Controller Set up - how to get it right for heliflying
Controller Set up - how to get it right for heliflying
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Laminar takes feature requests for X-Plane12: see article below
- Hardware: First we look at your devices and make sure they are ready for heli-flying.
Yes we will look into more expensive equipment later, helicopter-specific controllers you can buy.
Pedals Sensitivity (Cycle Y)
Pedals Sensitivity (Cycle Y)
turn feather wheels as off as you can. Minimal foot impacts should immediately gain response in the Sim without dealing with unwanted resistance or immediate direction changes. Response should be smooth.
Joystick Sensitivity (Cycle X)
Joystick Sensitivity (Cycle X)
if you own a force feedback device, disable it!
unplug the one cable that transmits the electric power that creates feedback.
You should have an all free move around feeling of the joystick with no resistance.
Collective Sensitivity (Pitch)
Collective Sensitivity (Pitch)
assign the second lever to collective, this will lift you up from the ground as it twists the blades angle for more air resitance . You should have a normal movement feeling of this lever that allows you to control critical altitudes over ground in situations like take off and landing. (see video)
Thrust Sensitivity (Torque)
Thrust Sensitivity (Torque)
Adding Power happens over the thrust lever if you have a regular device with 2 levers but no helicopter specific device, you can use 1 lever for adding power. Assign it in the X-plane setting (picture). Power usually is kept on 100% during flight, so you don't need a lot of movements there.
Device Positioning
Device Positioning
yes, put the joystick onto your chair between the legs, on not on top of the table. This arm-stick axe translates the right moment of movements while being very relaxed with your ellbow resting on your right leg. Minimal inputs with the hand only, not the arm.
Thrust lever close to body, left aside.
Pedals as close as having your knees on the seat surface, not to close not too far, have a comfortable reach or you ruin your muscles over time. this should not be a fitness program for your legs.
Free Mouselook View, lookaround
Free Mouselook View, lookaround
you can use these devices to look around:
Mouse: Double click free, right click stop.
coolie button on the joystick (not recommended)
Views / Camera Assigment
Views / Camera Assigment
(X-Plane's Quick Look Function: from where you look where can be assigned over your NUM keys)
you can move from where you look with page up, page down, and the arrow keys.
you can assign 13 NUM keys as views
assign CTRL 5 as your Center View in the cockpit (overseeing panel and front window). In the game, just press 5 for immediate center view.
same with the other buttons on the Num Keyboard.
You can even include zoom and arrow keys to find the right view befor saving it.
Recommended Layout is here.
your saved cam points include cam point, view point and zoom.
quick look assignments only include internal views. External cam points can not be changed.
2. Now we look at the Software parameters and whether they translate your physical inputs correctly into the virtual flight model. There are 3 influencing setup packages:
2. Now we look at the Software parameters and whether they translate your physical inputs correctly into the virtual flight model. There are 3 influencing setup packages:
- Windows Settings
- Logitech (or your brand) Settings
- X-Plane's Settings
Example: Logitech G940
Example: Logitech G940
Response Trimming
Bildunterschrift
Example: Logitech G940
Example: Logitech G940
Main settings in Windows
Bildunterschrift
Save the right profile
X-Plane allows to save individual named profiles, which you may create depending on your equipment. If you own a 2-lever thrust, you can handle the levers independantsly, while a single engine prop gives you a spare lever to use for different purposse. if you have 2 levers and you want to assign them for helii-flying, use one for power, the other for pitching (collective). It saves with the type of aircraft you are flying currently. But you can also change during flight, in case it didn't catch the rigth setting at start-up
Tune the view field.
With this slider you can set the view right. make sure you feel like in real life and have no gimmic trapez looking wideview angle stuff like in games.
This one is wrong:
This one is correct:
This one is wrong:
This one is correct:
Known Issues in X-Plane:
Known Issues in X-Plane:
strange cycle skips.
frame starts pushing into unwanted position, away from flight path for no reason.
throttle for power lever?
Possible sources for this malfunctional behaviour, which are
-possible overtorque
-changing main rotor disk attitude
-tailrotor malfunction
-bad setup of flight controls in windows or x-plane response curve
If sources of faillure on behalf the user are excluded,
the problem is either with the heli product or caused by X-plane's native flight model.
we checked other helicopters, which don't conduct that rotational skip issue, but where tailrotor behaviour does not seem correct. Working with the pedals leads to unwanted behaviour, especially when changing directions. Tests done at speeds from 0 to 50 knots.
getting help identifying the root cause and get it fixed.
If it's an x-plane issue, they need to do something about the flight model.
if it is an issue caused by the 3rd party developer, how would x-plane's code allow such
incorrect physical response. It rises questions about their flight model's authenticity.
In the case of the blackhawk a massive reduction of power setting seems the only way to
have control over these issues.
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