flown the advanced sims but I am
familiar with how the more inexpensive ones work, and it isn't very
good (speaking strictly in terms of the basics of flight). I am not
disputing their ability to teach procedures and familiarization with
instruments, etc. Flying approaches in the sim can be very
instructional indeed.

Some years ago, I endeavored to teach myself how to hover a helicopter.
I did so by building a set of controls including torque pedals,
cyclic, collective and throttle. I equiped the controls with
electornics capable of controlling a small remote controlled
helicopter. The remote helicopter has about a 4 foot diameter main
rotor. Before you read on, understand that I now sell these helicopter
flight training devices, so I am of course a strong advocate of what it
has taught me.

I found right away that hovering was indeed very difficult. I was a
competent and current FAA rated fixed wing pilot at the time and that
didn't help much. It reminded me of when I first learned to fly a
fixed wing and how steering (while taxiing) with my feet was so
difficult. After driving for so many years, stepping on the right
pedal to turn right was different and it took a while to learn that
motor function.

After a few hours training with my device, I found that my feet were
now talking directly to my left hand when I applied power. Likewise,
my right hand had a mind all it's own, responding to every wind gust
and every action that the helicopter took almost by instinct. In the
early stages, I went pretty easy on the collective and stayed low.
When things went wrong, I would just dump the collective and roll off
the throttle.

Needless to say, this taught me far more than a sim ever could in terms
of how to operate the controls of a helicopter. By utilizing a real
aircraft, I eliminated the millions of lines of computer code required
to "calculate" how the helicopter flies. The remotely controlled
helicopter simply obeys the laws of physics, just like any full size
aircraft.

If your rotor speed gets slow, the cyclic gets soft and you eventually
run out of tail rotor authority, if you descend too fast
vertically...voila! - settling with power. You can even feel the
difference in trim due to fuel load changes and physically see the
helicopter tilted in roll when in a hover (something has to offset the
horizontal thrust of the tail rotor.)

I have connected the device to the computer to fly with one of the
worst helicopter sims available (Microsoft flight simulator) and lost
interest immediately. Things just aren't nearly the same. A full size
computer flight sim is certainly helpful in training, I'm just saying
that for the physics of actual flight, they just don't stack up.

If you are wondering if I sucessfully taught myself how to fly a
helicopter, yes I did. It was one of the most rewarding days of my
life. I had an opportunity to fly right seat in a Hughes 500. I
convinced the pilot to let me try it (since he was an active helicopter
CFI, he agreed). First he allowed me to do the cyclic in the pattern,
which as rotorcraft pilots know is kind of like flying a fixed wing
aircraft. He took over next to the ground and since I was dying for
more, I told him I wanted to try hovering. He gave me the pedals
first. They were pretty soft compared to my Heli-Chair training
device, so no problems there. Then he gave me collective only and
again that wasn't too bad. He was surprised that I did so good. He
then said, "OK, I'll give you just the cyclic. You won't be able to do
it, so I'll take it when you lose control." Loss of control never
happened. This was EXACTLY like flying with my Heli-Chair, it was
instinct what to do with the controls. He was amazed. He then granted
me all controls and I held it very steady indeed.

My 'instructor' remarked that "there is no way you have never flown a
helicopter before!" At which point I had to confess my self training.

I would love to try one of the full size sims out there, just to get a
better idea how they stack up. I can't criticise them without flying
them; however I have flown one of the nicer fixed wing simulators, and
being a fixed wing pilot I was very unimpressed at how it handled.

I have turned my experience into a business and I offer the helicopter
trainers for sale. I believe them to be so faithful in reproducing the
flight of a helicopter, I refer to my trainer as an "emulator" rather
than "simulator."

Kas
Heli-Chair.com


for more info:
http://www.heli-chair.com

to see my sucessful first flight:
http://www.heli-chair.com/training_works.html

and if you have problems remembering the website, this one is sure to
be memorable:
http://www.LearnToHover.com