speed?

[leroy1964]

I am getting better with the sim (as you guys and gals said I would) however one thing I am still stuck on and can you help me with this?

 

I am on a mission and am told to stay at 800 and 220 speed, problem is as soon as I engage "R" the chopper flys true to bearing but speed drops right of to 89 -90 and stays that way unless I take control and point the nose earthward and yet speed max is 140?

 

How do I get the chopper to keep heading yet increase speed, I am yet to work this out, also I have noticed on the hud it may 800 but height on the bottom bar reads different (almost always much higher).

 

Any help on these two points would be great as I keep failing mission as can't get the chopper to fly any faster than 140.

 

Cheers

 

Le'Roy:pilotfly:

[EtherealN]

Well, if it's causing you to fail the mission I would just recommend that you fly manually. Doesn't really solve the problem but is a temporary workaround. I'll dig into my settings to see if I can figure something out for the rest.

 

EDIT:

Couldn't find a direct reference to setting the airspeed, but it would seem that trimming the chopper is the general way to inform the AP about what altitude and airspeed you want.

 

Generally speaking though, I would caution you against getting too dependant on ENR-mode in combat missions. When there's a risk of someone out there wanting to kill you, it is always advisable to continually evaluate the terrain and make sure to use it, even if it takes you slightly off course. (But be careful to not go too far off course just because there's a nice hill there - it's always possible that they placed the route where they placed it because those other areas are way dangerous.) Basically, you're not flying an airliner where you'll set the autopilot up to follow your exact flight plan. You're in a combat aircraft and no-one's going to punish you for going a kilometre or two off "course" to be able to mask yourself with some hills.

Edited May 16, 2009 by EtherealN

[Made.In.China.00]

Is it a good idea to fly in the valley? I do that all the time, since the montains on both sides can mask me very well.

[EtherealN]

Depends on which valley, which mountains and what your mission task is.

 

If you mean the canyon-ish type areas that are around the border mountains between Russia and Georgia, then yes, you definitely do want to stay in the valleys.

 

Just remember that there's no one all-encompassing rule for how to fly in a given area, it all depends on your mission, your payload, your fuel economy and what the opposition looks like. Take it all into account together with the possibilities for terrain masking when planning your flight. In some cases you might be on a very urgent intercept, and then being in the canyons might waste so much time that achieving the objective becomes inpossible. It all depends.

[AlphaOneSix]

can't get the chopper to fly any faster than 140.

 

Sounds like you switched the cockpit to imperial units and are using knots instead of kilometers per hour. 140 knots is 260 kilometers per hour. 220 km/hr is roughly 120 knots.

Edited May 16, 2009 by AlphaOneSix
i r nu at inglish

[Jack McCoy]

Sounds like you switched the cockpit to empirical and are using knots instead of kilometers per hour. 140 knots is 260 kilometers per hour. 220 km/hr is roughly 120 knots.

 

Empirical: Experimental

 

Imperial: British units

 

---

 

OT:

 

I notice that too with Route mode. It made me believe that there is a "private" trim setting for no-route, route, and also hover mode.

 

I realised when I trim precisely for hover, then engage the auto hover, it stays put, which is great. If I remove the auto hover and switch to route, the helicopter starts to pitch down and accelerate.

 

If I trim for constant-speed, level flight, when I turn the route mode on, the helicopter pitches up and decelerates, until I don't know what speed, so we need to retrim when in route mode.

[AlphaOneSix]

Empirical: Experimental

 

Imperial: British units

 

my bad. fixed.

[leroy1964]

well done

 

my bad. fixed.

I reckon your 100 % right as I did change the setting to metric as I am in Oz, LOL:megalol:

 

I will change it back.

 

Thanks

[slug88]

I reckon your 100 % right as I did change the setting to metric as I am in Oz, LOL:megalol:

 

I will change it back.

 

Thanks

 

Er, it's supposed to be in metric. So don't change it back.

[leroy1964]

Again thanks

 

Well, if it's causing you to fail the mission I would just recommend that you fly manually. Doesn't really solve the problem but is a temporary workaround. I'll dig into my settings to see if I can figure something out for the rest.

 

EDIT:

Couldn't find a direct reference to setting the airspeed, but it would seem that trimming the chopper is the general way to inform the AP about what altitude and airspeed you want.

 

Generally speaking though, I would caution you against getting too dependant on ENR-mode in combat missions. When there's a risk of someone out there wanting to kill you, it is always advisable to continually evaluate the terrain and make sure to use it, even if it takes you slightly off course. (But be careful to not go too far off course just because there's a nice hill there - it's always possible that they placed the route where they placed it because those other areas are way dangerous.) Basically, you're not flying an airliner where you'll set the autopilot up to follow your exact flight plan. You're in a combat aircraft and no-one's going to punish you for going a kilometre or two off "course" to be able to mask yourself with some hills.

 

One's hand is going to get very sore holding the stick fully forward for the entire mission so as to keep the chopper at a requested speed, I am guessing there must be like a "cruise control" for the chopper as most cars have them so a machine like this must have something, saves the pilot sitting on the stick entire flight surely? I will check the manual might be something in that 383 pages I printed and bound in three seperate parts as it was so thick LOL:doh:

 

Anyway continued help on this would be good, if I find out any info I will post as well.

 

Cheers

[leroy1964]

Oh okay

 

Er, it's supposed to be in metric. So don't change it back.

 

I was sure it was originally in imperial as i remember changing it, but if you say so mate I will leave it on metric, all i was concerned with was trying to get to 220 and staying there and not being stuck on 98 on cruise ® auto pilot.

 

Thanks :smilewink:

 

Cheers

[EtherealN]

One's hand is going to get very sore holding the stick fully forward for the entire mission so as to keep the chopper at a requested speed

 

Trim. ;)

 

I almost never hold my hand in contact with the stick during long straight-and-level flights. I do not use ENR-mode. I do not use flight director. Just full manual control with the standard damping channels on, then I trim the chopper to a stable attitude at the airspeed and direction I want to go, then I leave the computer and go out for a quick smoke. ;)

 

---

 

I was sure it was originally in imperial as i remember changing it, but if you say so mate I will leave it on metric, all i was concerned with was trying to get to 220 and staying there and not being stuck on 98 on cruise ® auto pilot.

 

Thanks :smilewink:

 

Cheers

 

Standard is metric, so if you are certain you changed it you might well have put it on imperial (heathen!) by accident, which would explain the low velocity indications.

 

However, it would not explain the thing with failing missions due to not getting to the target area in time.

Edited May 16, 2009 by EtherealN

[leroy1964]

funny as

 

Trim. ;)

 

I almost never hold my hand in contact with the stick during long straight-and-level flights. I do not use ENR-mode. I do not use flight director. Just full manual control with the standard damping channels on, then I trim the chopper to a stable attitude at the airspeed and direction I want to go, then I leave the computer and go out for a quick smoke. ;)

 

---

 

 

 

Standard is metric, so if you are certain you changed it you might well have put it on imperial (heathen!) by accident, which would explain the low velocity indications.

 

However, it would not explain the thing with failing missions due to not getting to the target area in time.

 

Heathen, LOL, yeah maybe I am, your right in what you are saying, I do remember changing it from one format to another, :cry: as for running late, thats my fault, left it on auto pilot for the entire mission and chopper was only flying at 80-90 at best.:doh:

 

Can I ask you a question please?

 

I have an understanding of using trim (well a little understanding LOL) can I set speed, say push joystick all the way forward, say get the speed (max maybe) and then hit 'trim' to hold that speed? I will try later but if you get back to me sooner I will wait to hear what you say on this subject.:music_whistling:

 

Cheers

[slug88]

Heathen, LOL, yeah maybe I am, your right in what you are saying, I do remember changing it from one format to another, :cry: as for running late, thats my fault, left it on auto pilot for the entire mission and chopper was only flying at 80-90 at best.:doh:

 

Can I ask you a question please?

 

I have an understanding of using trim (well a little understanding LOL) can I set speed, say push joystick all the way forward, say get the speed (max maybe) and then hit 'trim' to hold that speed? I will try later but if you get back to me sooner I will wait to hear what you say on this subject.:music_whistling:

 

Cheers

 

Yep, you can do that. The combination of trim and AP is designed to automatically follow a flight regime that you've initiated. In other words, you set the heading, speed, and altitude, then you trim, and then the AP will do it's best to maintain your settings.

[EtherealN]

Well, technically, if you are running solely on trim and damping channels, you're not really telling the aircraft what speed it's going to aim for. Rather, you seek and find a stable attitude that fits with your desired parameters - maybe you find that to fly straight and level at 250km/h you need a slight right rudder, minimal left cyclic and 10 degrees nose-down attitude with 9 degrees alpha on the blades (that is, collective).

 

When you are satisfied that it fits with your desire, you trim. As long as you selected a stable attitude and have the dampers active, you should then be able to fly handsoff and not have any great variability in speed or altitude. (Though you may have to make slight adjustments a little now and then.)

 

But be aware that just like with trimming for a hover, you need to be sure that the trim you are setting really is stable. So don't take my example of trimming and then going out for a smoke too seriously - I do actually do that relatively often, but every time with full knowledge that it may come back to find my chopper dead in a field.

[Jack McCoy]

say push joystick all the way forward

 

If you want to lose control... This is not an acobatic Extra-300, it's a helicoper. Rarely, if ever, do you need to put the stick to the stop (max), even in emergency situations. If the sight of an enemy makes you fly in such a way that you crash or damage your helicopter, I guess the enemy doesn't need weapons. :)

 

EtherealN mentionned weight, and it is a good point. Expect high power requirement to fly fully loaded, in level flight, at 270 km/h.

 

To reach full speed you don't ever need to pitch down more than 15-20 degrees MAX. It's actually more around 10 for 200 km/h.

 

Corelating a pitch or bank to a resulting constant (expected) speed or turn rate is called attitude flying. See this article: http://helicopterflight.net/attitude_flying.htm

 

So, in the Shark, trim-hold, pitch 15 down and hold it there until speed has built up and attitude "looks" right on the HUD pitch ladder, or looking at the horizon when over flat terrain (no mountains). Then release (set) trim.

When you get the hang of it, you can pitch even more, but SOON you'll need to bring it back up, to your "constant speed, level flight" attitude.

 

Good luck. Keep practicing smoothly. Be sure to know precisely what you want to do before you move the control to do it. This may sound bizarre but you'd be surprised how many times we don't focus on the task at hand, even if we think we're concentrating. This is something I realized in my ju-jitsu and aido (sword) training and is applicable to a lot of hand-eye coordination activities.

Edited May 16, 2009 by Jack McCoy
wording

[nemises]

ENR mode uses whatever Pitch seting you have trimmed..

 

so...to maintain a speed in ENR mode, you need to get to that speed first, the TRIM for it properly (so flying hands off the stick will still maintain that speed), THEN engage ENR mode

[leroy1964]

Great Advice

 

Thanks to all who replied and helped, all of it is excellent advice.:thumbup: