Helicopter flies like a crab

[muamshai]

Just started to fly Mi-8 after a couple of months hiatus. Damn Elite Dangerous :mad:

 

Anyway, I noticed that Mi-8 flies a bit like a crab. I mean, it goes to the desired heading but nose is slightly pointed +5 to +10 degrees off the coarse. Illustration photo attached.

 

 

Yes, the heading autopilot is on and feet not touching the pedals during flight. The axis curve settings is at 20. Sorry at work so no screenshot.

 

anyone faced it? Any idea what can be happening?

[lemoen]

You are using too much / too little collective. Look at your attitude indicator, you'll see the ball is on one side, change collective until it is centered. Cruise speed should be around 250kph.

[razo+r]

Wind?

[Leutnant_Artur]

Wow man, your keyboard looks tired

[GunfighterSIX]

You are using too much / too little collective. Look at your attitude indicator, you'll see the ball is on one side, change collective until it is centered. Cruise speed should be around 250kph.

 

You center the ball using the pedals, not the collective. We use the saying step on the ball. If the ball is to the right, step on the right pedal. If it was a matter of too much or too little collective you would be restricted on airspeeds based on winds, and that is crazy. Your aircraft is pointing to the side because you are crabbed into the wind.

[lemoen]

You center the ball using the pedals, not the collective. We use the saying step on the ball. If the ball is to the right, step on the right pedal. If it was a matter of too much or too little collective you would be restricted on airspeeds based on winds, and that is crazy. Your aircraft is pointing to the side because you are crabbed into the wind.

 

Sure, but you can make it not crab without that way too. If have a rubbish rudder system like mine its easier to balance it with the collective.

[GunfighterSIX]

Sure, but you can make it not crab without that way too. If have a rubbish rudder system like mine its easier to balance it with the collective.

 

You shouldn't be trying to make the aircraft not crab. You want to fly in trim, if that means you have to crab and fly looking out the side window then that's ok. Just keep the ball in the middle.

[lemoen]

You shouldn't be trying to make the aircraft not crab. You want to fly in trim, if that means you have to crab and fly looking out the side window then that's ok. Just keep the ball in the middle.

 

Oh I see what you mean. Yes. It will crab due to wind in that way. What I meant was, you can get the ball in the middle, in the Mi8, by lowering/raising the collective (within reason) then trimming. I do this all the time.

[Zimmerdylan]

I get what both Lemeon, and Gunfighter6 are saying. I too keep the ball centered while in flight. However, when the aircraft is off center and the ball is perfectly centered, it feels counter intuitive and unnatural and my natural instinct is to straighten it out. So, the easiest way for me to do that is to use the collective to change the torque.

So what Gunfighter is saying is that the "crabbing" is just a simple fact of flying and so long as the ball is centered, all is well no matter how awkward it may seem?

[AlphaOneSix]

Yes. The only time you your heading and course will be identical is when you are flying directly into or away from the wind direction.

[Holton181]

Indeed as AlphaOneSix is saying.

If you haven't noticed you can fly with course and heading identical almost regardless of wind, but then you need to lean the aircraft into the wind to counteract drifting. You won't be balanced; the ball off center and IRL it's rather uncomfortable.

[ESAc_matador]

Oh I see what you mean. Yes. It will crab due to wind in that way. What I meant was, you can get the ball in the middle, in the Mi8, by lowering/raising the collective (within reason) then trimming. I do this all the time.

 

 

But that affects the speed, sometimes timming or security is mandatory. Use pedals

[Pocket Sized]

I have pedals so I use those to center the ball, then adjust course or heading with roll.

 

As for using the collective to reach trimmed flight, this works really well in the Huey at about 95 indicated. The Mi-8 has a much smaller vertical stab so it's a bit harder.

[Mars Exulte]

But that affects the speed, sometimes timming or security is mandatory. Use pedals

 

Yes, weather is a biyatch like that.

[muamshai]

Thanks guys for the valuable advises. Learned not to fight the wind :)

[Cibit]

Also use the roll channel adjustments to roll into the wind slightly, epecially when your using the heading autopilot it will still move the course unless some roll is dialled in

[Rogue Trooper]

As the other guys say, Perhaps you are also flying too fast, over 250. To reach these speeds the collective needs to be right up and you need large amounts of pedal to counter the torque from the main rotor.