Route 66 Air Rally

[JSMR]

51 minutes ago, PhrogPhlyer said:

Take your time... I just spoke to the local FAA Rep who said he was going to "randomly" ramp check one of our entrants.

He asked me for suggestions as to a "random" choice.

Wonder who I should suggest?

Well, somebody is entering with a previous bent and broken airframe. Not mentioning names…

I don’t want to hit the various bits and pieces coming off it as I fly along! 

 

Because…you know…that can happen. Probably. Could. Perhaps. Maybe.

 

 

[PhrogPhlyer]

8 minutes ago, JSMR said:

Because…you know…that can happen. Probably. Could. Perhaps. Maybe.

Taking notes... hmmm, deflection, obscuration, confusion and apparent hallucination. Checking thesaurus for a few more "tions" and "sions" that may go into my report.

[ViperPilot2]

Great... just great. All I need is a cake eating FSDO Suit snooping around; he gets wind of my Tachometer issues, and I'm sunk... if the gals don't beat him up and bury him out in that hard Calíche first.

 

It might be a blessing in disguise; I feel bad PP is the only one flying a Helo in this shindig, and if the FAA Suit Cake Eaters get me, I might just have to change up a bit!

 

Seriously though... although I've done lots of cross country and long distance flights in many different aircraft, I've never done a flight of any extended time in an Airliner, Business Jet or Helicopter. With recent changes to my Joystick Settings, I have a new found ease and ability to fly a Helo for 30 minutes straight without it being a total struggle like before. What better way to test my skills than on a Challenge like this?

 

That's why I posed the question about changing Airplane entries for the Challenge. 

[jgf]

1 hour ago, ViperPilot2 said:

ability to fly a Helo for 30 minutes straight without it being a total struggle like before.

 

That's been my issue; 20-30 min and I'm exhausted.  Recently read an article about helicopters in FS which posed an interesting theory - in RL you have a joystick 2-3 feet long, it is easy to maintain a slight forward pressure on it because you're just using your arm;  with a sim joystick you flex your wrist to an uncomfortable angle to maintain that same forward pressure.

[TomPenDragon]

Don't know if this helps, but my old Saitek ST290 has a single, large coil spring at the base of the stick that provides the righting motion - great for fixed-wing, but I have to fight it when flying rotary - exhausting, like JGF said.  Whenever I want to fly helos for a few days, I use a couple of zip ties to compress the spring - the stick won't right, but the primary ball joint is stiff enough that it holds the stick in the position I leave it in. 

 

Another alternative might be an old (2005) Helicopter Trim gauge by Chris Mineburg - I don't know how the scrutineers feel about this, but if I can trim my Cherokee to hold straignt-and-level at least long enough for me to get some blood flowing back into my stick hand, I'd have no ṕroblem with a chopper pilot being able to do the same thing - kind of a virtual implementation of what I described above.

[PhrogPhlyer]

8 hours ago, jgf said:

with a sim joystick you flex your wrist to an uncomfortable angle to maintain that same forward pressure.

 

1 minute ago, TomPenDragon said:

Whenever I want to fly helos for a few days, I use a couple of zip ties to compress the spring - the stick won't right, but the primary ball joint is stiff enough that it holds the stick in the position I leave it in. 

 

1 minute ago, TomPenDragon said:

Another alternative might be an old (2005) Helicopter Trim gauge by Chris Mineburg

 

OK, tossing my "Official Rally Official" hat aside for a moment and placing my "I'm a CFI, You Impressed Yet" hat squarely over my brows, I shall pontificate on the above. It is true that without a significant "loan" from the Mrs's "Don't Even Think of Using" moola jar, FS control devices do come a bit short. Flight Sim and other sites are replete with discussions on modifying controls to assist with needs of the rotary pilot. These modifications all do what they are intended to, relieve the strain from needing constant and consistent pressure on the cyclic in forward flight. So whatever of these may assist you, go for it. I like TPD's used of zip ties to return the device back to factory standard.

 

I use a very old, tried and true MS Sidewinder II that I purchased in '98 or'99. It has a large dead spot in the middle. and I wouldn't trade it for the world. If one's wrist is bent uncomfortably, perhaps, loosen your grip a little and hold the stick from a different angle. I personally have never considered the stick a problem, maybe as an RL helo guy, I just take it in stride, And yes, FS helo flying is challenging, AND rewarding. This rally will be the farthest I've flown a helo in FS, so it's a learning experience for me also,

 

As for trim, use it if you have it, Even very early helicopters were often modified with some type of cyclic trim positioning device.

 

Helicopter timing for the rally will be from lift into the hover ar the departure airport until touching down at any point on the destination airport.

 

[taoftedal]

28 minutes ago, PhrogPhlyer said:

 

OK, tossing my "Official Rally Official" hat aside for a moment and placing my "I'm a CFI, You Impressed Yet" hat squarely over my brows, I shall pontificate ... FS control devices do come a bit short. Flight Sim and other sites are replete with discussions on modifying controls to assist with needs of the rotary pilot. These modifications all do what they are intended ... I use a very old, tried and true MS Sidewinder II ... and I wouldn't trade it for the world. 

 

 

Oh my ... what would Chuck, PT and Helen do? 

 

 

[PhrogPhlyer]

30 minutes ago, taoftedal said:

Oh my ... what would Chuck, PT and Helen do? 

Save the day, of course!

This and Sky King, GREAT SHOWS!

I had considered a Bell-47, bit needed more "skin" for sponsorship logos.

[mrzippy]

But what would Steve Canyon do?

 

[PhrogPhlyer]

4 minutes ago, mrzippy said:

But what would Steve Canyon do?

Only wear his oxygen mask to talk, don't want to block your face for the camera!

Good catch, I had forgotten this one.

Aviation was so prominent in the shows then, and WOW does a B-52 look great polished,

[Airbasil_1]

15 hours ago, JSMR said:

Well, somebody is entering with a previous bent and broken airframe. Not mentioning names…

I don’t want to hit the various bits and pieces coming off it as I fly along! 

 

Because…you know…that can happen. Probably. Could. Perhaps. Maybe.

Sorry to have bothered you... that wasn't my intension 

[jgf]

I doubt anyone has been bothered.  A bit of kidding, a bit of rpg added to the sim, something novel to do together.

[jgf]

[jgf]

4 hours ago, PhrogPhlyer said:

So whatever of these may assist you, go for it.

 

I've long argued in race sims there is so much input you get from a real car, whether racing or just driving to the store, that you subconsciously note and process to control the car that is not available at all in even the best sim.  No g-forces, no engine vibration, no chassis flex, no suspension movement, no peripheral vision;  so adjusting your field of view to something not "realistic", or using paddle shifters rather than gated shifters, is not "cheating" but merely making up for what the sim lacks with something it allows.

 

I think FS is the same, you lack so much input you would get from an aircraft in RL that it's fair to make up for that.  (Particularly with helicopters.)

[ViperPilot2]

28 minutes ago, jgf said:

 

I've long argued in race sims there is so much input you get from a real car, whether racing or just driving to the store, that you subconsciously note and process to control the car that is not available at all in even the best sim.  No g-forces, no engine vibration, no chassis flex, no suspension movement, no peripheral vision;  so adjusting your field of view to something not "realistic", or using paddle shifters rather than gated shifters, is not "cheating" but merely making up for what the sim lacks with something it allows.

 

I think FS is the same, you lack so much input you would get from an aircraft in RL that it's fair to make up for that.  (Particularly with helicopters.)

 

Amen to that! I've got the Hover Gauge installed in all of the Helos in my Hangar, and the appropriate 'blade slap' Sound associated with each Type. I find that, more than in Airplanes, the background Sounds really help with the Immersion factor.

 

I've heard that if you own a 'paid' Copy of FSUIPC, you can program Helo Trim into your Sim.

 

And for the Record... seems to me that we've gotten to know each other fairly well in the last few Weeks of posting our collective brains out in this Forum every couple days; we're all getting a feel for everyone's Forum speak.

 

No one's out to pile on anybody participating here. Sure, we may playfully rag on each other for something we said, but there's no maliciousness or contempt in the words we type, long as we're all up front and honest with each other. 

[taoftedal]

I have picked up a few sponsors (pending approval of the Rally Committee) in the last couple days.  Shell was quick to jump-in given the great success of the air race.  Piper was a little reluctant until I dropped Max Conrad’s name.  Most of the kids in marketing had never heard of him!  (I then pointed to his picture on their office wall ... ).  Lycoming was pretty easy ... apparently they don’t get to many requests.

 

[PhrogPhlyer]

3 hours ago, ViperPilot2 said:

No one's out to pile on anybody participating here. Sure, we may playfully rag on each other for something we said, but there's no maliciousness or contempt in the words we type, long as we're all up front and honest with each other.

Well stated.

[TomPenDragon]

22 hours ago, JSMR said:

Don’t worry, I’m coming! Crazy week and no time to give to it. But….I’ll be entering soon… :))

Life sux, then you sim...

[PhrogPhlyer]

2 hours ago, taoftedal said:

I have picked up a few sponsors (pending approval of the Rally Committee) in the last couple days. 

Strong sponsors for sure. Time to slap some more paint on bird.

[PhrogPhlyer]

3 hours ago, jgf said:

no peripheral vision;

The biggest missing piece.

Peripheral is the only true way to judge movement in a hover and during transltional movements. 

[jgf]

3 hours ago, ViperPilot2 said:

I've heard that if you own a 'paid' Copy of FSUIPC, you can program Helo Trim into your Sim.

 

The full "paid" version of FSUIPC for FS2004 is now free.

[jgf]

24 minutes ago, TomPenDragon said:

Life sux, then you sim...

 

Reality isn't what it's cracked up to be.  I've been there.

[PhrogPhlyer]

42 minutes ago, jgf said:

I've been there.

Now you're just scaring me.

[PhrogPhlyer]

7 hours ago, ViperPilot2 said:

I've got the Hover Gauge installed

I've not tried the hover gauge, however I did install the Helicopter Trim Gauge on my rally entry. First time ever using and this is an absolute game changer. Makes enroute almost easy, emphasis on almost. Nearly hands free flying with minor trim adjustments. Very much like RL helo flying while in cruise, light touch, lots of finese.

 

[taoftedal]

4 hours ago, PhrogPhlyer said:

Strong sponsors for sure. Time to slap some more paint on bird.

 

You would think, but nobody seemed interested in picking up the cost.  I indicated that I had a brush if they would spring for the paint but after seeing some of my work it was a simple ‘thanks, but no thanks.’

 

Shell gave me a big box of stickers to hand out to all along the way.  Piper just wanted to make sure that I was flying a Piper ... even after the whole Max Conrad discussion ... (the same airplane as in the picture ... ) and the good folks at Lycoming just asked that I mention them in any interviews with the press along the route.  Oh, and they gave me a hat to wear ... well, a visor at least.