Simulator vs real life

Hi guys.

I just have to share my experience today.

For background, I'm holding a private pilot licence PPL-A single engine, fixed wing, piston, land, since almost 20 years, but only around 200 flight hours total. I have had the DCS Huey module for a couple of years now, and I have become more and more interested in helicopters. I love doing precision hovering and generally fly around in it. I have built a simple sim-chair with a center mounted TM Warthog HOTAS stick with the main spring removed, and side monted thottle quadrant and Logitech pedals. I have the main throttle lever set up to increase collective when I pull it backwards. And I use VR, Rift CV1.

Recently, for my 40:ieth birthday, I got a helicopter lesson as a gift from my brothers. I was so excited, and today it finally happened! I got a lesson in a Robinson R22. I had no illusions that I would be able to fly the real thing like the simulator, but guess what. When the instructor told me to take the controls, I could just do it. It was incredible. First attempt, I have never been at the controls of a real helicopter, and I was hovering, stable, with little effort! Ok, it took maybe a minute or two to get used to the forces and sensitivity of the controls, but it actually felt really close to the simulation!!! It was such an awesome feeling! My instructor was deeply impressed. (bragging a bit now, but I think I earned that right ;) ) He could hardly believe that I had never flown a real helicopter before. He even let me hover taxi and land at the end! I think this is the highest praise to this simulator and especially the Huey module. It works, b****es! A huge THANK YOU, to the guys at ED and former Belsimtek, and I really hope you give this awesome module some more love in the not too distant future!

Cheers!

Sharkku

Nice story :)

Thank you! :)

Nice gift.

Yeah, my brothers are the best. Love 'em.

Really :D attractive gift for a birthday, additionally I congratulate and thank you for sharing your experiences.

Very cool!

Amazing story! This is the highest praise DCS can get IMO. (And well done! :) )

Congratulations.

Ther is also to say that an R22 in real life is much harder to control than a Huey.

The R22 is the formula one car in the helicopter family. It's very responsive and you have to be extremely sensitive in the controls.

Great job:thumbup:

Nice one Sharkku!

I´m still have trouble to precise control the helis in the sim. In found in IRL it was much easier.

 

Ther is also to say that an R22 in real life is much harder to control than a Huey.

Why? I never found the R22 hard to control?

Why? I never found the R22 hard to control?

As I am sad because of its low weight and relative power it is like a sportscar.

The R22 reacts quickly to any control input and all changes in power setting are quick as well.

So you have to be reactive on the pedals when pulling in power.

Because of its lightweight, it's also highly maneuverable but also easily affected by wind.

This is also the reason why it is so easy to kill yourself in an R22 and there are special rules and limitations related to weather conditions and pilot experience.

This is nothing you may realize during some "fun" flights or during initial flight training.

I am sure it is common knowledge if you learn to fly on an R22 you can fly anything else.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com.au/videos/outback-wrangler/helicopter-cattle-mustering-4366.aspx

As heavier, a helicopter is, his mass will slow down any movements so the pilot has more time for reaction, but it has also to think much more in advance.

For example. landing in a Huey may be performed spontaneously but in the bigger and much heavier Mi-8, you need time and more pre-planning.

I would say two things made it possible so much easier way.

1) VR itself... No, you don't get that with the screen!!!!

2) DCS amazing level of simulation (can always be improved)

Thanks for your responses! Interesting points about the R22 being so responsive, I didn't know it was one of the quickest! I found it quite sensitive in the controls, that took a little while to adjust to. But it was quite fun, once I got the hang of it!

I agree VR is one of the crucial elements that made the sim training that effective. In VR you really get the feeling of the helicopters movement, compared to a flat screen, TrackIR or not. Another crucial part is the controls. Having the throttle set up so you pull it backwards to increase collective and vice versa is very important, to most closely mimic reality. (unless you have a real collective of course). An as you say, the flight model for the Huey is one of, if not the best, I've used.

Wow, brilliant present, and that sounds like an amazing experience! Congratz, and thanks for letting us know about it. :thumbup:

Pretty cool story! Congratulations.

Now I feel the need to try it myself.

That's awesome! Congratulations! :pilotfly:

I would love to try that, just to get the feel for the real thing a teensy bit.

The open post was a very interesting read.

It is great to know that our desktop simulator played a huge part in your getting to fly the real thing.

Congratulations on that feat and cheers.

This is so encouraging to hear! I've had a lot of hrs in Robinsons, and when first getting into the UH-1 module my hovering skills were about as drunken as they were the last time I flew irl. Landing on pitching decks now :)

Thanks for your kind words, guys! It is encouraging to know that you really learn some real skills from our hobby, isn't it?

Oh man, I would have loved to see the instructor's reaction! :thumbup:

Good to hear, but not altogether surprising. Both the military and civilian companies use simulators for training purposes, for example; the f35 has no two seater trainer, so the pilots go straight to from sim to solo!

I dare say that military simulators are a lot more complex than DCS, but probably not as much fun, or quite so cheap!

Good to hear, but not altogether surprising. Both the military and civilian companies use simulators for training purposes, for example; the f35 has no two seater trainer, so the pilots go straight to from sim to solo!

I dare say that military simulators are a lot more complex than DCS, but probably not as much fun, or quite so cheap!

Well, I have been curious for many years flying helicopters in sims, how much of it would be applicable in real life. Now I know! :)

Oh man, I would have loved to see the instructor's reaction! :thumbup:

Yeah, me too, actually. I was too busy flying the heli to watch him! :D

I had a similar experience, but I flew not the real helo but a full military Bell 206C sim. There's a thread around here about it with videos, etc. I could not only fly it, I could hot dog with it. Quick stops, turning about the nose, etc.

Without a doubt, if you can fly the DCS Huey proficiently, you will be able to fly a real helicopter. Truly.

Principal difference for me was the same - range of motion of the controls, and the level of input force required to move them.