heloguy

The trick is, don't map any trim functions to your stick within DCS, only in SIMFFB. Then DCS won't re-reference the stick position

Unless you use SIMFFB. Then curves do not affect where you release the trim. It will stay where you leave it. The only problem with this, is that it's a third party app, and who knows if it will always work with the current version of DCS. I agree that curves are only an interim fix at this point. I fly all of the other DCS helos without curves, using the stock FFB option. The problem with curves in helos is that they work great to smooth out hovering, but cause too much of a control spike at where the curve begins for any kind of quick maneuvering, especially hard turns in forward flight.

I can confirm that SIMFFB works as advertised with this module. Just don't map any of the trim functions to the stick in game, and you shouldn't have any problems.

Just tried the G940 with x/y curves of 15, and my Saitek Combat pedals set to 10. It was better, but still needs some tuning. I was able to takeoff, bump, make a decently aggressive turn to come back and approach to a hover, then set it down. BTW I also tried SIMFFB, which worked great as an interim fix to no FFB support.

Not sure if SIMFFB will work, but I'm going to try that with my G940. I'll report back. Edit: Here is where to download it: http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=84883

I'm not a Gazelle pilot, but I am a real helicopter pilot. I've flown a Bell 206 some, an MD-500 some, a Blackhawk quite a bit, and an R-22 a bit. Based on my experience so far, I've found that aircraft fly how they look. I know that sounds too much like a generalization, but I think it just has to do with experience, and understanding of aerodynamics. With that, I thought the first iteration of the Huey by Belsimtek was too twitchy, but having not flown a real Huey, I couldn't be sure. Low and behold, it became more stable in subsequent releases. Really, I think what it boils down to is hardware. You guys (developers) are amazing at making these helicopters perform realistically within the confines of our computers, but it is incumbent upon us to do our homework on our joystick setups, and try to make them imitate the real thing as much as possible. This is going to be hard for someone who has no idea what it "should" feel like. It's possible, though, with research, and time. Another bit to think about is this: for some people, it takes 8-10 hours solid to hover for the first time. And I'm talking about a helicopter you have to fly, not one in which you can push a button as long as the AFCS (autopilot) is up and running. This amount of time will only be increased by two factors: lack of instruction with immediate feedback (huge), and unrealistic hardware setups. With all that said, I think what people are saying here is a step in the right direction. Making adjustments to your joystick curves will help offset having a computer joystick that is not built exactly like the real thing. I've only seen a few examples of computer hardware that look like they would act close to the real thing, so if you're trying to fly it with a Thrustmaster Warthog, G940, or MSFFB2 (all of which I own, and I can say must be configured differently), some adjustments will have to be made. I'm of the belief that if you can takeoff, hover, and land in the Huey without crashing, you should be able to do the same with this aircraft if you take the time to setup your equipment, are slow, and deliberate, and don't try to fly it like Chuck Aaron right away. If you made it this far through my ramblings, thanks for reading. I'm going to try and setup my G940 now, and I'll report back what I feel is realistic for settings.

Good call. This would make sense, as it would seem like the upper rotor would cause a greater induced flow on the lower rotor. Induced flow is definitely a factor when considering air flow at a hover. Ground effect is supposed to slow induced flow, which contributes to better efficiency. I would be interested to hear about ED's sources on this for the Ka-50.

That Garmin 430 I heard mentioned somewhere. It'd be nice for precision navigation that doesn't require constant attention to a map and clock.

Another thing that baffles me about the trucks/jeeps firing rockets compared to aircraft: none of them, at least the ones in the videos shown, have 150-250mph of slipstream holding them stable at rocket launch. Hellfires don't yaw a helicopter significantly when they're fired, and they are a lot larger than rockets, even the 5" ones on a P-51. Edit: Sorry to bring back old stuff. Just was thinking about this.

Glad to hear you're feeling better, and hopefully I can help. I recently started messing around with the A-10 as well, and needed a jump start to figure things out. All of those modules' documents can be found in their respective folders. If you look in your install folder under \mods\aircraft\"module name here" you should find a docs folder that has the .pdf flight manuals for everything. If you're just starting out, then the biggest hurdle at first will be setting up your controls. The A-10C is easy, since you have a Warthog. You don't really need to set up the joystick with this module, as DCS does it for you. If you want the stick buttons to have multiple assignments, you'll have to set up a 'modifier' function using a button of your choice on the joystick. Pedals will be a big help with all of them. For the other modules, I recommend deleting all of the joystick settings (buttons and axes), and reassigning them as you figure out what you use the most. Also, when you do this, be careful not to delete all of the key settings, only the joystick settings. Use the 'Clear Category' function for your joystick. If you mess it up, just use the rest to defaults button. After you have your joystick set up, as well as some reading materials to get you familiar, definitely check out the training scenarios. They helped me immensely, and are really well done. That was my springboard. Once I was comfortable with them, I moved into online with the P-51 (DoW Server), and those guys helped me out a great deal with the that aircraft. The other ones, I don't really play online much with, save the other WW2 modules. Anyway, hope that helps. There are also a ton of You Tube videos you can google to help you get started with just about any task these aircraft perform.

Thanks a lot guys. Somehow, I remember doing this before, but it's been a long time. Thanks for the help!

Hi, Does anyone know which .lua files the campaign progress is saved? I just finished the first two missions, and while I do appreciate them as an LAO, I would like to be able to start the campaign in the future from this point (having the first two missions completed, and ready to start the exercise). Thanks in advance!

I'm pretty sure it didn't. Never flew a Huey, but have been around a lot who have, and they never mentioned it. Nor have any of them say they missed it in a Blackhawk, or Bell 206. R-22 is the only aircraft I've flown that has it, and it's understandable, considering how small it is. The string is more responsive than the slip ball on a smaller helicopter, but on a larger, more stable helicopter like the Huey or Blackhawk, it isn't necessary.

Actually, nevermind. I found that I just needed to add each dcs.exe to my firewall exceptions. All works as advertised now.

I know this thread is old, but I recently tried to set up this app on my iPad. I can get it to work fine in my standard, up to date DCS 1.5 install., but when I copy the export.lua over to my DCS 2.0 alpha install (user\xxx\saved games\etc. folder), the cdu will come up correctly at the start of the mission, but will then just freeze at startup on whatever waypoint is there. Buttons on the cdu or radio screens don't work at all. Like I said, works fine with DCS 1.5 standard, but doesn't work with DCS 2.0 alpha or DCS Beta 1.5. Wondering how to get it working with the other two versions.

Great great tool. Thanks a lot!

Always a great idea when you're in the military to not only take pictures of the inside of your working cockpit (got it, the sim already shows the inside of one pretty well), but to go ahead and show the exact location. National Guard. Hmph.

Same here, minus one. The Bell 206 with force trim for instruments doesn't have it in the pedals. At least the ones I flew didn't. Otherwise, it's pretty safe to assume that the larger a helicopter is, the more likely it has some sort of trim/autopilot in all three axes.

Awesome Derk, great news!

Reporting as a G940 and MSFFB2 owner. I have been using the G940 without issue, but tried out the MSFFB2 today, and was just about to report the bug when I found this thread. I can confirm, I haven't had any FFB issue with the G940, but get the reversal bug with the MSFFB2 as previously described in the thread (switch position, or start a new flight, you have to enter the menu twice to reset the axes).

Hey Andre, Maybe the best would be to have the gametrix seat and a buttkicker, or two buttkickers on different outputs That way you could have the rich engine rumble and your great effects. IRL I don't fly anything as exciting as an old warbird. I fly helos, and have flown in light airplanes (Cessna 172), and an old Chinese Nanching. I definitely feel plenty of vibrations in the helicopters (Transverse flow would be a great effect for SimShaker) and distinctly remember the engine vibrations in the recip airplanes. Maybe an effect based on airspeed is possible?

Hey Andre, I got everything up and running (although I figured out that everytime I want to use Sim Shaker, I have to reinstall the drivers to my SB X-Fi Titanium card due to a bug with Win 10), and my first impression is that this is a great step forward. My only issue after flying both the P-51 and Bf-109 is that the effect for engine revs, and stall buffet could be a little more of a high frequency vibe. It feels a little lifeless when straight and level to me. This could just be me comparing the buttkicker when hooked up to the center/subwoofer channel normally, but the old way seems to feel more lifelike to me compared to when I go flying IRL. Thanks for the efforts, and I'll keep checking back to see how things pan out.

Thanks for that, but it still didn't work. Even with advanced power management turned off, they still blink off when starting a profile and kill the script. Edit: Actually, it did work! After I posted the above, I thought 'Hmm, maybe I should try a restart.' So far so good. I guess after you change those registry entries, you need to restart for them to take hold. Thanks again!

This sounds plausible, but I only have one USB extension cable, and it isn't attached to either one of my MFDs. The problem does seem to be that they intermittently lose power. Like I said, I tried two different sets on the main board. I also tried an externally powered USB hub, with the same results.

So, I just upgraded to Windows 10, and started my run through of testing everything out. The only problem I've found, and it's an annoying one, is that if I run a TARGET profile for my Warthog, throttle, and F-16 MFDs, the profile will start, but the F-16 MFDs will blink, and the profile will stop with an error that the USB connectors have been disconnected. Everything works fine on its own, and I've tried to use different USB ports, but I just can't get them to work in TARGET anymore. I've confirmed that if I take the same profile, and just remove the MFDs from it, then the profile will run just fine. It almost seems like the MFDs are losing power for a moment, then coming back on. I remember this happened in Windows 7 every once in awhile (not everytime), but it didn't seem to affect how the profile ran. I've attached a screen shot of TARGET after the script fails to run. Anyone have any ideas?