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Help a fixed wing pilot choose his first helicopter


Birko

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Hello everyone, I hope you're having a nice day/night wherever you are.

 

I've been playing DCS since ~2014 flying exclusively planes, both jets and props. With the sale I'm thinking of getting a heli but have no clue where to start.

 

What would you recommend as the:

a) best first helicopter? (easiest to get used to, showcases the most of what helicopters have to offer)

b) best helicopter overall? (fidelity + completion + gameplay)

 

Thanks everybody, and have a great day!


Edited by Birko
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The black shark is complicated and the SAS takes getting use to.

 

The Mi-8 is probably the best overall helicopter in the game.

 

The Huey is probably easiest to get use to and for me its a close second to the Mi-8 in overall nice... so I'm going to second the Huey as its easy to transition to the Mi8 or BlackShark once you've done the huey.

 

I'm going to caution you though. Hover practice a lot... and I mean a lot. You're going to be twerking and jerking in your seat like someone was trying to remove a body part. But eventually you'll get the hang of it and once you do then...

 

Transition to flight out of and into a hover while avoiding the dreaded VRS.

 

Sadly we don't have multi crew ATM (minus the Gazelle) because helicopters are the one area that would really pay off having someone talk you through it.

 

Good luck.

 

ETA: One last thing, you better have rudder pedals because you're going to need them. ;)


Edited by aileron
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...

 

The Mi-8 is probably the best overall helicopter in the game.

 

The Huey is probably easiest to get use to and for me its a close second to the Mi-8 in overall nice... so I'm going to second the Huey as its easy to transition to the Mi8 or BlackShark once you've done the huey.....

 

ETA: One last thing, you better have rudder pedals because you're going to need them. ;)

Spot on, all around! :thumbup:

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not the first thread on this :)

 

a) the huey.

 

one engine

no electronic flight assists.

just you and the machine.

small enough to be quite nimble.

large enough to carry a load.

a fun gunship.

and an alright trainer.

 

b) the most complete is the mi-8 although its too soft in the damage model for my liking.

even the smallest hit breaks something important. even with the armour package the huey does not have..

but it does have a great 3 man cockpit.

2 engines

and electronic flight assistance.

its huge and can carry a load of weapons or troops. but it can also be unforgiving.

like a large truck, you need to think ahead about stopping and turning etc.

but also rewarding in its own way.

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I made the error of trying out the Huey one night just for the kick of it ...

 

3 weeks later I was trying to hover over few soldiers trying to land on that building top while being under small arm fire. I can tell you, that thing is ADDICTIVE. Reason being ... it is really tough to get a good control over it, so it is quite rewarding for every step you climb. VERY.

 

You CANNOT get wrong with the Huey ...


Edited by Frag
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Not sure if OP is running VR, but that opens up a whole new world with helicopters. +1 for the Huey from me, it's the most 'helicoptery' one to fly: no assists, very convincing flight model and it feels amazing in VR just to pootle around landing on things, you don't even need to shoot stuff to have a good time.

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well, not this thread obviously, but a lot say get the shark first as you can fly her without pedals......having them all and apart from a few planes I enjoy, its mainly rotors.

I would say this, yep huey is easy as pie to fly.....ooo that rhymes :)

and so is the mi8...wait for it,... so is the shark, the gazelle needs a lot more finesse, and needs to be looked after more.

the huey is bulletproof, sling load,troop drop, extract, gunship and you can play ride of the Valkyries and freeride all day!

the 8 has more systems to learn, does not fly like a truck when your used to her, feels heavy in you hand!! carries a ton of weapons......is a big hueys brother, BUT is delicate to people firing pea shooters, so for that reason is 2nd.

shark, well it was my first module and the one I play least now, after its update hopefully ill play more, very easy to fly/land but has issues at the moment as a new pilot I wouldn't put on you, so 3rd

gazelle 4th too complicated to start.

one thing I will say as the need for pedals, if you have a hog setup, you don't need pedals at all, I flew for the first year with none, using the z axis on the throttle, and found it not only easy, but it took me soooo long to get used to pedals afterwards.

I also know others on here that do the same :)

so, after a tooo long post.......get the Huey.


Edited by thrustvector
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Thanks everyone, I had my eyes on the Huey or the Mi-8 anyway so I think I'll try the Huey and see if I'll get the Mi-8 after that.

 

Again, thanks everyone! (sounds like it's also worth investing in pedals?)

 

Good choice. As far as rudder goes, you WILL need an axis for the rudder. If you have a twist grip joystick you will be fine. For sure pedals are way easier to use, but a twist grip does the job.

 

 

Then later on you can buy pedals if you are really into choppers.

 

HOWEVER ...

 

I used the twist grip on my TM 16000 joysticks for weeks for the rudder. The only disadvantage is that my muscle memory built up on this. So when I finally decided to use my CH Pro Pedals ... I had to get use to the rudder now being at the feet. It took me few weeks to readjust and felt like a newbie again :cry:

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Huey, if you want the real helicopter experience without AP helper interference and light weapons.

 

 

Mi 8 for stabilized helo transport and heavier weapons (best all rounder).

 

 

Shark for specialized, stable weapon platform (the most difficult to learn).

 

 

Gazelle.....

 

 

I used twist grip for 4 years on the first 3 and a year on the Gazelle without detriment.Pedals are a more realistic option, but it took quite a while to convert.

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My vote goes to the Huey.

 

 

I started with the Gazelle (without any serious helicopter experience in other sims) found it too complicated to control (yes I do have pedals) and gave up.

 

 

I then got the Ka-50, found it too complicated to get to grips with the various systems and gave up.

 

 

I then bought the Mi-8 and the UH-1 together in a sale. Both are great, but the Huey is much more nimble. The Mi-8 on one hand is stable, but also a bit sluggish.

 

 

But I recommend to REALLY do your homework. Pedals are probably cheaper than 3 modules you don't use that much.

Modules: Bf 109, C-101, CE-II, F-5, Gazelle, Huey, Ka-50, Mi-8, MiG-15, MiG-19, MiG-21, Albatros, Viggen, Mirage 2000, Hornet, Yak-52, FC3

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So I got the Huey, haven't got around to learning many systems or controls just yet, but been flying around and having fun aiming the miniguns or the M60s with one hand and flying with the other. There's probably an autopilot or something that I'll find later :D

 

Thanks for your suggestions everybody, I'm having a lot of fun with the Huey! I can definitely see myself getting into it more and I'm happy I gave helicopters a chance. It's surprisingly controllable without pedals and just with my HOTAS throttle-rudder-button-things.

 

Might nab the Mi-8 before the sale ends ;)

 

Thank you everyone and have a great day!

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Mi-8 - Is great multi-function swis(russian) army knife. Bit complicated startup due to so many options this platforms can do. You don't have to use em all, but those functions are there for you if you need them. You get help from stabilization systems. And even autopilot. I always pick it if i want to make sure to get the job done. It is just reliable (if you treat her well and descend slowly)

 

Huey - is fast and easy to start but does not have any control assistance. But it is blast to fly. Pure joy of flight. But If you stop piloting she will crash. Therefore i have always struggled to use nav radios inflight because of it.

Great choice btw.

 

Ka-50 - I find its systems quite intuitive and easy to understand. Lot simpler then mi-8. Flying it is very easy. In few hours you will be landing on ships without problem. Just learn to live with autopilot. You have Abris as you GPS map (it shows you buddies and enemies) and even if you don't transfer nav info from it to nav computer you will still never get lost. I don't think we have anything as hi-tech as this in DCS. Cockpit is in dire need of overhaul though (display glare is sometimes just unbearable).

 

Gazelle - crazy ....it reads your mind and turns before you even move a muscle. It is very twitchy. :joystick: With stick movements that are normal for flight in other choppers you will be already making a second backflip.:megalol: It must be very rewarding to get good with this baby but man you really have to have steady hand for this.

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Huey - is fast and easy to start but does not have any control assistance. But it is blast to fly. Pure joy of flight. But If you stop piloting she will crash. Therefore i have always struggled to use nav radios inflight because of it.
You can always use the autopilot cheat. No shame in it.
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the autopilot is not really a cheat when you have a co pilot who sits there and refuses to help :)

 

the other radios don't cause me issues in flight.

but scrolling through the ADF up its range can take forever with a mouse.

 

so I avoid NDB navigation. or set it on the ground.

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Birka, I too took the Helicopter plunge with this sale. I didn't get the Mi-8 but grabbed the others. My experience level is nowhere near these other gentlemen but I'll throw it out just in case. If I could only keep one, it absolutely would be the Gazelle. The others are neat but, for me, the Gaze is a blast! I logged 8.75 hours in it today alone and have enjoyed every minute.

 

Granted the first two hours I was digging ditches with my rotor blades and spent more time clicking the "fly again" button than actually flying. However once we came to an agreement that I would stop smacking into everything within sight and she would stop coming apart when I did so, it became a true love story.

 

Just 2 cents worth of input from an irrelevant old man :)

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Thanks for the insight!

 

I have been torn over the Gazelle actually. It's a helicopter I'd really like, but I've read and watched conflicting stuff about it.

 

I suppose it is on sale though, what does anyone think of the Gazelle?

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