Milviz Huey

[Nayra Waddles]

Thats too high a bar (PMDG). Hovercontrol has some well modeled rotocraft but they are designed for FSX. Jordan Moores's 412 is the best of the lot and does work with P3d. The Dodosim 206 will run in P3d V3 also. The best of the truly P3d compatible helis is the Milviz Huey redux. That models the flight characteristics faithfully and is TacPack aware, if you also like to shoot at things.

The limitations of FSX AND P3D's ability to replicate rotary-winged flight mean that you're going to be hard pressed to find something in rotary winged form that is as faithfully modeled as PMDG do their fixed-wing products.

But, that said, there are some very well done choppers for FS. Ones which are worth a look which will work in P3D include:

Flysimware's Bell 47/H-13 Sioux, which is well done and isn't too expensive either, and unlike most choppers which get modeled for FS, isn't a gas turbine:

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Dodosim's Bell 206 JetRanger II is listed as being for FSX only, although it is my understanding that it can be made to work in P3D. It is very well modeled in terms of flight characteristics and systems (within what can be done in FS for helicopters) and has the advantage of a scaleable flight/realism model (five settings if I recall correctly), which goes from really hard to fly without some good hardware controllers, to nice and forgiving. It also has something akin to A2A's 'accusim' system, in that it accrues damage and wear and tear over time which requires you to 'service' it (although this can be turned off if you like).

As noted in a prior post, Milviz's Huey is very good too, and gives you the two main UH-1 variants:

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If you want some good fun by the way. Flysimware's Super Huey offers a lot of entertainment:

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Outside of P3D, if you also have FSX or FSX-SE, Ones which are not 'officially P3D capable', but might be able to be made to work in it, but which will certainly work in FSX include:

Aerosoft's Huey, which is another good contender for reasonably good realism:

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You might also want to check out some products from Area 51/Virtavia/CERA/Nemeth Designs. They are not always 100 percent accurate in terms of modeling every switch in the cockpit, but they are generally very good 3D models of some famous military and civilian choppers such as the UH-1N Venom, CH-47 Chinook, UH-60 Blackhawk, OH-58 Kiowa Warrior (fun if you merge it with the DodoSim Bell 206), MD-500 Defender, AH-64 Apache, MH-53J Pavelow, Mil Mi-24D 'Hind' etc. Not all of these will work in P3D (so check before deciding to buy if that's where you want em, but many of them will):

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What you need to be sure of more than anything, is what it is you personally rate in terms of what you are looking for, i.e. do you want every switch working? Do you want things such as VRS (vortex ring state) behaviour modeled? The possibility of hot starts? Do you wanna shoot at stuff? working winches? etc.

It's worth noting too that beyond VRS Tac Pac compatibility, which many warplanes for FS incorporate, another option which can be made to work on pretty much any aircraft in FS, is Captain Sim's Weapon for FS. So if you do want to give your helicopters some teeth, that's not a bad option:

I'd suggest a HOTAS system like the Thrustmaster Warthog. I use a Saitek X65F. It is possible to use a yoke-based setup, but it takes a little imagination or as fictions writers say, "suspension of disbelief". I'd also recommend rudder pedals for more realism.

Got a general helicopter question. I enjoy flying the 407 with one exception, the pitch trim seems a bit wonky. The heli starts out level, but as speed is increased, the nose starts to pitch up, requiring forward pressure on the stick to hold level flight. This starts happening around 25+ knots which is rather slow/ There is a force trim feature in this heli, as well as a hat switch on top of the cyclic, but I find that the force trim doesn't seem to work at all, and the hat switch does work, but the moment you touch the cyclic, the trim you set in disappears and you are back to having to hold a great deal of forward pressure to maintain a decent cruising speed. It acts like a fixed wing aircraft with way to much nose up trim.

The amount can vary and would be largely up for debate on accuracy (we are dealing with FSX-based helicopter flight modeling, after all), but in order to maintain forward flight in a helicopter without any assists such as cyclic trim, yes, you will have to maintain some sort of forward pressure on the cyclic.

I'd like to throw in the MP DESIGN STUDIO - AEROSPATIALE GAZELLE SA342 FSX P3D. I always detested helicopters in FSX (except for the Dodo sim) and now that I've been running P3D I never even entertained the thought, but reading this thread I went on hunt and stumbled on the Gazelle by MP Design. For 15 Euro or about 16 US and some pennies, I thought what the heck.

I didn't read the manual, but I found some discussions on the net concerning it and was intent on taking a chance. Exterior is nothing to brag about (and I don't think anyone has put out repaints for it) But the interior is mighty fine. It's outfitted with the Gazelle's SAS (stabilazation system) - I didn't even use that, VOR capability and a small garmin.

I used to use A2A's cub to check out new installed sceneries but now I will use this. Now, I'm not comparing apples to apples here, but I'm a long time user of the DCS series and mostly fly all of the choppers available for DCS and there is a Gazelle sa342 in DCS, so I knew something about it. Expecting the usual junk flight model for a helo in FSX and now P3D, I was totally surprised. Stick and rudder action was really close to DCS Gazelle and cyclic use was clean and stable. One thing about the Gazelle, it's light weight agile and as any other chopper you make one adjustment and you've got at least two others to make. (no rudder peddles, you might just forget it)

I haven't flown the Dodo sim in about 4 or so years, but seems like this is pretty much par with that one, from what I can remember. (my biggest problem was not figuring out how to shut the thing down, but like I mentioned I didn't read the manual before the 1st short flight)

Yes, but try to make a downwind approach with All Up Mass and you will see that even the good old Huey will probably show you an unpleasant ride. I've never experienced a VRS in the helicopters I fly (and I hope I'll never be in one!), it was once demonstrated by my instructor the beginning of one. In the R22 is very hard to induce VRS, you just feel the effects of it, cyclic command does not respond well, vibration. But that doesn't mean that it's invulnerable to VRS. Every helicopter is capable of entering VRS if the right conditions are met.

Ho ho... the basic flight model for helicopters might not be perfect in FSX but that does not mean we use that for this Huey. In fact if we would not have been able to make it better we would not have started on this project. Included in this project is a special DLL that alters how FSX handles helicopters.

I've never been able to master it. After lifting off, its like balancing on top of a beach ball on ice, blindfold. The slightest control input seems to result in me skittering off sideways till I roll over.

Concerning Vortex Ring State and the Huey: The Huey can and WILL get into VRS if you put it in the right conditions, steep descent, and high power settings will SURELY put a Huey into VRS. A tailwind will make it even more susceptible. I have seen the descent rates as high as 1400 Feet Per Minute. Whoever told you that a Huey can't get into VRS? Whoever did doesn't know what they are talking about. In fact ANY rotor powered aircraft can experience VRS under the right conditions, the hard and fast rules being that the aircraft is under 80% or more power (torque) applied, has an airspeed below Translational Lift speed, and has a descent rate greater than 300 Feet Per Minute. It might not always happen in these conditions, and the Huey may be LESS prone to it, but it CAN happen. Saying it doesn't is ignorant and is unfair to real pilots and experienced simmers that know better. If it can't be simulated easily or accurately, fine, I get that, but please don't tell us that it is not included because the Huey is not susceptible to it.

I am still going to buy it because it looks fantastic and I am sure the updated flight characteristics ARE very accurate, minus VRS of course. Also, I didn't see any mention of Translating Tendency? Is this included? A helicopter without a little left skid low in the hover is displeasing to a real helo driver. Also the huey has some funny behavior (commonly called "Huey Tuck") if you get it too nose low during foreward flight particularly on take-offs. The flat top of the cabin gets pushed down by the airflow and forces the helicopter to nose into the ground. Once it is induced the only recovery is diving away, so if it happens at low altitude (which is most common) ,like on a takeoff roll, it is unrecoverable.

And please, don't be offended by my comments. I know you all have worked very hard to bring us an accurate Huey, but I could not let that statement go uncorrected as it is blatantly false. Please forgive my candidness.

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