How to Trim a Helicopter in Microsoft Flight Simulator

[Nels_Anderson]

 

 

How to Trim a Helicopter in Microsoft Flight Simulator

By thecorporatepilotdad

 

If helicopters are a struggle to fly in Microsoft Flight Simulator and the nose rockets to the sky when the controls are released, this 90 second tutorial will show how to set trim for helicopters in MSFS to make flying them easier and more enjoyable.

 

As stated in the video, here is the link to the FAA Helicopter Flying Handbook: https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/helicopter_flying_handbook

 

 

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These videos are informative and are entertainment, but in no way are they meant to replace actual in-person flight instruction from a Certified Flight Instructor.

 

@thecorporatepilotdad

 

thecorporatepilotdad
Youtube channel
The Corporate Pilot Guys Podcast

About The Author

This video is produced by thecorporatepilotdad. He has been a FlightSim.Com member for close to twenty years and using Flight Simulator since back in the day of FS98 and FS2000. He is also a professional pilot with over 8000 hours of real world flight experience ranging from Cessna 152s to super-mid size business jets.

[PhrogPhlyer]

Good info for MSFS flyers, well done.

Even as an FSX user, I find these presentations interesting and useful.

Especially to see the differences between the various versions on MSFS (FS9, FSX, 2020).

For example:

1 hour ago, Nels_Anderson said:

the nose rockets to the sky when the controls are released

This seems to be a 2020 issue. In FSX I can easily fly with minor inputs (arrow keys and/or controller).

If trim is desired, there is a trim/trim gauge add-on. 

 

I believe the lack of a stable hover is the main deterrent to people flying helicopters in FSX.

That take lots of practice and patience.

 

1 hour ago, Nels_Anderson said:

FAA Helicopter Flying Handbook

Absolutely a MUST for any aspiring helo pilot, RL or Sim.

 

1 hour ago, Nels_Anderson said:

in no way are they meant to replace actual in-person flight instruction from a Certified Flight Instructor

A valid statement. I have had individuals tell me that they learned how to do something flying a FS on their laptop.

Not the best way to impress their instructor.

 

 

[thecorporatepilotdad]

A valid statement. I have had individuals tell me that they learned how to do something flying a FS on their laptop.

Not the best way to impress their instructor.

 

@PhrogPhlyer Another true statement.  When I was a CFI around 20 years ago, a student tried to pull back all the way on the yoke right after takeoff because he did it in MSFS.  MSFS is realistic in some ways, but in many other ways, it is misses a lot of realistic features that cannot be duplicated on a home PC based simulator.

 

P.S. the nose does pitch up after adding collective to take off in MSFS.  Two clicks of "nose down" trim fixes this.

[lnuss]

4 hours ago, PhrogPhlyer said:

I have had individuals tell me that they learned how to do something flying a FS on their laptop.

Not the best way to impress their instructor.

Yes, well-practiced mistakes are hard to "un-learn." That includes staring at the panel and many other things. Probably worse for whirlybirds...

[PhrogPhlyer]

1 hour ago, lnuss said:

whirlybirds

Gotta love old TV shows...

 

[lnuss]

Yes, I watched that show as a kid -- fascinating! And I watched the first episode again last week on YouTube. Of course Sky King was another that we watched (earlier we listened to on the radio) in that time. Great memories...

[ViperPilot2]

BUMP

 

@PhrogPhlyer I turned the Joystick Sensitivity down a touch in all three axes (FS9), and it really seemed to make controlling my Helos much easier. In another Thread I mentioned that I use the FS9 "Hover" Gauge, and that also helps a bunch with Landing (there's one for FSX, too). I have a model of the Eurocopter UH-72 Lakota Medevac Helo which was an absolute bear to even keep straight, and with the Sensitivity changes it's much easier to handle. Now I can make Standard Rate turns with ease in all of my Helos where before I had struggled mightily. 

 

[PhrogPhlyer]

7 hours ago, ViperPilot2 said:

Now I can make Standard Rate turns with ease in all of my Helos where before I had struggled mightily.

Glad to hear that works for you!

Helicopter flying is often a matter of finesse over technique.

[Noseybird]

Thanks for sharing the video. My first helicopter flight on MSFS today and after a few tries I did manage to land without crashing but I did notice that trim indicator didn’t budge no matter what buttons I mashed on the controller. I managed to land by hovering over the helipad and very slowly reducing power to keep the descent slow and controlled but obviously I have no clue how realistic that would be in the real world. 
 

MSFS has some reasonably ok training with the Cessna for fixed wing crafts. Any recommendations for helicopter training? 
 

As a side note, I excitedly got the Logitech G X52 Pro joystick and throttle in the hope of using it to fly helicopters. Turns out, XBox doesn’t like the controllers  

[Nels_Anderson]

I took up helicopter flying this year too, and it's a real challenge. You can read my story here:

 

https://www.flightsim.com/forums/topic/57740-new-challenges/

 

Helisimmer has some tutorials to get you started:

 

https://www.helisimmer.com/how-to-fly-helicopters

 

There are also lots of Youtube videos. I've used both these sources and found them helpful.

 

One thing to note in the setup: I found that the default controller setup worked for helicopters, even though everything was mapped to airplane components like ailerons, elevator, etc. There is a completely separate set of helicopter controls that you can map to and doing that should improve controllability.