Hello, I am new to the BI forum. After spending a good amount of time using the AFM, I have decided to register to give some feedback of my own. I've read a lot of this thread, but not all of it, so I am sorry if this is simply rehashing topics that have already been brought up.
In its current state, I find the AFM to be very good! I use saitek x-55, saitek pedals, and track ir to control the helicopters. However, there are two things that I have noticed that I find strange.
1. The "power" gauge seems to measure how much collective pitch is used rather than torque percent. This is perfectly fine, as there are warning lights which alert you when you about to over torque. However, the amount of collective pitch needed to induce an over torque situation seems to change on the load of the helicopter. The MH-9, for example, can use about 95% collective pitch (as per the gauge) before the orange torque light illuminates if only the pilot and co-pilot are inside. Once the helicopter is fully loaded, a collective pitch closer to 80% causes the orange torque light to illuminate.
Understandably, the heavier the load of the helicopter the more collective pitch will be required for it to fly. The weight of the helicopter will not change the effectiveness of the engine to spin the rotors though. Under the same conditions, a minimally loaded helicopter should begin to over torque at the same collective pitch as a heavily loaded helicopter.
2. The torque effect that the tail rotors are designed to counter does not seem to be related to torque in the game, but rather the collective pitch setting. When the engine is running, raising the collective causes the helicopter to yaw, which is good. However, if you turn the engine off, raising the collective will cause the same amount of yaw even though the engine is no longer providing torque. I was able to demonstrate this on all single main rotor helicopters.
Bringing the MH-9 to an approximate 6 foot hover, I turned to engine off and made no control inputs. The helicopter descended straight down without any yaw. Realistically, the helicopter should begin to yaw to the left once the engine is turned off, required right pedal input to maintain heading. On second test, I turned the engine off during the same 6 foot hover, only this time I slowly raised the collective in order to slow the descent rate for a softer landing. As soon as I began raising the collective, the helicopter began to yaw to the right.
Ideally, turning the engine off in a hover should cause the MH-9 to yaw to the left (assuming the helicopter was holding a constant heading beforehand), requiring right pedal input to stop. Raising the collective should not cause any yaw to occur. I find this to be a problem mainly on larger helicopters when performing auto rotation landings, as raising the collective to cushion the landing at the end of the flare will cause the helicopter to start yawing to the right. This makes it more likely to roll over and explode during touchdown.
