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Hovering at higher altitude (not in ground effect)


Zooropa

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Hello! I've been reading and watching videos about how to keep the Huey in a hover and I can do it at a low altitude (basically while in ground effect). However, I simply can't seem to do it when I am a little above where I can't use the ground for visual reference. Most videos I've found demonstrate how to hover at a very low altitude (since it's a lot easier for people to actually see that the heli is hovering).

 

I know it's not a great idea to stare at the ground even when you are hovering in ground effect, and I am usually trying to look ahead, but my peripheral vision is still helping me notice the way the ground is "moving" so it's a lot easier.

 

However, as soon as I am bit higher up and the ground is no longer visible in close proximity, I just can't seem to be able to stabilize it in a hover. I am having problems with the pitch axis. I mostly have the roll and yaw under control, but the pitch is killing me I seem to go back and forth like a pendulum.

 

I tend to look a lot at my instruments, especially to keep an eye on my vertical speed, so I end up trying to use the actual attitude indicator more than the horizon line (since it is right there next to it). Unfortunately, the air speed indicator doesn't help me much.

 

So, it seems to me like when you are in ground effect you don't really have to worry about your vertical speed so you can easily take a visual reference point outside the heli. But when you are at a higher altitude, I find myself constantly needing to look at the vertical speed indicator.

 

So the question is, how do you balance your attention between the instruments and the outside visual reference points?

 

I hope that makes sense :) Thanks!

 

I realize it will take a lot of practice, and I love this game for being so challenging. So I am not looking for a shortcut, just some advice. I am sure the mechanics on the ground would appreciate it if my landings would not put so much stress on the skids. Right now I am landing like an Olympic ski jumper. Luckily that Huey has a lifetime warranty :joystick:

 

Edit: The one "workaround" that I've found so far to improve my landings is to start climbing down way before I reach the LZ until I am closer to the ground and then attempting to come to a hover-ish speed when I am already quite low (which has a two fold helping effect: 1) I don't have to worry so much about getting into VRS since I am maintaining some forward speed almost all the way through and 2) when I actually start my attempt to slow to a hover the ground is much closer so the visual cues are easier to spot). But that won't work in all scenarios :P


Edited by Zooropa
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Hey, Zooropa!

My only take on high-altitude hover is that it's very tough. I've tricked myself into believing I'm hovering perfectly at high altitude but having looked at the replays (from outside view) I can see I'm drifting as hell...so I'm pretty shitty at it, need practice and lots of it ;)

 

Landings then? Yeah, I'm getting slightly better than before and I think we have pretty much the same approach to them. Coming in low, pulling back on the cyclic while dropping the collective (and slowly pulling it up as need be) can help a lot and keep you out of vortex. You'll probably get some warnings from textbook pilots but hey, if you're in a hurry - you are in a hurry :)

Me in a hurry in bad weather

 

Coming back to high altitude hovering - practice landing on high buildings and move in and out of their "roof effect". It's a blast :lol:

I just wish I could put soldiers on top of buildings for pickups, haven't figured it out yet :mad:

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I don't know what to say, your first landing looks pretty good to me. Your bad weather initial landing is how I probably look when I try to come to a hover before descending....erm....in ideal weather and a wide open space...and no enemy fire....and daytime :D

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:megalol: I myself could hardly land at all three weeks ago. You just need to try things out, do some stupid stunts...or do some bookreadin', whichever is most fun for you ;)

EDIT: But about the hovering, the police in my town always have a chopper up there way high up when we have football games. It's like 800 feet up and it's always hanging perfectly still, even on windy days. I bet it's just a hologram!


Edited by SFC Tako
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Try hovering near tall buildings or towers first. This way you'll have to deal with being out of ground effect, having to use more power and control your rate of climb more etc., but at the same time you'll still have a good visual reference outside the cockpit.

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Hovering out ground effect can be a little tricky. You'll need to use more power & a lot more control inputs. Best way is as Imp said, pick a spot on the horizon and spot on the starboard side, don't worry to much about the instruments right now. Once you have a grip on a stable hover then start glancing back to the gauges.

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  • ED Team

One thing you have to keep in mind is that any flight simulation has no seat-of-the-pants feeling on your body allowing you to instinctively feel G-forces, nor are your inner ears at play...all you have is your eyes. So you're already using less senses than a real-life pilot.

 

The seat-of-the-pants feeling ("proprioception" for you biologists out there) of the helicopter drifting one way or another is especially helpful in a hover. Hovering at higher altitudes without outside reference points close by or instruments to help is going to be a very challenging task in a flight sim indeed. However, in the Huey's case, I don't see much use of hovering any higher than what is required for sling-loading.

 

Modern helicopters for the most part, and the Mi-8 and Ka-50, have instruments to help you maintain a stable hover (without using the Ka-50's auto-hover function of course). The Vietnam-era Huey, not so much.

Afterburners are for wussies...hang around the battlefield and dodge tracers like a man.
DCS Rotor-Head

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