ArmA 2 tip's & trick's for heli pilots.

[Viral.BadKarma 10]

even the best of chopper pilots need this, especially with the ridiculous AA in ArmA2...

I disagree with you on this blackdog. I'm not saying I don't get shot down by AA, but it does not happen often. If you stay low and don't hover over enemy territory, you are pretty much not effected by AA. I feel like any noob in multiplayer can fly, and don't necessarily think that is a good thing. Granted I do think the AA hits close to 100% of the time, which I would think would be unreal, but I am far from an expert.

On a side note, anyone know how to deal with passengers that say "you are too far from the area of operations", yet if you get shot down by AA by flying to close they yell at you? I have reverted to state on vehicle chat that I will be dropping off at least 600 m from the outside "red ring". This is during insertion of course.

Bullshit.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MBB_Bo_105

I know it's real, hence the :D at the end indicating that I am kidding/being sarcastic...please include the entire quote if you are going to call me out. Or indicate that you are being sarcastic towards me.

http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?t=83520

---------- Post added at 07:19 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:04 PM ----------

The choppers in Arma2 juste "Float" too much. Even with a joystick, if I kill the throttle ( 0% ) it still takes forever to go down if your speed is above 100 Km/h. We just have to deal with it or just hope someone aint going to shoot at you while you are going 50meters up.

i seem to be able to lose a lot of speed and not climbing higher than 50 meters if I fly at around 1 meter at 200 Km/h and

1. Kill the throttle
   
2. Pull up like a mad man
   
3. Apply full left rudder
   
4. Complete the 180 and raise the throttle at around 75%
   

That should take less than 100 meters to go from 200 to 0 without going above 50meters.

http://helicopterflight.net/translational_lift.htm

I'm not a RL chopper pilot, but from what i have read isn't this semi true of normal choppers? I.e. at speed a chopper becomes more like a fixed wing aircraft. So when you are at 100+ knots even at 0% collective your momentum(usually and hopefully) is inducing lift into the blades which causes lift?

In the uh1 i usually go fulls speed as low as i can until about 1.5km from lz. At that time I reduce collective and minimally nose up to start bleeding off speed. Somewhere between 1km and 8km i am down between 100 knots and 80 knots, I then reduce collective and nose up at a higher degree while making approach.

Edited August 25, 2009 by Daniel M
Added comment about passengers

[The_Angry_Canadian 10]

I'm not a RL chopper pilot, but from what i have read isn't this semi true of normal choppers? I.e. at speed a chopper becomes more like a fixed wing aircraft. So when you are at 100+ knots even at 0% collective your momentum(usually and hopefully) is inducing lift into the blades which causes lift?

In the uh1 i usually go fulls speed as low as i can until about 1.5km from lz. At that time I reduce collective and minimally nose up to start bleeding off speed. Somewhere between 1km and 8km i am down between 100 knots and 80 knots, I then reduce collective and nose up at a higher degree while making approach.

If you keep the rotor in it's actual state, yes, you are an aircraft. But in RL, you play with blade pitch, etc and etc. If you want to drop like a rock, you can.

[lee_h._oswald 0]

Very good choice of music for the video.

Iron Maiden rocks!

MfG Lee

[Landstriker 0]

Thanks. Although it's not really a helicopter, i just put this video together, showing how maneuverable the osprey is.

[LeftSkidLow 1]

If you keep the rotor in it's actual state, yes, you are an aircraft. But in RL, you play with blade pitch, etc and etc. If you want to drop like a rock, you can.

Depends on the helicopter, in a high inertia rotor system there is a lot of "float" and a pretty good autorotation distance. Any huey variants with the semi rigid rotorhead have tons of inertia. The Hughes 500 on the other hand is fairly low inertia and can drop like a rock.

You guys need to plan ahead for landing, 15,000 Lbs at 120 knots isn't gonna stop on a dime. Start slowing down earlier.

[dogz 10]

Like LeftSkidLow says it depends on the type of chopper...

I am no chopper pilot but I have done many LALO jumps (upto 7000ft)out of a few different types at various altitudes. In some types when they cant close the doors or have no doors fitted the pilots complain about how they have to float back to land, because they cant just go into a steep dive due to poor Aero without doors.

I have also done HALO/HAHO with O2 from 25000ft and everything in between... with some fixed wing they will go vertical overtake you while you are in freefall and beat you back to the hanger... (Pilatus Porter)

Edited August 26, 2009 by dogz

[mattxr 9]

Low is good :P

---------- Post added at 12:35 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:11 AM ----------

Amazing ... Look at the Real Life Chinook Doing That manover you just done... lol look how good this aircraft really is...

[Nazul 10]

@LandStriker thanks a lot for the controlelr pics.

[/color]Amazing ... Look at the Real Life Chinook Doing That manover you just done... lol look how good this aircraft really is...

The most annoynig commentator ever, keeps calling it an aeroplane.

[blackdog~ 0]

I disagree with you on this blackdog. I'm not saying I don't get shot down by AA, but it does not happen often. If you stay low and don't hover over enemy territory, you are pretty much not effected by AA. I feel like any noob in multiplayer can fly, and don't necessarily think that is a good thing. Granted I do think the AA hits close to 100% of the time, which I would think would be unreal, but I am far from an expert.

On a side note, anyone know how to deal with passengers that say "you are too far from the area of operations", yet if you get shot down by AA by flying to close they yell at you? I have reverted to state on vehicle chat that I will be dropping off at least 600 m from the outside "red ring". This is during insertion of course.

I don't get shot down by AA often either, because I'm able to avoid it most of the time - but sometimes, it's just impossible - take random-spawning KA52's in Evolution for example... I think I managed to dodge a missile from one of those things ONCE. And that was some crazy shit too.

As for passengers complaining, I ignore them and just get them as close to the AO without endangering myself, them, or the helicopter. I used to fly dedicated helicopter transport in Evolution, and rarely had complaints. As the AA threats dissipated I would deliver people closer and closer to the primary objectives as well. People would wait for me to return in my helicopter rather than risking near certain death in someone else's helicopter a lot of the time. The people who complain can get their own helicopter and learn the hard way.

[TechnoTerrorist303 10]

Oh wait, you can't. Becaues ArmA2 doesn't have Littlebirds .:butbut:...

errr, yes it does now. Check the addons section

[desertjedi 3]

I don't get shot down by AA often either, because I'm able to avoid it most of the time - but sometimes, it's just impossible - take random-spawning KA52's in Evolution for example... I think I managed to dodge a missile from one of those things ONCE. And that was some crazy shit too.

Wow, and I thought I was the only one getting bitch-slapped like that! As soon as I hear the "KA-52 at 1000m" callout, I immediately throw the Blackhawk into a vertical dive. A few times, I have been able to use the terrain to intercept incoming missiles but you have to really hug the terrain.

As for passengers complaining, I ignore them and just get them as close to the AO without endangering myself, them, or the helicopter.

Sounds like you need an "Eject Passenger" button!

[Steakslim 1]

As for passengers complaining, I ignore them and just get them as close to the AO without endangering myself, them, or the helicopter. I used to fly dedicated helicopter transport in Evolution, and rarely had complaints. As the AA threats dissipated I would deliver people closer and closer to the primary objectives as well. People would wait for me to return in my helicopter rather than risking near certain death in someone else's helicopter a lot of the time. The people who complain can get their own helicopter and learn the hard way.

Often in say a Domination server, if I'm running transport with a heli, and I haven't had word on whether any of the AA at the AO has been destroyed, I tell everyone in the heli before I take off "You better be prepared for a walk. If the terrain is flat enough, I'll drop them quite a ways out, or at least near the closest town. If theres a lot of hills or mountains, I'll get in closer, but I'm not going to get a heli full of 9 or more guys blown up by a tunguska because they want to bitch about having to sprint the rest of the way. You're playing the wrong game otherwise.

[koroush47 10]

Nice landing!

I'm going to try it ;)

[nomdeplume 0]

real live chopper wouldnt do that kind of rolling angel

O'RLY ?!

*edit*

Before you says : "BlaBla not combat operations BlaBlaBla"

Attack helicopters use different tactics to transport helicopters, and I don't think anyone transporting troops would use such extreme maneuvers. Unless they really badly wanted out of the military, I guess. Even attack helicopters have limitations placed on them. In Apache, Ed Macy mentions how the Apache can do loop-the-loops (and maybe barrel rolls?) but they're strictly prohibited from doing so, for example.

On topic: how accurately can those who have mastered the tight-turn-then-land tactic actually land? I've only seen videos of people landing in fields and such; they might be touching down exactly where they wanted to do, or they might just be landing "wherever". For example with an H-pad on a runway (plenty of clear space around it) would you be able to drop down on top of it "all" of the time?

The main issue I see with this technique is that your high speed means you're covering a lot of ground, and it takes a little while to roll the chopper enough to lose speed, during which you're flying a curving path over the terrain. Since you'd only be doing this in areas which are likely to be hostile, it seems like you're exposing yourself to a much large amount of terrain than a slower, more direct approach.

Might be cool if you need to extract people who are behind enemy lines, so then precision becomes key.

[Marc Shepard 10]

Sideway is the better way to land, but do not go into fucking forests :D

[walker 0]

Hi all

Got to say it has been nice to see ArmA transport helicopter flying improving over the last few months. Most of the fly over the objective and loitre at the LZ stuff has disapeared. Lately I have seen some very good pilots. Berzerk pilots landing in Defilade positions in and out in 5 seconds flying 5 m off the ground on ingress and egress routes in cover. Amaizing flying when you see it.

Kind Regards walker

Edited August 28, 2009 by walker

[The_Angry_Canadian 10]

Berzerk pilots landing in Defilade positions in and out in 5 seconds flying 5 m off the ground on ingress and egress routes in cover.

Hell you must have flown with me :D

That's how I like it. Using every building, hill, tree has cover.

I think the best way to get close to the objective is to follow roads in the woods. Usually, you can fly between the trees, very low and you are covered from pretty much all angles.

[Landstriker 0]

Hell you must have flown with me :D

That's how I like it. Using every building, hill, tree has cover.

I think the best way to get close to the objective is to follow roads in the woods. Usually, you can fly between the trees, very low and you are covered from pretty much all angles.

A general thumb rule when getting close to the LZ is to stay around the same height as the trees or below 30Meter. Apart from direct ground fire, I've never had any problems with AA when flying this low. :)

[Landstriker 0]

Happy to say that my video has reached more then 650 views so far, which isn't to bad. Keep the tips and tricks coming.

[Nicholas 5]

You can still land by pulling up. I slowly pull up, put the throttle down pretty much all the way, then continuously adjust it to land perfectly without gaining any alltitude. Your way of landing was too "fancy" and hollywood-like. You can land like that still, but you ain't gonna be going that fast. Just throttle down and keeping adjusting it to maintain altitude.

When I fly, I always keep my hand on the throttle unless the terrain is all pretty flat, which you can keep it steady then. You can land staight in, you just slowly pull up + throttle down, and then when you start going down, you slowly throttle up a bit for a safe landing.

[BigMorgan 11]

That is a fantastic tip.

I just got Arma2 yesterday and have been pissed at how poorly the heli's flight dynamics are modelled. This method isn't very realistic, but at least it will keep me from popping up above the terrain.

Thanks OP.

[Pappy60 10]

I was working on alternative landings for hot LZ's and tried to get this style down, but if the lz is tight then hitting it consistently is very difficult using this style, at one point I manage to hit my fireteam with the rotor and turned them into hamburger...good thing it was practice and they were ai :)

I prefer dropping the throttle/collective (wish we really had collective and throttle separate) when I am 800m out and starting minor flare with no alt gain to bleed speed with approach that will allow a 45 - 90 degree bank turn into the LZ to bleed of the last bit of speed and get some response from the tail rotor so I am at landing speed and then work the throttle into the LZ.

Like another posting here, I have one hand on the throttle at all times, adjusting frequently to manage speed vs alt vs pitch. I have the same float complaint too, not a real pilot but I am thinking that going to collective zero or negative should make a helo drop like a rock...but it seems that we cannot reduce collective below 10% positive?

I like realism so I never use exterior view (except to see ai get onboard or offload after landing ) or auto hover, but I do use trackir5 and x52 joystick absolutely love both.

[jw custom 56]

Here's a tip for all, not just pilots... if you see me as pilot in a heli then run away :p

[TechnoTerrorist303 10]

The only thing I can think of to say here for the time being is when flying an attack chopper, have a decent gunner you are use to flying with and be on voice comms with them. Never mind JW Custom, if you see the GWM manning an attack helo then you really should run away :D

[Palehorse1 10]

Like that?