HHS wrote:Thorsten wrote:(I haven't tried anything else except the UH-1 which crashes Flightgear when I try to load it).
Still crashing?
We still need some more informations like OS, Version-date of the helicopter and error-messages...
As I said, my time is limited but I can confirm the crashes with 2.0 which I just installed a few days ago from scratch. Happened under Ubuntu Lucid (10.04) built with OSG 2.6.8 and simgear 2.0.
No CVS/GIt (yet)
HHS wrote:@Groucho:
Great to see you here! I hope you are fine!
Thanks, yes I am fine, just a "little" bit busy with my family enlargement which makes my spare time rather unpredictable. Extremely unpredictable, to be precise.
flywhisher wrote:I pointed out to him the R-22 model's habit of tilting to the right on liftoff, and the Bo105's habit of tilting to the left. Guess what? He told me this is actually realistic. Real helicopters DO lift one skid before the other. This is caused by the pressure from the tail rotor, and the direction of tilt depends on which side the tail rotor is on. The Bo105's tail rotor is opposite the R-22's. Also, he said it is quite possible, easy even, for a novice to flip an R-22 over trying to liftoff.
Just to add some facts, the R22 has the main rotor located in a rather relevated position compared to the position of the tail rotor. As a result the torque compensating forces of the tail rotor are additionally split into a horizontal dragging component to the left (or right depending where the tail rotor is sitting). This is applying to every helicopter, however this force is lower for helicopters with an elevated tail rotor like the Bo105 uses. A chopper with a tail rotor elevated to the same level as the rotor head would experience almost no drag to one side which results in a much better tail control as the forces are only applied on the turning axis. However the technique of elvating the tail introduces more mechanical complexity which makes the design more expensive and prone to failure so some manufacturers have omitted it. The elevated tail design is quite often seen in military helicopters where precise manouverability is crucial to reduce stress from the pilot under combat situations and where costs are not such a competitive factor. Those without are mostly military derivatives of civilian types.
HHS wrote:And helis can do more than just land on a small spot- ever tried to hover steady in the air above one spot ?
Some times ago I used to practise a bit with the Alouette II flying into that Nimitz compartment located on both sides of the ship and land there. Quite challenging. I still dream of an event (if I have time enough again) with a hide and seek missions where helicopter pilots are hiding behind buildings, trees, aircrafts, etc. and have to be sought by others, then popup and start a pursuit.
Then there is formation flying with all sorts of aircrafts- locate them, approach them then follow them in a constant distance at a steady position relative to it.
I also used to train at KSFO by hovering in front of the cockpit of passenger aircrafts or following them with a side hover like a TV station helicopter would while they are taxiing to the runway, additionally paying attention to other traffic. Or flying over to crashed aircrafts, hovering around and giving funny comments
Oil rig support in the North Atlantic is also something for sophisticated pilots.
Then there is helicopter taxiing- flying low and slow on a taxiway to and from the runway or helipads (also after approaching runways like an aircraft, quite challenging keeping speed, direction and glide path) and more.
There are lots of funny things to do with a chopper. Unfortunately some people believe it is enough to brutally take it off and, after being airborne, doing some wild aerobatics without being able to touch it down again gently.
Ah and while we are at it- looking at the pilot list, discovering a helicopter, flying over and watch the show when he tries to take off
Well, in most cases I try to help after a while. A rather funny aspect: If somebody manages to brutally bring the Bo105 into the air after a while he discovers my R22 and starts with the hey-I-can-fly-this-thing-too attitude by vanishing and returning with the R22 which makes his experience even worse. As I said, watch the show