Huey Pilotage

[Chappie]

I have flown the UH-1 for some time and prefer it over the Ka-50 and Mi-8 both of which I own because the Huey is more of a challenge to fly using a simple trimmer and no stability augmentation. Flying on Hoggit the other night on a night mission in formation with other Huey's is so much fun but I did not the exact and precise lack of control I exhibited.

 

Thus I would like to know from you experienced UH-1 pilots what techniques are you employing to effectively control the helicopter through all flight regimes and in the presence of strong winds during the missing I flew last night? I believe it may be the winds that cause me trouble last night. I had not ascertained what direction and speed the winds were coming from and didn't know they were present until I saw smoke blown rather strongly in one direction.

 

I know I need to train more under realistic conditions and find I spend too much time flying on or offline under pristine. I also just got Track IR 5 and having one hell of a time controlling the helo while dealing with 6DoF which is awesome but tough to handle initially.

[SnowTiger]

Hi Chappie

 

Are you still having issues with your TrackIR 5 ?

Do you have the Track Clip Pro ?

 

I will gladly help you with this if you wish. You should be able to feel natural with it within a few hours maximum IMO. But the Initial Setup is tricky and very important.

I'd be willing to give you My Profile that I use in ALL DCS Mods (no need to make different profiles that "I" can see). If nothing else, it will save you a bit of time and will only need refining to your needs. That said, there is a really great YouTube video on TrackIR Setup. I can get you the link if you can't find it.

 

Flying just about anything when there are cross winds can be a trick. I won't even begin to suggest that I am any good at it yet ... with the exception of Fixed Wing Aircraft ... in which I at least feel like I have some control.

Wind Speed and Direction is usually listed in the Mission Briefing and given for 3 different Altitudes. And if I remember correctly, the Direction given is "the Direction the Wind is Blowing To" (not from).

Looking at the Side-Slip Indicator might help you figure which direction the wind is coming from. Furthermore, it can help you determine when you are flying straight and not Weather-Veining.

 

Let me know if you'd like some help. I'd gladly hookup with you online if you wish, although I'm not sure how to get a private channel on TeamSpeak .. yet. But there are other ways.

[Sandman1330]

There are 2 ways to correct for wind: crab and slip.

 

In normal flight, you will crab. This means keeping the ball centered with the pedals and pointing the nose slightly into wind. The easiest way to do this is to pick a point on the horizon where you are going, then trace a line from it back to yourself. Pick several distinct landmarks along that line and keep them lined up by adjusting the amount you are pointed into wind. Using this technique, you won't even really need to think about where the wind is or how strong. Simply (1) keep the ball centered and (2) keep your landmarks lined up. This will cause you to subconsciously make the necessary wind corrections.

 

Low to the ground (below 50 feet), you want to keep your skids pointing in the direction you are travelling (more for slow takeoff and landing rather than fast tactical flying - for this you would crab). The reason is in case of engine failure, you can run it onto the ground. If you try this while crabbed, you will flip over. This is called slip, because you will need to cross control your cyclic and pedals. Keep your nose pointed where you are going. The easiest way is to trace a line up from your airspeed indicator to outside - put where you are going on this line and you will be straight. Don't use the center of the cockpit, because where you are sitting is offset from the centreline of the aircraft. Then, keep the aircraft's flight path straight with the cyclic using the same technique of lining up features described above. Summary: (1) keep the nose pointed in the direction of flight and (2) keep your landmarks lined up. Again, this is more for initial takeoff and final approach - the rest of the time, you will likely crab.

 

For close formation flying, ignore everything but your lead. You should be focussed only on maintaining position, and the rest will fall into place. Remember, whatever wind is affecting you will equally effect your lead, effectively cancelling it out. There have been cases of formation leaders flying the entire formation into the ground - this is how concentrated the wingmen were on only their lead, they didn't even see it coming. In real life, you have a copilot and door gunners to watch for threats while in close formation - though, IRL it is rare to fly as close as AI does in DCS in a tactical situation anyway, thereby giving the pilot more room to maintain situational awareness.

 

I should also note, try whenever possible to takeoff and land into the wind. This will reduce the correction needed, help the rotor maintain translational lift longer, and make the vertical stab remain effective longer, helping with pedal control. It also helps prevent dreaded VRS. Not always possible due to terrain and tactical reasons, but if you are just coming back to the farp - no reason not to. Watch smoke from the chimneys or the smoke ground troops drop to mark the LZ to get an idea of wind direction.

Edited March 5, 2015 by Sandman1330

[Chic]

There are 2 ways to correct for wind: crab and slip.

 

In normal flight, you will crab. This means keeping the ball centered with the pedals and pointing the nose slightly into wind. The easiest way to do this is to pick a point on the horizon where you are going, then trace a line from it back to yourself. Pick several distinct landmarks along that line and keep them lined up by adjusting the amount you are pointed into wind. Using this technique, you won't even really need to think about where the wind is or how strong. Simply (1) keep the ball centered and (2) keep your landmarks lined up. This will cause you to subconsciously make the necessary wind corrections.

 

Low to the ground (below 50 feet), you want to keep your skids pointing in the direction you are travelling (more for slow takeoff and landing rather than fast tactical flying - for this you would crab). The reason is in case of engine failure, you can run it onto the ground. If you try this while crabbed, you will flip over. This is called slip, because you will need to cross control your cyclic and pedals. Keep your nose pointed where you are going. The easiest way is to trace a line up from your airspeed indicator to outside - put where you are going on this line and you will be straight. Don't use the center of the cockpit, because where you are sitting is offset from the centreline of the aircraft. Then, keep the aircraft's flight path straight with the cyclic using the same technique of lining up features described above. Summary: (1) keep the nose pointed in the direction of flight and (2) keep your landmarks lined up. Again, this is more for initial takeoff and final approach - the rest of the time, you will likely crab.

 

For close formation flying, ignore everything but your lead. You should be focussed only on maintaining position, and the rest will fall into place. Remember, whatever wind is affecting you will equally effect your lead, effectively cancelling it out. There have been cases of formation leaders flying the entire formation into the ground - this is how concentrated the wingmen were on only their lead, they didn't even see it coming. In real life, you have a copilot and door gunners to watch for threats while in close formation - though, IRL it is rare to fly as close as AI does in DCS in a tactical situation anyway, thereby giving the pilot more room to maintain situational awareness.

 

I should also note, try whenever possible to takeoff and land into the wind. This will reduce the correction needed, help the rotor maintain translational lift longer, and make the vertical stab remain effective longer, helping with pedal control. It also helps prevent dreaded VRS. Not always possible due to terrain and tactical reasons, but if you are just coming back to the farp - no reason not to. Watch smoke from the chimneys or the smoke ground troops drop to mark the LZ to get an idea of wind direction.

 

Gonna copy and paste this one for future reference.

Thanks.

[=Mac=]

Nice write-up.

 

To be sure I understand, to crab is to turn into the wind but keep level. Slip is to point in the direction you are going but tilt into the wind.

 

Do I understand correctly?

[WildBillKelsoe]

but for landing I thought I should have wind bellowing from right to left? right?