Chopper Pilot PROS

[Harzach 2505]

Dslyecxi always over-adjusts when landing making it look spastic ;) becuase of keyboard which only knows 100% input

How can collective control be "spastic"? It doesn't react quickly enough for that.

[karbiner 11]

There is more to landing than just holding the collective down.........

[Harzach 2505]

There is more to landing than just holding the collective down.........

No kidding?

becuase of keyboard which only knows 100% input

The collective is the only control mapped to the keyboard when using mouse, keyboard, and rudder pedals.

[qbert 10]

Yes... but to perfect landings you need a joystick.

Not necessarily, I've found using the mouse to be easier for me, I'd say it's really down to what you're used to. A low sensitivity mouse has gotten me and my friends into some tight spaces with the Arma choppers. It does micro-adjustments like a champ.

The one time I was able to use my joystick with success was after tying a yardstick(? the ones you'd see teachers hit chalkboards with in the movies) to it, and then I could do the small adjustments effectively. Although I didn't really like adjusting throttle with my foot..

[karbiner 11]

"Throttle" xD that sums up this thread..

[Longjocks 0]

Xbox controller for me. You have to adjust the sensitivity settings to your liking, but once you do it's a great experience if the controller is your kind of thing. You can map all of your common non-flight control to easily accessed buttons, e.g. Comms, map, zoom. And of course the final ingredient is TrackIR.

As a post-script I have to warn I'm hardly a pro. I knew my way around choppers in OFP but I've not touched one since ARMA's early days. The flight model in ARMA 3 will take a lot more practise before I can fly with the big boys.

[On_Sabbatical 11]

Nonsense, and the guys who fly DCS with mouse and keyboard will tell you the same.

I don't want to sound like a Dslyecxi fanboy, but when it comes to the matter of flying a helo, he's simply the best.

First,i am talking about achieving the same result as a joystick ... on DCS you can't achieve the maximum level with mouse and keyboard ! which is not the case in arma,with mouse and keyboard you can do what ever you want !

Second,i know a guy who is in this forum (i don't want to mention his nickname) who would make dslyecxi look like an apprentice ^^ (with all respect to the shacktac leader)!

---------- Post added at 05:25 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:22 PM ----------

Dslyecxi always over-adjusts when landing making it look spastic ;) becuase of keyboard which only knows 100% input

Man,if you tell me this ... then dont consider yourself flying with a keyboard and a MOUSE ! because mouse has a role instead of filling a sentence :D

[spanishsurfer 58]

"Throttle" xD that sums up this thread..

Well, forgive me for calling it a throttle...but that's what it's called when you're talking about the specific button on the joystick.

[On_Sabbatical 11]

"Throttle" xD that sums up this thread..

Where is my clutch pedal :P

[liquidpinky 11]

"Throttle" xD that sums up this thread..

Only, at the moment that is exactly how the current helis are flown. They act like an RC heli with no collective and only throttle control.

[mjr.hassle 13]

I enjoy flying with a HOTAS stick, but currently I find the analogue collective way too sensitive. I only use about 1cm of movement on the collective to cover all my ascent/descent needs. Thats on lowest sensitivity.

I've looked through my .cfg and came across this line in my joystick settings: sensitivity[]={0.52525234,0,-1,0,0,-1,0,0,0.52525234,0,-1,0,0,-1,0,0};

Would anyone know what part of the above relates to collective? and would I actually be able to reduce the sensitivity further by adjusting it?

Aside from the collective, I do like the way the helicopters handle.

[Ezcoo 47]

I enjoy flying with a HOTAS stick, but currently I find the analogue collective way too sensitive. I only use about 1cm of movement on the collective to cover all my ascent/descent needs. Thats on lowest sensitivity.

I've looked through my .cfg and came across this line in my joystick settings: sensitivity[]={0.52525234,0,-1,0,0,-1,0,0,0.52525234,0,-1,0,0,-1,0,0};

Would anyone know what part of the above relates to collective? and would I actually be able to reduce the sensitivity further by adjusting it?

Aside from the collective, I do like the way the helicopters handle.

Try to map both the positive and negative axis of your throttle/collective control to the analogue collective raise, not perfect but good enough.

[kocrachon 2]

My real issue with flying with my X52 is the fact that I have a "throttle" and not a true helicopter "collective" on it. I am working on getting my pilots license for rotary, and flying with a throttle is weird. Not to mention the way a helicopter flight stick works compared to my saitek, its awkward and doesn't work well for me.

Plus like I said earlier. With the deadzone on a flightstick, i find it harder to make tiny tiny adjustments with out over compensating, which I can easily do with my mouse that I run switch DPI on the fly.

[mjr.hassle 13]

Try to map both the positive and negative axis of your throttle/collective control to the analogue collective raise, not perfect but good enough.

Thanks for the tip! Actually makes it bearable now. First time I've flown in A3 where it doesn't feel like a blackhole has opened up beneath me whenever I lower the collective. :)

[karbiner 11]

Imo they need to remove the whole deadzone settings and make them like arma 2, since 100% of the pilots that move from arma 2 to arma 3 want their settings to be the same in both games and deadzone is only confusing imo

[Kebab 1]

To fly perfectly in Arma 3 the only thing you really need is the keyboard and mouse and then either 3rd person camera or headtracker. You direly need one of them when you go for a difficult landing. I generally fly in first person, but when making a rough landing, I need to go into 3rd person to keep eyes on elevation, trees and to get a good measurement on how close I am to the ground.

Auto-hover? Use if direly needed, but it does not make a cool landing - and let us be honest, landing is 80% of the awesomeness.

[Cannon_Fodder121 10]

I am having a bit more trouble then I expected flying helos in Arma 3. I am getting better. I use keyboard + mouse with rudder pedals w/toe brakes and Track IR. I was having some issues getting the hang of things. Moving to analog collective on the toe brakes seamed to help a lot for me. Keeps my feet pretty busy but nice to leave my fingers on the buttons I need.

[Derbysieger 11]

I tried both kb&m + Pedals and Joystick + Pedals and I absolutely HATE how the helicopters control with a joystick in Arma 3 (or Arma 2 for that matter). kb&mouse gives you far better and more precise control over the helicopter than any joystick. Even if you bind the axes as analog it doesn't feel right and controls worse than kb&m. I feel to make the Helis really work with a joystick or HOTAS Arma 3 needs a sophisticated FM like Take On Helicopters or the DCS Huey. I really like how the littlebird in TOH handles and the Huey from DCS is just an absolute joy to fly. You need quite a lot of practice to be a good helicopter pilot in TOH or DCS but it's much better compared to Arma which is easier but doesn't really work with a HOTAS or joystick.

If you ask me kb&m is the only setup that works well. To become a good pilot you also need some form of headtracking. IMO a device like TIR is essential to always be aware of your surroundings and to stay in control of your helicopter at all times. Everyone who owns TIR knows that, I mean just watch

. Pedals are a very nice addition and work really well in combination with kb&m but they're not a must.

[Sanguinius 1]

To quote Dyslexci, who has been quoted ad nauseum on this thread, and for good reason... (Not a direct quote, but I'm taking the message of it over.)

Whatever peripheral you feel improves your flying skill, and if you can afford it... Buy it. That means if Oculus Rift looks like a good option (not that it does for me, because I can't touch-tap my Joystick just yet.) buy Oculus Rift. If pedals improve flying skill (and they legitimately do)... get pedals. Its as simple as that.

Joysticks improve your flying skill by

-Allowing you to hold a steady altitude while flying at insane speeds in helicopters. Rather than continually adjusting with your mouse, the beauty of the Joystick means that you have to keep it in one position, with slight adjustments.

-Most joysticks have a large assortment of buttons and sometimes analog sticks (for example the Logitech Attack 3. The analog stick is situated right where your non-primary hand can smoothly adjust. But it still sucks.) These allow you to perform a large array of functions, such as flaps up/down, gear up/down, eject/jump out (for ACE baws), switch weapons, fire control/manual fire (for vanilla users)... All within a couple of centimeters.

-Joysticks make you look badass.

-Joysticks combine the blunt action of the keyboard keys in relation to bank, pitching etc. with the fine grain action of a mouse if your Joystick is good enough.

Rudder Pedals

-Obviously, they allow you to yaw with precise, small movements rather than STABBING AT THE KEYBOARD LIKE YOU DO IF YOU'RE PLAYING A STABBY-SNEAKY GAME!

-If they have toe brakes, they allow you to do something else with that.

-RSI from STABBING THE KEYBOARD is prevented. I've felt it lately, WHILE STABBING THE KEYBOARD VERY LIGHTLY.

Rudder pedals is obviously the simplest to understand. Ultra-fine grain yawing. Perfect.

Track IR (in this case, 5)

- Allows you to be aware of your flying situation with small movements of your head, no hotkeys or 'freelook' which is terrible to fly with.

- Increases survivability when landing (especially in woodland or urban environments.)

- Great for attack aircraft, especially as the Apache gunner. You look to aim your gun!

For an actually detailed explanation of the benefits of Track IR and the rudder pedals, look no further than the man himself!

Its simple FACT that keyboard and mouse CANNOT beat rudder pedals and Track IR 5. Fine-grain motion from both.

Now, Joystick is a RECOMMENDED peripheral. It's not as definite as pedals and TIR, however in many cases it is just as beneficial. You may not be able to fly well with a joystick, so you may stick to the mouse. I have no problems with mouse and keyboard pilots. There is some sort of stigma about mouse and keyboard pilots sucking. In many cases that is true, but I've seen people who I actually know have some of the best peripherals for Arma (Thrustmaster HOTAS A-10C , Saitek Pro Rudder Pedals, and Track IR5 that was set up exceptionally) fly... decently. Not great, but decently. (My brother...)

The peripherals do not make the pilot, they aid the pilot. PRACTISE makes the pilot. Practise makes Dyslexci. Practice makes a pro. Practice makes Top Gun.

If you continue to challenge yourself, with both ordinary flight maneuvers and crazy, out of this world stunts that may serve a tiny purpose, you will get better. Find the best you can do, and push yourself to do better. If you do this, every day you will have a higher benchmark, and a higher goal.

Auf wiedersehen.

[twistking 204]

To quote Dyslexci, who has been quoted ad nauseum on this thread, and for good reason... (Not a direct quote, but I'm taking the message of it over.)

Whatever peripheral you feel improves your flying skill, and if you can afford it... Buy it. That means if Oculus Rift looks like a good option (not that it does for me, because I can't touch-tap my Joystick just yet.) buy Oculus Rift. If pedals improve flying skill (and they legitimately do)... get pedals. Its as simple as that.

Joysticks improve your flying skill by

-Allowing you to hold a steady altitude while flying at insane speeds in helicopters. Rather than continually adjusting with your mouse, the beauty of the Joystick means that you have to keep it in one position, with slight adjustments.

-Most joysticks have a large assortment of buttons and sometimes analog sticks (for example the Logitech Attack 3. The analog stick is situated right where your non-primary hand can smoothly adjust. But it still sucks.) These allow you to perform a large array of functions, such as flaps up/down, gear up/down, eject/jump out (for ACE baws), switch weapons, fire control/manual fire (for vanilla users)... All within a couple of centimeters.

-Joysticks make you look badass.

-Joysticks combine the blunt action of the keyboard keys in relation to bank, pitching etc. with the fine grain action of a mouse if your Joystick is good enough.

Rudder Pedals

-Obviously, they allow you to yaw with precise, small movements rather than STABBING AT THE KEYBOARD LIKE YOU DO IF YOU'RE PLAYING A STABBY-SNEAKY GAME!

-If they have toe brakes, they allow you to do something else with that.

-RSI from STABBING THE KEYBOARD is prevented. I've felt it lately, WHILE STABBING THE KEYBOARD VERY LIGHTLY.

Rudder pedals is obviously the simplest to understand. Ultra-fine grain yawing. Perfect.

Track IR (in this case, 5)

- Allows you to be aware of your flying situation with small movements of your head, no hotkeys or 'freelook' which is terrible to fly with.

- Increases survivability when landing (especially in woodland or urban environments.)

- Great for attack aircraft, especially as the Apache gunner. You look to aim your gun!

For an actually detailed explanation of the benefits of Track IR and the rudder pedals, look no further than the man himself!

Its simple FACT that keyboard and mouse CANNOT beat rudder pedals and Track IR 5. Fine-grain motion from both.

Now, Joystick is a RECOMMENDED peripheral. It's not as definite as pedals and TIR, however in many cases it is just as beneficial. You may not be able to fly well with a joystick, so you may stick to the mouse. I have no problems with mouse and keyboard pilots. There is some sort of stigma about mouse and keyboard pilots sucking. In many cases that is true, but I've seen people who I actually know have some of the best peripherals for Arma (Thrustmaster HOTAS A-10C , Saitek Pro Rudder Pedals, and Track IR5 that was set up exceptionally) fly... decently. Not great, but decently. (My brother...)

The peripherals do not make the pilot, they aid the pilot. PRACTISE makes the pilot. Practise makes Dyslexci. Practice makes a pro. Practice makes Top Gun.

If you continue to challenge yourself, with both ordinary flight maneuvers and crazy, out of this world stunts that may serve a tiny purpose, you will get better. Find the best you can do, and push yourself to do better. If you do this, every day you will have a higher benchmark, and a higher goal.

Auf wiedersehen.

Good points! Just one question concerning pedals: What are toe brakes and what else can you do with them?

Mit freundlichen Grüßen!

[hannibal636 11]

why cant arma3 helicopters fly like FSX, BF3, or DCS black shark/huey? i really really hope they change their mind on Take on Helicopters FLight Model for Arma3

[Wolfstriked 11]

I started using trackIR,rudder pedals to control yaw and the rest as default.I went from being terrible to now flying little birds thru hangers with one extra change.The mouse left and right is set as turn left and turn right and this was causing me to fly erratic as it banks and also yaws the craft.When I put left/right mouse to left/right cyclic instead the FM became intuitive and 10 minutes later I flew thru a hanger at Stratis AB.Give it a try.;)

[The Hebrew Hammer 10]

Am I the only one who feels that the helicopters handle terribly? The gigantic Ghosthawk isn't subject to the laws of gravity and the Littlebird is the opposite.

[sqb-sma 66]

Good points! Just one question concerning pedals: What are toe brakes and what else can you do with them?

Mit freundlichen Grüßen!

Toe brakes are just brakes that are at the end of the pedals, you can give them varying amounts of pressure giving you great control over slowing the plane. Or you can just use them as extra axis for anything.

[Cannon_Fodder121 10]

Good points! Just one question concerning pedals: What are toe brakes and what else can you do with them?

Mit freundlichen Grüßen!

On foot I use them for my lean left/right. I don't like keyboard collective so I also set it to the toe brakes. Takes some practice to be pressing down on a toe brake and trying to turn the pedals the opposite direction. Vehicle throttles are also there.