Beginner Training question---Flight Simulators

[jonnyjetprop]

I being flying RC for many years and I did try to learn to fly heli's in the dark ages. (Think pre gyro, computer radio, and simulators)

I've being playing around on a Real Flight 3.5 sim.

What heli's should I be flying on the sim? Is one better or worse than the others? What should I be spending my time doing? At what point in time am I "good enough" to get on flying a real heli? Do most of you program in some kind of wind and/or turbulance into the sim?

Thank you in advance for your inputs.

John

[litespeed]

I don't own a Real Flight, I have Reflex, but from my experience with mine is that the "time expansion factor" (what it is called on Refex!) is set really slow and should be lowered. Meaning that things happen slower on the sim than in real life on the factory settings. Way back when I got really, really good on the sim, went out with the Swift and spooled here up and within mins I put it into the ground. Fixed it up and the same thing happened. I swore that things were happening too quick and someone told me about this. I know have thing sped up faster than real to help my reflex's on Reflex!

As far as which one, I'd go for the one you really want to get or as close to it as possible meaning phyisical size, weight or whatever you can get close to. If you have time you can increase/decrease head speed, Expo, weight, blade length, blah, blah and blah to maybe find your sweet spot in real life.

Don't forget that it will never feel "real" but it will teach you which way to move the sticks and hopefully save you orintation problems that all of us have overcome.

Tom

[jonnyjetprop]

I can't find a feature like that on RF 3.5. Anyone else have an opinion on this?

John

[Mikeyburger240]

Any kind of heli you get on the sim will help. I have read different opinions that some of the skills you learn on their wont transfer to real life, and other opinions that they do help. I think that you should start out with just basic FF and get the orintation down, and then get on a real heli and give it a try. I also think that the best way to learn is to get out there and do it. But that is just me. Good Luck

Mike

[Mikeyburger240]

btw the RF is a great program.

Mike

[dswitkin]

Hi John,

Here's a few general sim tips that might help you:

http://www.zerorc.com/getting-most-your-simulator

For helis specifically, I'd say get down hovering in all four upright orientations. You might also try adding too much rudder trim in one direction so that you make slow, constant circles, and practice hovering in one place with just the cyclic controls (still in the sim).

Hope that helps,
Daniel

[Balr14]

Do the RFG 3.5 hover training with the default heli. That's as close to really flying an RC heli as it gets. Start tail-in (tail pointed toward you, nose away from you) and keep doing that until you can hold your heli inside the medium or small circle. Then switch to nose-in and do the same drill, then the side-in orientations, then random. That should keep you busy for a few weeks.

[jasmine2501]

I can't find a feature like that on RF 3.5. Anyone else have an opinion on this?

John

RF3.5 has "Physics Speed" settings... but I don't think it helps much.


You should be flying all the helicopters on the simulator. Don't get stuck on one - when you figure out a few things with one of them, try it with another one - that way you will be learning to fly helicopters 'in general' instead of any particular one. Since your real heli will never be exactly like the simulator, and you may want to fly different ones in real life, this will be much better.

That said, you could probably start with the big 3D helicopters like the Dominion 90, and then progress to the smaller ones from there. There are many good helicopter models you can download from the knifeedge.com swap pages. The Dominion is what I'm using in this video...
http://www.vimeo.com/2561213

[jonnyjetprop]

Thank you for the responses so far. I did find the physics setting and it does default to 100. I tried to crank it up, but it just got silly. I've gone to using no dual rates and always putting in 10mph wind with gusts, just to keep things sporting.

John

[Mikeyburger240]

Once you get that you will be good
Good luck with it and see you in the skys

Mike