Helo-flight training help?!?!?!

**Maj-Mayhem401** · 03-18-09, 11:14 AM

I have literally thousands of hours of flight sim experience. I've flown anything and almost everything that you can point to (MS-Flight sim notwithstanding). So it was with great shock and dismay that I discovered, that after almost 10 hours of practice I can barely takeoff, fly almost decently, rarely, if ever land, and I have yet to successfully make it back to base in a Helo-copter. My config for everything is the Joystick for Pitch and Yaw control as well as Roll Rt and LFt. I use the A and D keys for Left and Right turn respectively.

I've tried flying with mouse and KeyBoard, only Keyboard, and now it's JoyStick and KB. This has been the best of a bad experience. I have done well in BF2 Vanilla for flying (that took very little effort), but here in PR it's a real trick.

If any of you top guns have any hints or tips, it would be most appreciated. Several times now I've been given lifts off carriers or even just around the battlefield and that $#it is just way too cool.

Please note, I do know the 1 minute warm up rule and that I start with a "0" zero torque setting until that 1 minute is done. Then I high power up to 100% and once in the air (and not spattered around the gas tanks, quanset huts, or other choppers) I lower the Torque to about 75%.

Again, any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated. Except for this one little hiccup, I have been having a great time with PR, even when I can't play it on TTP server.

Thanks guys,
Maj-Mayhem401

**SgtRazor** · 03-18-09, 11:36 AM

i use mouse and keyboard for helos and a joystick for air. i find its just a little bit easier to control a helo with a mouse and keyboard but thats just me. the only thing i can say is to go to a training server and spend some time flying in there.

**Blakeman** · 03-18-09, 11:54 AM

Really you just have to remember that 0 torque in PR means that you are hovering, not falling out of the sky. I also find that mouse and keyboard works for me with the helos, since I can easily leave the mouse alone and hover. Remember as well that the different helos land quite a bit differently (you prolly know this though) and that with a blackhawk and apache you have to bring the ass end down a bit when landing and with the huey and cobra you can land with the nose down just a bit or completely flat.

As far as making it back and forth I find that with transport helos with no guns that I tend to hug the ground to avoid AA and use hills/buildings/etc for cover, while the attack helos can stay very high up and become a floating gun platform. It took a lot of practice for me to even be able to call myself 'adequate' and I am still learning things and crashing sometimes.

**Maj-Mayhem401** · 03-18-09, 12:03 PM

Originally Posted by SgtRazor

i use mouse and keyboard for helos and a joystick for air. i find its just a little bit easier to control a helo with a mouse and keyboard but thats just me. the only thing i can say is to go to a training server and spend some time flying in there.

Yeah ,that's what I have been doing; I learned the hard way, after RTFMing that flying is way harder in PR. After I crashed and killed an entire squad, I realized "Mayhem? You need to practice...before you wipe out your side's chances at winning." I spent the rest of the round as a Medic and we won.

It just doesn't make sense though; I'm taking it easy with the controls, I'm not jerking the stick (steady!!). I'm keeping the horizon line fairly level when making forward flight. Ahh well, I'll keep trying. This mod is way too cool to give up on.

Thanks though.
Mayhem

**GoofRatty** · 03-18-09, 12:21 PM

Look for in in the server, I will gladly help you out in learning the flight aspects of choppers in PR.

**bust331** · 03-18-09, 02:49 PM

The problem with most helo's (especially the damn Hueys), is that if you decrease the throttle to land, your helicopter will spin out, tilt on its side, all sorts of crazy shit. Be careful with landing.

**Blakeman** · 03-18-09, 03:37 PM

Originally Posted by bust331

The problem with most helo's (especially the damn Hueys), is that if you decrease the throttle to land, your helicopter will spin out, tilt on its side, all sorts of crazy shit. Be careful with landing.

If you have the nose above or below the horizon though and no throttle it will slowly drop at that angle, it is how you see folks land without slamming it down. The trick is to not run into anything when you get close to landing lol.

**bust331** · 03-18-09, 03:44 PM

Yeah, if I'm in a hurry I won't even slow down, I'll just fly fast and skid across the ground, hence how I hit the fence the other day on Quinling blakeman :P

**Blakeman** · 03-18-09, 04:03 PM

Originally Posted by bust331

Yeah, if I'm in a hurry I won't even slow down, I'll just fly fast and skid across the ground, hence how I hit the fence the other day on Quinling Blakeman :P

Yeah always remember that even slightly bumping razorwire on top of hesco barriers causes instant death for some reason.

**DancingCorpse** · 03-18-09, 05:31 PM

One thing to remember is that helicopters have skids and wheels on the bottom for a reason. Even an adequate pilot can land the Huey and Blackhawk at nearly full speed by skidding to a halt.

As Goof also said, just talk to me in game and I will be glad to give pointers.