Problems with landing

[Nighthawk]

After a playing a multiplayer map called "king of the hill" (or something like that) I recognized that it might be a good idea to exercice landing a bit :music_whistling:

However, always when I try to land on a FARP something very strange happens and I couldn't find out whats the cause - so here is what I'm doing:

As soon as I think I'm directly over the FARP, I engage "autohover". Then I disengage the "autohold" button and begin to sink very slowly. But now it comes: short before my wheels touch the ground, the chopper goes crazy: all the other autopilot buttons disengage and normally I end up in the field...

I added a short track file that might better explain what I mean.

Any help on this would be highly appreciated!

fail2land.trk

[joey45]

the AP turns off at around 4 metres/feet.

[ericinexile]

To paraphrase "Goose", do some of that pilot..err..stuff!

[slug88]

As soon as I think I'm directly over the FARP, I engage "autohover".

 

There's your mistake. Autohover is not meant to be used in landing, and even in descent mode is programmed to keep you higher than 4m radio-altitude. By disabling the altitude hold and letting yourself descend below 4m, you exit the allowed flight parameters, and the emergency AP shutoff is triggered.

 

So, the AP won't disengage as long as you don't engage autohover.

[Nighthawk]

Thanks for your quick answers joey, ericinexile and slug. :thumbup:

I understand that it's not a good idea to enable the autohover mode during the "final" of the landing. But don't you use it during the whole landing procedure at all?

And what about the "auto descent" function (D) - so far I dindn't find it very useful when landing. Do you use it at some point?

[159th_Viper]

I understand that it's not a good idea to enable the autohover mode during the "final" of the landing. But don't you use it during the whole landing procedure at all?....

 

 

No - not a Good Idea.

 

 

 

And what about the "auto descent" function (D) - so far I dindn't find it very useful when landing. Do you use it at some point?

 

Personally - No again. Feather the collective and keep your descent rate to about 2m/s and you'll get to grips with the landing relatively quickly. Just takes Flight Hours, is all.

 

:)

[repsol]

Hello, Nighthawk

I also used the autohover befor when landing on FARPS but have stopped

using it since it did not work very well...

Now instead i approach the FARP at a slow speed and in a gradual decent...As you get closer to the FARP reduse your speed more and more using the cyclic and keep decending...When you reach the base area you should be a few meters above the ground and moving forward at just a few kmh..Now use small movements of the cyclic and collective to possition youre self over the landingplate and touch down...I don't think it is that big a deal if you have 1 or 2 kmh of forward speed when touching the ground..

 

As for auto decent...i rarely use it..I prefer to use the collective...I think the intended use of it is to be able to decend behing cover when in autohover in the combat area...

[JG14_Smil]

Nighthawk,

 

when and if the AP shuts off and the helo becomes a handful, add collective and get the AP buttons turned back on to gain control. Don't even try to fly, just get the buttons turned back on ASAP.

 

learning to land on a dime is one of the hidden joys of BS. :)

[Nighthawk]

Thanks for you replies. It seems like good old "HOTAS" is the secret of succes for a good landing :).

One last question: do you use the trim-function when landing or not?

[Druid_]

Personally, I approach the FARP 'Hot' and at about 10m agl, execute a quick stop (turn heli sideways and put on the power all the time maintaining 10m). I hate coming in from high with a gradual descent, too many variables to screw up or maybe I'm just impatient. The groundcrew always have an ice cold vodka waiting for me when I land :)

 

I trim maybe once, if you keep trimming you will lose the feel in my opinion but everyones different. By all means bring it into hover over pad and trim then small movements on the way down to the Pad. I find the trouble is the limited visibility in this helo when over Pad at higher than 10m, hence my approach above.

[L4key]

Not a response to the question, rather another question along the same lines:

 

Is there any other parameter that automatically shuts of the AP? When I'm acquiring and engaging targets (Normally a stand off attack but I vary altitude occasionally in a hover) sometimes, or after a while the AP shuts off.

 

It's a bugger because my head's normally in the Shkval display and the first thing I know I'm in trouble is when I look up and the ground is the wrong way up. Seriously, the heli just goes mental. Even if I bring it under control and re-engage the 'usual' three auto pilot buttons, it never really re-stabilises itself, normally I end up crashing.

 

I realise I might need to save a track as this is fairly loose but if anyone knows why it disengages like this taht would help. Cheers.

 

Edit: Did find previous topic but didn't seem to have a resolution http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=36397

Edited July 13, 2009 by L4key

[Sarge55]

One other point to keep in mind is the wind speed and direction partticularly when landing on a FARP.

[Nighthawk]

Is there any other parameter that automatically shuts of the AP?

I'm not sure about that. In the other post you refered to it was mentioned that the AP can disengage if you run out of parameters. So one thing I can imagine is that your descent rate was too high when you thought you were in a proper hover mode. (At least this happens to me sometimes). For further clarification I recommend you to post a track as there are many possiblilities.

[L4key]

Yep, you're probably right NightHawk, I do spend a lot of time using the collective to go up and down while in auto hover and on alt hold. AP Computer probably doesn't like that!

 

Back to the landing question, I tend to have a shallow, slow descent from a few meters away skewed to the right so I can look out of the deeper left hand window at the FARP as I approach it.

[Frakin Toasters]

Autodescent is essentially (usually) a safe way of losing altitude without settling with power occurring, which can happen very easily while in a hover.