best helo. for begiiner

[CrashO]

If you have rudder pedals, go with the Huey. If you don't have pedals, buy some and go with the Huey.

 

If you can't buy pedals, go with the Ka-50. :)

[Dental1]

Thank you all for your input. I will be taking on the huey since I want the most realistic flight experience and dont want to spend all my time learning complex systems. Once i'm proficient I'll move on to something else.Regards Lee

[Pocket Sized]

The Mi-8 is a close second to the Huey.

 

It's so much fun to fly and the autopilot makes long cruises a walk in the park. Unlike the KA-50, the AP only helps you and never really gets in your way. It's strong enough to hold you in level flight or a pretty nice hover but if you need to take control it won't try to stop you, in fact it stabilizes the helo when you're flying. It's like autopilot and SAS merged into one "set and forget" system.

 

However:

I would go out on a limb say the Mi-8 has the single most complex startup in DCS... even compared to the A-10C it's worse because there isn't a big green warning that tells you when you forget something. Like, if you forget the copilot attitude gyro the autopilot won't engage (?!) Or if you leave the rotor brake on the engines won't even try to start up.

[Deezle]

I like them all, however I find I spend most of my time in the Huey nowadays, it's the epitome of a helicopter and it's extremely rewarding when you can make it do exactly what you want.

[plexi]

The best starter if you like in my opinion would be the SA342. Granted she is a bit twitchy to begin with but to be honest if you can master this one then the others will be a walk in the park as regards flying. Aircraft systems vary a fair deal as regards Nav and Weapons and i would say the Huey comes a close second as regards ease of use. The start up procedure varies a good bit with the different types but you will soon pick it up. But if you cant keep the thing stable then not matter what Helo you choose you're a dead duck. Patience is the biggest requirement with Helo's patience and practise. Before you know it you will soon have that familiar thought and feeling we all get, 'did i just do that!' In my opinion and thats for all of this message they are great fun. Enjoy :thumbup:

[shagrat]

Thank you all for your input. I will be taking on the huey since I want the most realistic flight experience and dont want to spend all my time learning complex systems. Once i'm proficient I'll move on to something else.Regards Lee

 

Good choice. For the learning aspect alone IMHO the best Helicopter available.

 

As for the variety in missions and fun, just play through the campaign when you feel fit with startup and basic handling...

 

Though the armament is the weakest of the heli bunch in DCS, the Huey can do amazing missions from Troop Transport in cold or hot LZs, reconnaissance flights, to Medevac and Slingload supply transports.

There is a couple of civil missions out there with, Air-Taxi, Medical and slingload delivery, as well.

 

And with auto-gunners@100% accuracy and Miniguns on the sides it is a beast against light armor, infantry and transports.

 

Btw. if you enable the "autopilot" under options you can delegate flight controls to your "AI CoPilot" and have a look at the map or flick some switches, adjust radios etc. while your AI buddy flies straight or in a circle...

What the Huey does not have is a stabilization system that auto-adjusts/smoothes input to the controls to keep it on course, but that is what makes the Huey so much fun: Real seat-of-the pants flying without fancy computer aids. The UH-1H just does what you command, good or bad! :joystick:

 

If you understand and manage the UH-1H systems and Helicopter flying basics, you can easily convert to any other Heli module.

 

That on the other hand is the difficult choice, as there is actually no "ranking" of the best to worst Helicopter. All modules excel in different areas, but none is actually "bad".

 

It is all about personal preference.

 

- If you love sneaking into position quick reactions, light and twitchy the Gazelle is cool, additional bonus in Multiplayer it is currently the only module with shared dual seat cockpit, where you and a buddy can fly and fight together as a team in one Helicopter. (It is still in Open Beta/early access, but as usual with DCS modules, in a 95% ready and done state).

 

- If you crave for all out war, modern and complex weapons systems with targeting capabilities and a real punch the Ka-50 is a good choice. Only single seat attack chopper in the world. Very iconic Kamov Coax-Rotor design with destinctive flight parameters. I personally find the autopilot channels a bit hard to get used to, when coming from the Huey, but you get used to it quickly and after that they are a fantastic help to reduce the workload.

 

- If you like "massive" heavy transport, flying tank with the capability to flatten a football field with one rocket strike the good old Mi-8 is the "weapon of choice", as with the Huey, a lot of mission options can be done. The systems are old and more manual, similar to the Huey, but the feeling is more like a truck compared to a SUV with the Huey.

 

Last but not least, there is the BO-105 PAH1 announced by Polychop, so maybe in a couple of months/somewhere next year there is even more of a choice. Belsimtek is working on the Mi-24, but that might take a considerable while.

 

In the end it is your preference and you must make choice.

 

When you start with the Huey, maybe you want to monitor the news section and newsletter for the regular sales, which are a great opportunity to grab the "next module of choice" for a considerable discount, while still learning the Huey. :D

Edited October 12, 2016 by shagrat

[Buzzles]

If you're brand new to helos:

 

BUY SOME PEDALS.

 

Simple.

 

Aside from that, Huey is the most "helicopter" of the current modules. The Mi-8 is a flying truck, it's interesting and can be difficult, but is tamed with patience. The KA-50 is beastly, but as it's the least "helicopter" you oddly need to learn the Huey first in order to deal with it's quirks and to take advantage of all the cool stuff it does for you.

Edited October 12, 2016 by Buzzles

[cichlidfan]

The Gazelle is nice, from what I have read, but I still don't have the confidence in that team that would cause me to recommend it as a first helo purchase.

[firmek]

Get the Mi-8. Reasons?

1. It is challenging to fly but not hysterically overwhelming. Yes, the beginnings will be tough however making progress with it is extremely satisfying. Just as flying it due to the fantastic flight model. It is a module that you can fly for hours without firing a single bullet while still experiencing "just few more minutes" syndrome.

The most difficult part is probably the landing - when Mi-8 gets into vertex ring state it falls from sky like a rock. Apart of that it's stable which makes it a bit easier (but still challenging) to fly.

Other big plus is its high speed - which to some extend makes the long flights in MP or/and Blue Flag much more bearable.

Last but not least it has a quite good stock campaign.

EDIT: One other important point. Since the question is about the heli to start with, another reason for Mi-8 is that it has wheals. This allows to learn much better how to keep the heli neutral while on the ground - just before the take off as also while landing.

2. UH-1H. Not stable, hard to fly almost all of the time. It's a great module but I would not recommend to start with it. Also compared to Mi-8 it lacks speed, power and can carry less ordinance. The nice thing though are the AI gunners.

3. Ka-50. Compared to other it almost feels like it flies on rails. It's not a module that engages with just flying it. Neither it will not bring the experience of learning the theory and practicing a flight of conventional helicopter. Then the autopilot system... lets say that the story could be that it's designers deemed few MiG-21 radars nonoperational.

Saying it straight it's boring to fly but it fully compensates it with capability to employ weapons, tactics and it's power on the battlefield.

4. Gazelle. I don't own it but reading in multiple reviews how twitchy it is probably it's not the best choice to start with.

Edited October 13, 2016 by firmek

[some1]

The best starter if you like in my opinion would be the SA342. Granted she is a bit twitchy to begin with but to be honest if you can master this one then the others will be a walk in the park as regards flying.

 

The thing with Gazelle is that it handles very differently compared to other helicopters in the sim (there are some heated discussions on the FM in the Polychop subforum). Even if you master the Gazelle as it is now, that experience may not carry well to other helicopters in DCS.

Edited October 13, 2016 by some1

[SFC Tako]

The thing with Gazelle is that it handles very differently compared to other helicopters in the sim (there are some heated discussions on the FM in the Polychop subforum). Even if you master the Gazelle as it is now, that experience may not carry well to other helicopters in DCS.

 

Logic and reason - right there :thumbup:

[Slazi]

Mi-8 because it's big, Russian, and the three people in the cockpit can enjoy witty conversation during the flight.

[Weta43]

.The Ka-50 was my first DCS heli. I was disappointed in it as it didn't 'feel' like a helicopter due to the contra-rotating co-axial rotors.

YMMV

It's as realistic as any of the others, it's just a different kind of helicopter.

Almost all Kamov Helicopters have dual rotors. You think Kamov should have gone with a single rotor to make it harder to fly & therefore more like ordinary helicopters ?

 

Thank you all for your input. I will be taking on the huey since I want the most realistic flight experience and dont want to spend all my time learning complex systems... Lee

As above, the Ka-50's FM isn't less realistic, just modelling a different kind of aircraft.

[jmijnen]

Get the Mi-8. Reasons?

1. It is challenging to fly but not hysterically overwhelming. Yes, the beginnings will be tough however making progress with it is extremely satisfying. Just as flying it due to the fantastic flight model. It is a module that you can fly for hours without firing a single bullet while still experiencing "just few more minutes" syndrome.

The most difficult part is probably the landing - when Mi-8 gets into vertex ring state it falls from sky like a rock. Apart of that it's stable which makes it a bit easier (but still challenging) to fly.

Other big plus is its high speed - which to some extend makes the long flights in MP or/and Blue Flag much more bearable.

Last but not least it has a quite good stock campaign.

EDIT: One other important point. Since the question is about the heli to start with, another reason for Mi-8 is that it has wheals. This allows to learn much better how to keep the heli neutral while on the ground - just before the take off as also while landing.

 

This... so true... I rolled over so many times in the first weeks.

[YorZor]

I recommend starting with the Huey. One simple reason. You'll get less bad habits and learn to fly more properly which won't **** you up if you move to a more conventional airframe without dampening systems and such.

 

Fly most basic in the beginning (thus huey) and go to more advanced airframes from there on. Learn to walk before you can run.

 

Anyway you go, have fun!

[CHPL]

As a Pilot and former flight instructor I have a tendency to  the UH-1 if you don’t wanna get freeked by the system complexity of the Mi8, but for beginners in helicopter flight the slow reacting Mi 8 will be an advantage over the UH-1 which will react  more quickly. But both real Helicopters in terms of Pilot skills necessary.  

If you don’t wanna stuck with the start up procedure you may use the auto start function in any model. 

Because of all his autopilot capabilities no helicopter pilot skills required to fly the KA-50 (sorry for that KA-50 Pilots). Of course you may deactivate all this Autopilots, which is not recommended to do, and it is still an easy to fly Helicopter, but the Cockpit Few is so bad, you may not learn to hover because of the lag of outside references.   

So anyway either the Mi8 or the UH-1 may be a good choice for somebody starting to build helicopter pilot skills.