bradmick

If the amount of main rotor torque, and as a by product the amount of sideslip, wasn’t so overdone (around 2.4 times) this wouldn’t be an issue. This is the result of a long standing (since the module was released) issue with the fm that is yet to be resolved.

Shutting off the FMC completely disables the SCAS for the helicopter, you get only the control authority granted by the push/pull rods connected to the flight controls with the added bonus of there being a significant lag.
 
When the hold modes are off, you have Pitch, Yaw, Roll and Collective SAS which provides rate damping, atmospheric upset damping and turn coordination above 40 knots. The CAS is providing the instant response to input, without the CAS the helicopter has a delay when inputs are made. It flies like a giant TH-67 (Bell 206). There's a pretty appreciable lag with the FMC out.
 
The SAS makes for an insanely stable platform. If you trim the helicopter correctly, and without hold modes, and assuming the winds are light, the helicopter will hold very steady. The SAS does a really great job. I can easily go long stretches without the hold modes on with finger tip pressure on the controls, this is at a hover and in forward flight. With the hold modes on, I can remove my hands entirely from the flight controls and she'll fly herself for a really long time without me having to touch the flight controls at all. I've demonstrated this more times than I can count.
 
Another thing about the SAS and the hold modes is that there is no "hunting" or "seeking" when the hold modes are turned on. Even if you have say 2 to 3 knots of velocity at a hover and you turn on the attitude hold, the system will smoothly apply an input opposite of the velocity vector and stop dead center at 0. It won't overshoot at all. In doing that though, you've probably robbed the flight control of all of it's SAS authority and will get a SAS SATURATE message in short order. In forward flight the capture for altitude and attitude are immediate and there's no drift either. They are insanely steady.
 
I would also say, that the 64A DASE is not the FMC. I never had the pleasure of flying A models, but I know enough A model dudes that have spoken at length about how much better the FMC is. They rarely used the holds in the A model because the DASE was so bad. That's anectodal, but they were flying A models before I was born and close to as long as I'd been alive...so i'm inclined to believe them. Either way, I wouldn't use the A Model as a point of reference because there were significant changes/differences to the brains behind the flight controls.

The chop button electronically reduces the engines to idle. That being said, not sure if it’s implemented yet.
 
if you allow the main rotor speed to go low enough, the generators will kick offline, and eventually due to a lack of lift and energy in the rotor all control will be lost. The dcs Apache hasn’t been able to auto since day 1 due to excessive drag on the rotor. The other thing to keep in mind is that the rotor is an extremely low inertia rotor, it will bleed energy extremely fast. If you’re really into practicing this maneuver, then get the collective fully down and then bring the power levers to idle. It’s the only more or less safe way to practice a power off auto (which we don’t do in the real helicopter by the way).

This is how you use it in the real aircraft. This video is pre current patch, but the procedure is correct. You, the gunner establish a manual track. Start in the widest FOV possible first, begin continuous lasing (don’t let go of the laser trigger), turn on LMC on, adjust the slew rate, step in a FOV, adjust, so forth and so on. As someone with an ungodly amount of hours using the real tads, this is how it works. Practice, follow my procedure to the T and you’ll be fine.
https://youtu.be/IQ5R5b0PnIY

This is normal. On the collective is the collective droop potentiometer. This is tied into the Transient Droop Improvement (TDI) part of the engine control system. If you rapidly increase the collective, the speed of light signal to the DECU leads the power demand by dumping more fuel into the engine to prevent a droop from occurring. This was added specifically to prevent a droop from occurring during recoveries from practice autorotations. Anytime you’re below something like 15% torque, this is automatically there. It doesn’t have anything to do with coning or other aerodynamic phenomenon, well, except for maybe drag. 

Yes.

The control measures are barriered because the control measure database is full. You need to delete some control measures before you can add anymore.

Yes.

Bug, the only time the pilots range should ever change is when the crew is performing a COOP rocket engagement. Currently anytime the TADS is selected as an acquisition source, the pilots range is overwritten with tads laser range whenever the CPG is lasing. This is incorrect behavior.

No.1 I would ask: Why are you slamming full left/right cyclic at a hover, particularly in a lateral hover.
No.2 I can reproduce this but it requires me to be at around 40 knots or so, and allow the sas to saturate on the yaw axis.
What is happening is the sas is trying to keep the nose aligned with whatever your previousl set heading was. I set the aircraft up perpindicular to the runway in the hot start instnat action mission and then initate a lateral hover. As the aircraft continues to build speed the SAS tries to keep the nose aligned, eventually (without pilot intervetion) the SAS saturates or just runs straight into its limit and effectively causes 'full left pedal' to be applied. Slamming cyclic full right and then left excacerbates this. This is something that is literally not done in the aircraft, and shouldn't with the sim also. I can altogether avoid this saturation event by pressing and holding the force trim interupted and commanding the SAS to center. 
 
Bottom line: Rapid cyclic movements and failing to periodically retrim the SAS in a lateral hover is causing the SAS to run out of authority and functionally apply 'full left pedal'. Since the thrust is increased on the tail rotor when this happens (and trust is to the right, and the high mounted tail rotor imparts a rolling moment to the aircraft) an aggressive right roll develops. Once the weight is over the CoG the aircraft will roll and you won't be able to recover it.

The aircraft 100% compensates for aircraft movements when using the TADs. Just not currently. It’s WIP.

The helicopter SAS will “saturate” over time and run out of authority. The green plus signs will tell you where the SAS is with regards to its “authority”. You can’t just trim it and leave it permanently there. As the FMC commands the SAS to respond to exterior stimuli while trying to maintain a stable hover or a desired or commanded attitude, it will use the SAS authority it has available to it and eventually run out of it. To return full SAS authority you have to recenter the SAS servo. To recenter the SAS and return it’s authority to maximum, you have to press and hold the force trim release switch for 3 to 5 seconds to recenter the SAS. Based on your description you allowed the SAS to saturate and it can no longer help you maintain a stable position.

When you go below 80kts the stabilator will schedule down to improve forward visibility, this is normal and expected behavior. This is also why I don’t like the NOE Approach mode. Manual stabilator is the preferred method IMO because you control it, and not the computer and you can better adjust the controls to control the pitch down that happens when the stabilator schedules.

I taxi with it locked on straight aways all the time. I unlock it prior to turns. You don’t have to have it unlocked when ground taxiing. It’s at the discretion of the pilot, do what works and makes sense for the situation. Just remember to unlock it prior to a turn, re-lock it after the turn.

The yaw offset (difference between the FPV and headtracker (nose of the helicopter)) is always there, even in a no wind situation. The yaw offset is currently approximately double what it should be for a given airspeed. At 40 knots the VV and FPV should be centered in the head tracker with a centered trim ball, at 70knots the the fligh path vector circle will enclose the right chevron of the head tracker with the trim ball centered, at 90 knots the tip of the 'left wing' of the flight path vector will be touching the right tip of the head tracker. This equates to roughly 0 degrees yaw offset at 40 knots, 5 degrees yaw offset at 70 knots and 6 or so degrees at 90 knots. At 150 knots the yaw offset is around 10 degrees. 
 
All of the above is in a no wind scenario. So the aircraft can absolutely be 'in trim' (aerodynamically, ball centered), but still have a small degree of sideslip. This isn't unique to the apaches, all helicopters fly with some degree of yaw offset. The difference is, you have symbology now to show you that it's happening, where as before it was a subconscious thing in the background you just accounted for.
 
So, bottom line: You will always have a yaw offset even in zero winds.

The phase doesn’t have anything to do with points display. The main thing you need to adjust are your SHOW page options on the top level TSD page. Should be on T3 or T4 or so. You can customize what options are displayed between the NAV and ATK phases to declutter the TSD. 

The phase doesn’t have anything to do with points display. The main thing you need to adjust are your SHOW page options on the top level TSD page. Should be on T3 or T4 or so. You can customize what options are displayed between the NAV and ATK phases to declutter the TSD.