Helicopter flying tips

Fishfinger · 02-08-2006, 11:35 AM

Found this and thought it mite be of use for people like me that are trying to learn to fly.
I'm slowly getting the hang of it

Controls and Instruments.
Everyone has their own favourite method of controlling a helicopter. I shall list mine and try what you like:

I use am MS sidewinder Joystick – Essential for complex movements.
It has a sensitive throttle control, so that you can set the throttle and leave it – releasing your fingers for other things…
Rudder is controlled by twisting the joystick shaft – strange at first but before long becomes a natural part of flying – including jets.
The joystick has a ‘hat’ control which I program for the alternate views (F9 – F11)
Trigger button for primary fire with a top fire button for secondary fire / winch control.

I always use the ‘nose cam’ view when flying. Occasionally moving to the rear view when picking things up / landing on pads.

Always, always use the artificial horizon – it’s the only thing that will get you into a hover

Lesson 1 - Learn how to hover.

Think of the rotor as a spinning disk with a pulling force in an upward direction from the centre of the ‘copter. Increasing throttle, increases the force of the disk – increase it enough and the force will be enough to off-set gravity and the ‘copter will rise. Reduce throttle until the ‘copter is neither rising or falling and yoou have achieved a hover.
Tilt the nose down and the force will be split between upwards and slightly forwards – the ‘copter will move forward but start to drop as the upwards force will be slightly less (shared between upwards and forwards) – hence an increase in throttle is required to keep the ‘copter level (don’t worry this comes naturally after a while).

This is the best method I found on how to start to control the Helicopter. Best practiced off-line. Start off from a landing pad and increase throttle to lift the ‘copter, then reduce throttle until you are hovering.

Then try to push the nose down slightly and start to get a little forward momentum (keep an eye on the artificial horizon). Slight increases / decreases in throttle are required to keep the same height from the ground.

Then pull the nose back slightly and forward momentum will slow (raising the nose briefly so that the cross hairs are slightly above the artificial horizon will cause the ‘copter to ‘brake’ – leave it above too long and you will start to fly backwards)

As you enter into a hover you will most likely start to rise – so a slight reduction in throttle will keep you level.

Try this a few times until you are able to hover, move some distance and then enter back into a hover consistently.

Once happy with the forward movement into a hover, try a sideways (or lateral) shift. Enetr into a hover and then move the joystick to the left or right. The ‘copter will start to move sideways (again increase the throttle slightly). To enter a hover again the process is the same as for forward momentum but rather than lower the nose of the ‘copter with a backwards / forwards movement of the joystick you will need to determine the direction you are travelling by looking at the artificial horizon and the way the scenery is moving around the ‘copter – sounds confusing but not too difficult after a while.

Lesson 2 - Rudder control.
Used to turn the ‘copter to face a target or turn in flight. I use the twist control on my joystick. When hovering the rudder will rotate the copter around the central point – however the rudder has the effect of tilting the ‘copter slightly so you will turn but start to move in a lateral direction. So always keep an eye on the artificial horizon.

When in flight use the rudder in combination with left/right bank controls to fly the ‘copter in the same way as an aeroplane.

A couple of good practices for rudder control is on Ia Drang, - take off in a Huey and fly low and fast into the valley along the road, in between the trees.

Other things to try is to hover above a flag and turn around to ‘spot’ enemies.

Lesson three – Stopping Gently & Stopping Suddenly.

If you are flying forwards and you want to stop there are two ways to do it:
1) The gentle approach. Used for landing, picking up people/objects.
Simply raise the nose and slightly lower the throttle. The sharper you raise the nose the quicker the forward momentum will stop. As you raise the nose you will need to lower the throttle otherwise you will start to climb. As you lose the last of your forward momentum keep an eye on the artificial horizon otherwise you will start to fly backwards… not advised. If you want to land I would advise entering into a hover before touching down.

2) Stopping in a hurry.
Want to rush in and grab a flag? Just flew over an enemy and want to turn around and shoot the M***** F*****? Then you need to stop pronto!

The problem with using the previous method to stop suddenly is that you would have to yank back hard on the joystick to stop forward momentum. This will leave you pointing up at the sky, wondering what is going on below you and invariably flying backwards dropping like a stone.

The best way to stop quickly is to spin the ‘copter around 180 degrees in flight so that you remain in control of the motion of the ‘copter and always have the nose pointed to the ground – handy to see what’s going on and let off the odd rocket. As soon as your (now backwards) momentum stops you will need to lift your nose quickly and back off the throttle – and enter into a hover.

Advanced feats.

Spinning around a point in a tight circle.
Don’t those Mi8s annoy you spawn camping… especially when you can’t do it yourself! Well to enter into a tight spin you will need to practice a lot – the nose should be down, full rudder and left and right banking are all used to create a very tight circle. Slight changes in where the ‘copter will fly in the circle can be achieved through slight changes in the amount of rudder/bank/pitch – I would always leave the throttle on full when trying this aerial acrobatic feat. One for the advanced pilot!

Picking things up.
A skill I’m still trying to master but having some success with the following:
Example – picking up a mobile spawn.
Hover about 30 feet away from the crate. Lower the winch fully and keep it lowered. Push the nose of the ‘copter down very slightly so that the ‘copter starts to creep forward. Switch to rear view. Keep a close eye on artificial horizon / throttle to ensure ‘copter is stable. Gently, slowly fly the copter over the crate. As you fly over the cable will suddenly jump onto the crate and the ‘connected’ green light will come on. Then release the winch button (don’t worry the crate will stay attached), hit full throttle and switch to nose cam view again.

When flying with a load the load will act as a giant pendulum, making the ‘copter difficult to manoeuvre. So take care.

To release the load press the winch button once and let it drop.

Landing on the PADs
With landing, I always seem to land short of the pad when using nose cam. Therefore I try the following:

Approach the pad and enter into a hover about 30feet away. Switch to rear view and gently pilot the copter in. To land on the pad requires a deft touch with the throttle control. Always concentrate on the artificial horizon.

Well good luck and happy flying!

MyDixieWrecked · 02-08-2006, 04:17 PM

Hello, first post here, though I've lurked for about 3 years now.

Nice tips, though I think they're specifically for BFV. I found that the 'copters in BF2 respond differently than the ones in BFV. But the basics are still the same, though.

I fly the helos as often as I can in BF2. I use mouse and keyboard. I increased the pitch factor considerably in order to make up for the little bit of movement a mouse allows. I'd recommend simply practice practice practice in a server or singleplayer, it doesn't matter. Usually the servers with the smallest amount of players, obviously, will give you a chance to play around with the choppers. Is there a way to turn off the bots in singleplayer? I find that those bastards can always get to the vehicles faster than me.

Mad Monk · 02-08-2006, 05:49 PM

Just host your own local server and play. No bots, just the whole map to yourself.

Random Ping · 02-11-2006, 07:37 AM

What no instructions on how to do the triple backflip double barrel roll?

j/k good tips all around. I especially like the winch part, kinda wish they had winches in BF2. Imagining a BH carrying a fully loaded apc, guns blazing out of every port

02-08-2006, 11:35 AM	#1 (permalink)
Fishfinger Major Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: The Shire of Wilts Posts: 3,508	Helicopter flying tips Found this and thought it mite be of use for people like me that are trying to learn to fly. I'm slowly getting the hang of it Controls and Instruments. Everyone has their own favourite method of controlling a helicopter. I shall list mine and try what you like: I use am MS sidewinder Joystick – Essential for complex movements. It has a sensitive throttle control, so that you can set the throttle and leave it – releasing your fingers for other things… Rudder is controlled by twisting the joystick shaft – strange at first but before long becomes a natural part of flying – including jets. The joystick has a ‘hat’ control which I program for the alternate views (F9 – F11) Trigger button for primary fire with a top fire button for secondary fire / winch control. I always use the ‘nose cam’ view when flying. Occasionally moving to the rear view when picking things up / landing on pads. Always, always use the artificial horizon – it’s the only thing that will get you into a hover Lesson 1 - Learn how to hover. Think of the rotor as a spinning disk with a pulling force in an upward direction from the centre of the ‘copter. Increasing throttle, increases the force of the disk – increase it enough and the force will be enough to off-set gravity and the ‘copter will rise. Reduce throttle until the ‘copter is neither rising or falling and yoou have achieved a hover. Tilt the nose down and the force will be split between upwards and slightly forwards – the ‘copter will move forward but start to drop as the upwards force will be slightly less (shared between upwards and forwards) – hence an increase in throttle is required to keep the ‘copter level (don’t worry this comes naturally after a while). This is the best method I found on how to start to control the Helicopter. Best practiced off-line. Start off from a landing pad and increase throttle to lift the ‘copter, then reduce throttle until you are hovering. Then try to push the nose down slightly and start to get a little forward momentum (keep an eye on the artificial horizon). Slight increases / decreases in throttle are required to keep the same height from the ground. Then pull the nose back slightly and forward momentum will slow (raising the nose briefly so that the cross hairs are slightly above the artificial horizon will cause the ‘copter to ‘brake’ – leave it above too long and you will start to fly backwards) As you enter into a hover you will most likely start to rise – so a slight reduction in throttle will keep you level. Try this a few times until you are able to hover, move some distance and then enter back into a hover consistently. Once happy with the forward movement into a hover, try a sideways (or lateral) shift. Enetr into a hover and then move the joystick to the left or right. The ‘copter will start to move sideways (again increase the throttle slightly). To enter a hover again the process is the same as for forward momentum but rather than lower the nose of the ‘copter with a backwards / forwards movement of the joystick you will need to determine the direction you are travelling by looking at the artificial horizon and the way the scenery is moving around the ‘copter – sounds confusing but not too difficult after a while. Lesson 2 - Rudder control. Used to turn the ‘copter to face a target or turn in flight. I use the twist control on my joystick. When hovering the rudder will rotate the copter around the central point – however the rudder has the effect of tilting the ‘copter slightly so you will turn but start to move in a lateral direction. So always keep an eye on the artificial horizon. When in flight use the rudder in combination with left/right bank controls to fly the ‘copter in the same way as an aeroplane. A couple of good practices for rudder control is on Ia Drang, - take off in a Huey and fly low and fast into the valley along the road, in between the trees. Other things to try is to hover above a flag and turn around to ‘spot’ enemies. Lesson three – Stopping Gently & Stopping Suddenly. If you are flying forwards and you want to stop there are two ways to do it: 1) The gentle approach. Used for landing, picking up people/objects. Simply raise the nose and slightly lower the throttle. The sharper you raise the nose the quicker the forward momentum will stop. As you raise the nose you will need to lower the throttle otherwise you will start to climb. As you lose the last of your forward momentum keep an eye on the artificial horizon otherwise you will start to fly backwards… not advised. If you want to land I would advise entering into a hover before touching down. 2) Stopping in a hurry. Want to rush in and grab a flag? Just flew over an enemy and want to turn around and shoot the M*** F*? Then you need to stop pronto! The problem with using the previous method to stop suddenly is that you would have to yank back hard on the joystick to stop forward momentum. This will leave you pointing up at the sky, wondering what is going on below you and invariably flying backwards dropping like a stone. The best way to stop quickly is to spin the ‘copter around 180 degrees in flight so that you remain in control of the motion of the ‘copter and always have the nose pointed to the ground – handy to see what’s going on and let off the odd rocket. As soon as your (now backwards) momentum stops you will need to lift your nose quickly and back off the throttle – and enter into a hover. Advanced feats. Spinning around a point in a tight circle. Don’t those Mi8s annoy you spawn camping… especially when you can’t do it yourself! Well to enter into a tight spin you will need to practice a lot – the nose should be down, full rudder and left and right banking are all used to create a very tight circle. Slight changes in where the ‘copter will fly in the circle can be achieved through slight changes in the amount of rudder/bank/pitch – I would always leave the throttle on full when trying this aerial acrobatic feat. One for the advanced pilot! Picking things up. A skill I’m still trying to master but having some success with the following: Example – picking up a mobile spawn. Hover about 30 feet away from the crate. Lower the winch fully and keep it lowered. Push the nose of the ‘copter down very slightly so that the ‘copter starts to creep forward. Switch to rear view. Keep a close eye on artificial horizon / throttle to ensure ‘copter is stable. Gently, slowly fly the copter over the crate. As you fly over the cable will suddenly jump onto the crate and the ‘connected’ green light will come on. Then release the winch button (don’t worry the crate will stay attached), hit full throttle and switch to nose cam view again. When flying with a load the load will act as a giant pendulum, making the ‘copter difficult to manoeuvre. So take care. To release the load press the winch button once and let it drop. Landing on the PADs** With landing, I always seem to land short of the pad when using nose cam. Therefore I try the following: Approach the pad and enter into a hover about 30feet away. Switch to rear view and gently pilot the copter in. To land on the pad requires a deft touch with the throttle control. Always concentrate on the artificial horizon. Well good luck and happy flying! __________________ Your message here My Stats

02-08-2006, 05:49 PM	#3 (permalink)
Mad Monk Major Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: O-O-O-O-Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweeping down the plain. Posts: 3,033	Just host your own local server and play. No bots, just the whole map to yourself. __________________

02-11-2006, 07:37 AM	#4 (permalink)
Random Ping Master Warrant Officer Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Evergreen State (at least on the West coast) Posts: 1,293	What no instructions on how to do the triple backflip double barrel roll? j/k good tips all around. I especially like the winch part, kinda wish they had winches in BF2. Imagining a BH carrying a fully loaded apc, guns blazing out of every port __________________ It is not important that the glass is half-full or half-empty, but rather how the glass got that way.

02-08-2006, 04:17 PM	#2 (permalink)
MyDixieWrecked Private Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: East Coast, USA Posts: 51	Hello, first post here, though I've lurked for about 3 years now. Nice tips, though I think they're specifically for BFV. I found that the 'copters in BF2 respond differently than the ones in BFV. But the basics are still the same, though. I fly the helos as often as I can in BF2. I use mouse and keyboard. I increased the pitch factor considerably in order to make up for the little bit of movement a mouse allows. I'd recommend simply practice practice practice in a server or singleplayer, it doesn't matter. Usually the servers with the smallest amount of players, obviously, will give you a chance to play around with the choppers. Is there a way to turn off the bots in singleplayer? I find that those bastards can always get to the vehicles faster than me.