"Sovek" wrote in
news:01c3a494$c6b0daa0$0400a8c0@soveks-computer:

ok, I still use MSFS-98, however I cant do anything with the choppers, I
cant even get off the ground before it goes haywire help! I thought it
might be a glitch in the chopper they gave me, so I downloaded another
chopper, still have the same problem, what do I do?


First off, the default Bell 206B in FS98 has some pretty serious
issues with unrealistic instability. Most especially, the body roll with
anti-torque (rudder) input is too pronounced, but there are other problems
as well. I would recommend not using it, or any model that uses its .air
file.

Second, helos *are* hard to fly. They're inherently unstable, largely
like balancing the aircraft on the top of a flagpole, and take a long time
to learn how to fly correctly.

Inputs have a delayed affect, and it needs a soft touch. So
essentially, you need to enter a small amount of stick or rudder input and
get back to neutral *before* it apparently takes affect. If you're still
holding the stick over by the time the bird starts to respond, chances are
you're overcontrolling and will soon pitch it out of control.

You *need* to have separate rudder ability, even if just a twisty-
stick. Disable auto-coordination, it's impossible to fly properly with it -
helos work entirely differently than fixed wings. Also, you may find it
better to set null zones on your joystick/rudder controls to nothing. Boost
sensitvity to max on aileron/elevators, somewhere around 50% for rudder and
throttle.

Get the frame rates as high as you can, at least when learning. Dump
all non-essential secenery details - the most I would have is ground
textures, to see when the aircraft is starting to drift (and it will). It
also helps to have a high visibility control panel (i.e., NOT the Bell). I
also often use the refueling areas as helipads, positioned so that the
pumps are visible, because this gives one of the best references for
aircraft movement.

As you increase throttle in a hover or takeoff, you will induce some
yawing, and this is typical and perfectly realistic, so you need to apply a
little rudder input to counter it. With the Bell, this will also induce
roll (too much), so be ready for that. Gentle touch, wait for it.

The FS models are usually pretty sensitive to translational lift too,
which is the tendency for the aircraft to have more lift in forward motion.
When forward motion halts, the aircraft will begin to descend, so extra
throttle input is needed to control this.

So, taking off. Apply enough throttle to start lifting off, and be
ready for some rudder input as soon as it's airborne. Gentle, bump it and
return. Takes a while to get a feel (less than the real thing, though).
Keep increasing throttle and let the nose drop a bit - this will induce
forward motion, a much more stable condition than hovering. Don't be
concerned if you lose all sight of the horizon as this occurs, as long as
you're increasing throttle and the climb indicator still registers positive
(think of all those fast takeoffs you've seen in action movies - the nose
can drop a hell of a lot, but you're not flying forward yet, you're flying
straight up). As you start serious forward movement, you may then start to
descend slightly, so ease back on the nose now. You'll find it becomes very
stable with airspeed above 35 knots or so. A little steady rudder input is
necessary during higher speed flights to remain straight and level, which
is also realistic (throttle versus drag versus anti-torque).

Landing, hoo boy! Expect a lot of crashes. A wheeled aircraft can
give you a slight edge in landings as you do gentle run-on landings while
getting the hang of it. You can also maintain slight forward airspeed
during descent and lose this just before touchdown, for more stability, but
it will still be hard. Don't aim for anything at first, just line up on a
runway. Lower the throttle to start a gentle descent and keep the nose just
a little below the horizon. You'll be losing airspeed as well - the goal is
to shed both airspeed and altitude at about the same rate so you end up in
a hover at 10' AGL or so. Takes practice. If you start losing control,
increase throttle to abort the approach and go around again. But as you get
close to the ground, lift the nose enough to dump the airspeed (may need to
go quite high) and *be ready* for that loss of lift when you hit zero -
increasing throttle will be necessary so you don't just plummet. Gently on
the stick and rudder, just nudge them to correct the drifting as soon as it
occurs, level the nose as soon as you hit zero, let the throttle down
gently to set it down. If you hold the stick back too long, you may start
backwards flight, which does not register on the airspeed indicator and
will be very hard to see with the nose up.

When you crash, replay it from spot plane position and watch what
went wrong. Sometimes it will seem total nonsense, other times it provides
valuable input ("Ah! I was sliding sideways at touchdown!")

Two reasonably forgiving aircraft to try out for learning: The Hughes
500 model by Ian Standfast (who quite simply made *the best* helicopter
models for FS98) named "mesa_pd.zip", available at www.flightsim.com, and
the MH-60G Pave Hawk model by Phill Stokes, no slouch either in design,
extremely stable, finest touch on the throttle I've ever seen. Filename
"mh60g.zip", but I don't know where I got it, Flightsim doesn't have it.
Try a search, or I'll send it direct if you like.

Ask me nice, and I'll send my US Customs Service repaint with custom
panel and proper sounds ;-).

Overall, be patient, be gentle, and get lots of practice.


- Al.

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