Søren Christensen wrote: > On Saturday 30 December 2006 04:57, Greg Olah wrote: > >> Søren Christensen wrote: >> >>> Hi, >>> >>> I'm pretty new to flightgear. >>> >>> I would like to fly the Eurocopter bo105, but I don't know how to control >>> the collective / the elevation of the main rotor. >>> >>> I haven't found instructions on flying helicopter, does anyone have a >>> link? >>> >>> Thanks >>> >>> /severino >>> >> I can tell you from experience in real helicopters and FlightGear...the >> best way to fly simulator helicopters is with a joystick, and rudder >> pedals. Anti-torque (rudder) pedals are pretty much a _MUST_ in a hover >> or low-velocity forward flight in FlightGear (as in real helicopters). >> When you lift the collective, you NEED some way to counteract the main >> rotor system's torque. Usually, once you get the bird through what's >> called translational lift, you'll require less anti-torque pedal. I >> should mention, this is true for the common single rotor system - >> anti-torque isn't an issue in multi-main rotor systems like tandem or >> coaxial. >> >> I've tried to hover in Flightgear and MSFS without the anti-torque >> pedals and it is way too unstable (like a heli). BTW, setting >> auto-coordination ON won't help. You require A LOT of pedal to >> compensate for the high torque output in a hover - so much more than in >> forward flight, that you'll still see torque effect with the >> auto-coordination ON. >> >> Hope this helps a little :-) >> > > Not a litte -- a great deal actually. > > Yes, hovering is difficult. I have a Logitech gamepad and then numeric > keypad, > but pressing "0" and "Enter" isn't very accurate. > > Do you (or any one else) have a link or name for a good joystick with > rudder-pedals. I've seen lots of joysticks, but haven't yet found joystick > with rudder-pedals. > > Best regards and happy new year > /severino > There are several joysticks out there with a rotation axis in the handle. I personally don't like these because moving the stick forward/aft or left/right induces a rotation (yaw) in the handle. Gravis, Logitech, and Microsoft make them. I have seperate USB rudder pedals made by CH Products. They are simple to install, and null easily. They ran I think about $100. You might be able to find them used and cheaper on EBay.
Another word on hovering...It is very hard in a flight simulator system with only a front viewing monitor. The best setup is where you could see from -45 to +45 degrees in front of you. The way I was taught and the way I still hover in real life is to look about 10 feet in front and about 45 degress off the PIC side. For example, in a B206 the PIC is the right seat, so you would look out 45 deg to the right about 8-10 feet out. This gives excellent perception of movement in all 3 dimensions. Also, the best height to hover is at 5 feet, not 2-3 like some instructors teach. The reason is helicopters can do something cool that airplanes can't do...hover taxi to any clear area for takeoff...this means crossing taxiways, runways, etc. Now, I have seen taxiway & runway lights stick out up to 2 feet from the ground. Just imagine what that does to an heli in a quick hover taxi! Ok, so getting back to why it is harder to hover in a sim. In real life you have the details on the ground (potholes, cracks in pavement, etc) to quickly perceive your relative speed and direction. It is something that right now that requires A LOT of video processing power - so you just don't have that perception. Let me know if you need more help! ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Take Surveys. Earn Cash. Influence the Future of IT Join SourceForge.net's Techsay panel and you'll get the chance to share your opinions on IT & business topics through brief surveys - and earn cash http://www.techsay.com/default.php?page=join.php&p=sourceforge&CID=DEVDEV _______________________________________________ Flightgear-users mailing list [email protected] https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/flightgear-users
