How do real apache pilots deal with the SCAS?

[mason.zh]

On 6/12/2023 at 10:01 AM, Raptor9 said:

As AlphaOneSix said, when the cyclic or pedals are moved, the force trim is almost always pressed at the onset of such movement. This practice is especially important when making large magnitude movements of the controls to avoid what is called "force trim overshoot". This occurs when the pilot has moved the controls a significant distance from their force trimmed state, and is applying pressure against the force gradient to hold the controls in place. When the force trim release is pressed, this force gradient is immediately removed, which may cause the pilot to inadvertently jerk the cyclic and pedals beyond the intended position when the resistance against the pilot's muscular tension is suddenly removed. This can cause the aircraft attitude to deviate in a somewhat violent manner, as would be the case any other time a sudden and aggressive input were applied to the flight controls.

Thank you Raptor! I've been practicing Apache a lot recently, I'm confident to say that the FTR button is the most frequent button I use in Apache, but still, every now or then I will encounter something like this:

Now I understand the cause of this issue: my bad trimming technique. 

What I used to do was: fly the aircraft to a desired state -> press the FTR -> release the FTR -> recenter the joystick and pedals. I found this technique is OK as long as the required joystick/pedals movements are really small.

What I do now is: press and hold the FTR -> fly the aircraft to a desired state -> release the FTR -> recenter the joystick/pedals. So in short, if I ever need to move the cyclic or pedals, I'm just gonna press and hold the FTR until the maneuver is done, this solved my issue. 

[LancerVI]

The info here is golden. Obviously, I'm a knuckle-dragging infantryman, so I thought I was doing something wrong when having to trim constantly, except in straight and level flight. 

Late to the party, but I just thought I didn't get it, so this is good to know and cheers for it!

As a Stupid side-question: Is it expected behavior to fly a course with lateral angle of attack (nose slightly askew)? I've always endeavored to get the helo, whatever it may be, to fly straight and true. Am I wrong in thinking this way? Sorry if stupid question in old thread.

Cheers,

Lancer VI

John 3:16-21

 

[Floyd1212]

Because of the sideways force of the tail rotor, flying with the "ball centered" in "aero trim" will result in some "crabbing" through the air.  This is common when transiting from one place to another well above the trees.  If you straighten out the aircraft into a "nose-to-tail trim", you will have a left tilt in your flight to maintain a straight heading.  This is how most pilots would fly when down in the trees and buildings so you can safely fit through tight spaces.

If you search any of the terms in quotes above, you will find many discussions about this phenomenon in other threads, if you are looking to understand more.

It should be noted that the current flight model exaggerates this effect some, so hopefully in the future it won't be quite as bad.

[bradmick]

Exaggerates it a lot.

[TZeer]

Yeah, sometimes the FPV is almost gone from my HUD view when trimmed and looking straight ahead. Waaay out to the right....

[corbu1]

Especially in VR this extreme crabbing with the actual FM is an odd experience……