Collective owners?

For those who own collectives as part of their physical peripherals for controlling the lift in helicopters, do you think its worth having one? Is it much easier to control the operations of a chopper using one of these when compared to a throttle from saitek or thrustmaster?

Yes, it is worth of it.

I don't anymore have a collective, but I modified one dual-throttle to be one. And it made a huge difference to handle the helicopter.

The downside is that you can't fly with it a fighters, so you need a dedicated controller just for helicopters.

And then you should really have a more realistic switches, buttons and hats on the collective so you get lots of things there as should.

The difficult part with these self-made collectives is that you need to sacrifice either one, or build one completely (arduino etc). And then you still need to make the physical break leveler so you can leave your hand from it.

The difference is little like a having long extension cyclic between legs instead a table-top stick on right side. It first sounds not so big thing, but then when you get to use one, it is "wow" experience.

If you are not willing to modify existing one etc, you can get semi-close to one by having the throttle so that it is tilted downwards, so you get to lift/lower axis instead push/pull.

But I would say that it is more worth to build own, or modify something existing, instead putting big money on the professional built dedicated collectives.

For helicopters, controls are everything. There is so much muscle memory involved in flying these aircraft with all 4 controls (cyclic, collective, rudder, throttle) intricately correlated (you change one, all the others must be adjusted simultaneously). Having a real collective is helping because the longer course of the stick (compared to a standard throttle) is helping to be much smoother and precise on the amount of angle you want to put on the blades. This is especially important at take off and when you are flying close to the max performance of the aircraft (max weight, high altitude or high temperature) when overtorque and engine failure are just around the corner (Huey is the worst).

Makes me wonder why Saitek/Warthog/etc,etc... haven't tried making a mass-produced, affordable collective for helicopter simmers. It can't be that unpopular, can it?

its absolutely worth it, if u are good in electronics or do have a 3d printer i suggest to make one yourself as commercial ones are overpriced.

RC_Pilot did one on thingiverse, and there are lots of others avbl

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3759480

Helicopter sim is very niche hence not very profitable market. You can tell by the number and the rate of fixed Wings ED is creating every year vs the 4 choppers we have since 2009.

Nonetheless, DCS is the best PC sim hands down on the market for flying realistic choppers. The downside of having those great FM is machines you can hardly fly even after several hours of practice, and even when you do, flying between 90 kt and 150 kt at usually no more than 200 ft makes you extremely vulnerable to enemy light fire so it takes another set of skills to actually survive the battlefield, hence another long hours of training again and again.

90% of simmers would rather jump in a jet and drop laser guided bombs while on autopilot in a safety of the 35000 ft they have between them and the enemy. Immediate thrill and minimum work!

its absolutely worth it, if u are good in electronics or do have a 3d printer i suggest to make one yourself as commercial ones are overpriced.

RC_Pilot did one on thingiverse, and there are lots of others avbl

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3759480

Interesting, I have a friend who has a friend that has a 3D printer. Maybe I'll give this a try and post the results.

Yeah, I’m with everyone else here, it totally makes a difference. I built a collective from a Combat Lynx with a Leo Bodnar board on a frame. It’s ok flying with my TM Warthog but much, much, much better with a dedicated collective

I made myself one from the following site:

http://hc625ma.org/

Works extremely well, its a really good design. There you can find 3D print files for collectives of UH-1 and AB412 helicopters.

Here is mine.

I am a real rotorhead (I have my Private Helicopter Pilot Licence on Robinson 22) and fore sure, even for an helicopter simulation, use a collective lever is much more immersive than a jet throttle.

i bought mine in germany, it was a kit to transform your Saitek X-52 throttle to a collective lever. I know that the guy don't sell it anymore but it can give you some ideas for an home made model.

I really like this one : http://oe-xam-simulators.blogspot.com/2019/08/please-choose-your-country-huey.html#more

It's threads like this that make life with the woman difficult. Now I have to make a collective to go with my pedals.

Discussion about why not Logitech or someone else making it for mass market, there is only place for one really there. And the one that would do, would dominate that niche market definitely if they can make it very affordable and especially sturdy and modular.

BUT, as Logitech (that purchased the Saitek) has not done anything like that, there is great market position for others like VKB and Virpil to try. But Virpil likely doesn't as they are so attached to Thrustmaster I/O and product lines, so it is more to the VKB that could do it.

Now think that you would have a new -

1) one axis base with a brake wheel

2) with a fairly standard pipe holder, with couple bolts to lock a lever on.

3) two different lever pipes, a straight and angled one, these has the brake lever.

4) Modular collective control box that you can purchase for different helicopters. You would have 2-3 different ones, like one for KA-50, one for UH-1H and one for Mi-8MTv2

The brake lever would be optional as of course it would require a button to recognize it is squeezed, and the friction can be made easily with one fluid piston.

Still point being that for 200-300€ one could get very good collective from VKB standard.

One needs to buy a

1x base

1x collective arm (straight or angled)

1x control box

And if you can later buy the other collective arm and swap that with just two bolts like the extension to VKB sticks, it would be easy swap. And then inserting new control box same way and it would as well be easy.

But the main problem still is the placement of the collective.

A stick you typically place on the table. And special case is you mount it to chair between legs or your right side. And even more special is that you mount it to front of table.

A throttle you keep on the table, and special case is to mount it to left side of the chair, even rare case is to have again that table mount.

Pedals you just put on the floor, and you decide do you need a rubber for anti-slip or you have carpet.

But how you would mount a collective that needs to be at right height and position, that can't be made heavy so it would stay on floor, can't be screwed to floor etc. It would anyways need to be mounted to the chair or then on the floor. That alone puts many away from idea.

It is totally worth to get one if at all wants to invest more time to helicopters, why I believe that there would be a great market for companies like VKB to make one for cheap, as those pilots needs as well the pedals (and their Mk.IV pedals are best for helicopters) as well joysticks and that way you get new customers to your ecosystem, even if you do not profit much at all with those collectives. But it would be a "complete kit".