FlightGear wiki - User contributions [en]

B&F FK9 Mark 2

2011-12-22T21:38:48Z

Mjustus: new link to real life photo

{{stub}}
{{infobox Aircraft
|image = FK9MK2.jpg
|name = B&F FK9 Mark 2
|type = Civilian Aircraft
|authors = Emmanuel Baranger, Maik Justus (FDM)
|fdm = YASim
|status = beta
|fgname = fk9mk2-yasim
}}

B&F Technik Vertriebs GmbH single piston engine aircraft entered production in 1995, a improved version of the Mark 1 which had entered production in 1990. [http://avia-dejavu.net/photo%20D-MPKM.htm]

== External links ==
* [http://www.fk-lightplanes.com/html/fk-history.html FK Lightplanes History (www.fk-lightplanes.com)]
* [http://avia-dejavu.net/photo%20D-MPKM.htm Real life photo of FK9 Mark 2 (avia-dejavu.net)]
* [http://mj.ajustus.de/flugtools.html Real life photo of the FK9 Mark 2 D-MSJA]

[[Category:Aircraft]]
[[Category:Aircraft TODO]]
[[Category:Civilian aircraft]]

De/Fliegen mit dem Helikopter

2010-05-01T17:02:45Z

Mjustus: Feintuning

== Allgemeines ==
'''Als erstes:'''
Alles was für echte Helikopter gilt, gilt auch für die Helikopter in [[FlightGear]]!
Grundlegende Techniken und Flugmanöver sind sehr gut aber in englischer Sprache hier beschrieben:
http://www.cybercom.net/~copters/pilot/maneuvers.html

Einige Details sind in FlightGear vereinfacht, im besonderen die Triebwerke sowie Überbelastung sind (noch) nicht simuliert oder haben keine Konsequenz. Es ist bisher in FlightGear nicht möglich den Hubschrauber im Flug zu beschädigen. (z.B. durch zu hohe Rotordrehzahl, Overspeed Vne...)

[[Image:bo105_cockpit.jpg]]

Seit dem Erscheinen von FlightGear 0.9.10 gab es einige Verbesserungen zum [[helicopter]] Flugmodell und deshalb sollte Version 1.0.0 und später verwendet werden.

Mit diesen Verbesserungen ist das Helikopter Flugmodell physikalisch korrekt. Ausnahme ist nur bisher der Vortex-Wirbelringzustand, der bisher nicht simuliert wird. Dieser erscheint sobald man zu schnell ohne genügend Vorwärtsgeschwindigkeit sinkt. (>300fps/<30knots). Der Helikopter gerät dabei in seinen eigenen Abwind, und der Auftrieb verringert sich schlagartig. Nur in sehr großer Höhe kommt man da wieder sicher heraus. Im Netz finden sich einige Videos darüber.

Einige Helikopter sind aufgrund Originaldaten und Messungen sehr realistisch im Flugverhalten, aber Perfomancedaten können leicht vom Original abweichen.
Ein guter [[joystick]] ohne Feder wird empfohlen, da sich dieser nicht selbst zentriert. Man kenn diese bei den meisten Modellen leicht entfernen. Man kann aber auch einen Force Feedback Joystick verwenden, in dem man Force Feedback unterdrückt.
Des weiteren sollte der Joystick über einen Schubkontrollhebel verfügen, dieser ersetzt den Collective.
Um den Heckrotor zu kontrollieren sollte man Ruderpedale oder einen Joystick mit Twistachse haben, Tastatur genügt in keinem Fall.
('''Hinweis:''' FlightGear unterstützt mehrere Steuergeräte gleichzeitig.)

Auto-coordination sollte ausgeschaltet werden siehe [[FlightGear Wizard]].

== Anfang ==
Die Zahl der Hubschrauber in FlightGear steigt stetig. Die [[Eurocopter Bo105|Bo105]] sollte der einfachste zum fliegen sein, da er dank seines Rotorsystems sofort und direkter als andere Hubschrauber reagiert. Seit es mehr und mehr Hubschrauber in FGFS gibt, gibt es eine Vielzahl an unterschiedlichen Modellen, die alle ihr eigenes Flugverhalten der Realität entsprechend haben.

Wenn FlightGear geladen ist, zentriere Stick, kollektive Blattverstellung und die Pedale. Vor allem die kollektive Blattverstellung kann je nach Helimodell auf "Maximum" gestellt sein, was unliebsame Überraschungen mit sich bringt.

[[Image:s76c_landed.jpg]]

Ein Hubschrauber wird mittels vier Funktionen gesteuert. Mit dem Stick (Joystick) werden zwei davon kontrolliert: die Neigung der Rotorebene (und somit die Neigung des gesamten Hubschraubers) in zwei Richtungen, vor/zurück und seitlich. Diese Funktionen werden zyklische Blattverstellung genannt, da dieses durch periodische Verstellung der Einstellwinkel der Rotorblätter werden des Umlaufs erreicht wird. Die nächste Funktion ist die kollektive Blattverstellung, im Deutschen auch "Pitch" genannt, während im Englischen "pitch" die zyklische Blatttverstellung zur Neigung der Rotorebene vor/zurück meint. Um Verwechslungen zu vermeiden wird diese Funktion im Folgenden nur "kollektive Blattverstellung" genannt. Die kollektive Blattverstellung verstellt den Einstellwinkel der Rotorblätter unabhängig von der Umlaufposition und somit den Schub des gesamten Rotorsystems. Da die Übertragung der benötigten Leistung vom Triebwerk auf den Rotor mit der Übertragung eines Drehmoments auf den Rumpf einhergeht, muss dieses Drehmoment von einem Heckrotor kompensiert werden. Da das Drehmoment von der kollektiven (und zyklischen) Blatteinstellung abhängt und auch Wind ein Drehmoment auf den Rumpf übertragen kann, ist der Einstellwinkel der Heckorotorblätter über die Pedale steuerbar. Ein Tritt in das rechte Pedal bewirkt eine Drehung nach rechts (die Pedale sind kein Lenkrad). Mit den Pedalen kann folglich neben dem Ausgleich des auf den Rumpf übertragen Drehmoments eine Drehung des Rumpfs um die Hochachse (genannt "gieren") gesteuert werden. Bei den meisten Hubschraubern (und derzeit bei allen FlightGear Hubschraubern) braucht die Triebwerksleistung nicht gesteuert zu werden, ein Drehzahlregler hält die Rotordrehzahl möglichst konstant.

[[Image:ec135_in_the_air.jpg]]

== Start ==
Reduzieren Sie als erstes die kollektive Blattverstellung auf Minimum. Um den Schub des Rotors zu erhöhen müssen sie in einem Hubschrauber den Blattverstell-Hebel nach oben ziehen. Entsprechend muss für minimalen Schub der Hebel nach unten gedrückt werden. Dieses Ziehen um Schub zu erhöhen ist am Schubregler des Joystick in der Richtung umgesetzt, die bei den Flugzeugen zur Schub/Drehzahl-Reduzierung verwendet wird. Bei den meisten Joysticks muss zur Schuberhöhung eines Rotors somit der Gashebel zum Anwender hin gezogen werden. Anschließend kann das Triebwerk mittels “}” gestartet werden. Nach wenigen Sekunden wird der Rotor zu drehen anfangen und langsam beschleunigen. Halten sie den Stick und die Pedale in etwa in Mittelstellung. Warten Sie, bis der Rotor auf Nenndrehzahl beschleunigt hat. Die Bo105 hat ein Instrument zur Drehzahlanzeige von Rotor und Triebwerken ganz links und der obersten Instrumenten Reihe.

Nachdem die Beschleunigung des Rotors abgeschlossen ist, ziehen Sie langsam an der kollektiven Blattverstellung. Beobachten Sie währenddessen den Horizont. Bei der kleinsten Bewegung / Neigung des Hubschraubers stoppen sie die Schuberhöhung und gleichen Sie diese Bewegung mittels Stick und Pedalen aus. Nur wenn dieses erfolgreich abgeschlossen ist, setzten sie die langsame Schuberhöhung wieder fort.

Sobald der Hubschrauber den Boden verlässt erhöhen Sie die kollektive Blattverstellung noch ein klein wenig mehr und versuchen Sie dann, die Lage des Hubschraubers fortwährend dem Horizont anzugleichen. Die Herausforderung ist das Finden des richtigen Maßes an Steuereingaben als Reaktion auf Bewegungen / Drehungen des Hubschraubers. Hierbei können Ihnen nur drei Dinge helfen: Üben, Üben und Üben. Die Übungszeit bis zu einem gesteuerten und halbwegs ansehlichen Schwebeflug beträgt üblicherweise mehrere Stunden. Hinweis: Die Postion des Sticks im Schwebeflug ist nicht die Mittelstellung des Joysticks.

Schnellstartanleitung:
# Drücken Sie } um das (die) Triebwerk(e) zu starten
# Warten sie, bis Triebwerk und Rotor auf Nenndrehzahl sind
# Ziehen sie die kollektive Blattverstellung (Gashebel in Richtung "Leerlauf", s.o.)
# Steuern sie den Hubschrauber auch schon vor dem Abheben!
# Versuchen Sie die Kontrolle auch nach dem Abheben zu behalten, Versuchen Sie direkt über dem Startplatz zu schweben

== Fliegen ==
Um den frustrierenden Lernprozess des Schwebeflugs zu unterbrechen, bietet sich das Training des Vorwärtsfluges an. Nach dem Abheben erhöhen Sie ein klein wenig den Rotor Schub und senken dann die Nase des Hubschraubers ein wenig durch kurzes und leichtes Drücken des Sticks ab. Als Antwort wird der Hubschrauber vorwärts beschleunigen. Mit zunehmender Fahrt benötigt der Heckrotor immer weniger Ihrer Aufmerksamkeit, da der Windfahneneffekt Sie beim Ausrichten des Rumpfes in Flugrichtung effektiv unterstützt. Insgesamt ist das Flugverhalten im Vorwärtsflug dem eines schlecht getrimmten Flugzeuges nicht unähnlich. Die korrekte Stickposition ist abhängig von der Fluggeschwindigkeit und der kollektiven Blattverstellung. Es gibt keine allgemeine Neutralstellung.

Der Übergang zum Schwebeflug wir erreicht, indem durch Anheben der Hubschraubernase kontinuierlich Fahrt abgebaut wird. Gleichzeitig muss die kollektive Blattverstellung reduziert werden um ein Wegsteigen des Hubschraubers zu vermeiden. Mit Abnehmender Fahrt reduziert sich der Translationsauftrieb was durch Erhöhung der kollektiven Blattverstellung kompensiert werden muss. Kurz bevor die Fahrt auf Null reduziert ist, müssen Sie die Hubschraubernase wieder auf Schwebefluglage absenken. Andernfalls würde Hubschraube rückwärts Fahrt aufnehmen. Währenddessen halten die Ausrichtung des Rumpfes mit den Pedalen konstant.

== Landen I ==
Um zu Landen Verfahren Sie wie beim Übergang zum Schwebeflug beschrieben, Zusätzlich verringern sie gleichzeitig die Höhe auf Null. Für eine perfekte Landung müssen Sie nur die Geschwindigkeit, die Sinkrate und die Höhe gleichzeitig auf Null reduzieren, aber bitte gleichmäßig. Die Drehrate um die Hochachse halten sie währenddessen mit den Pedalen konstant auf Null. Da so eine perfekte Landung recht anspruchsvoll ist, streben die meisten Piloten einen stabilen Schwebeflug in geringer Flughöhe an um aus diesen heraus den Hubschrauber langsam senkrecht abzusetzen. Landungen mit Vorwärtsfahrt sind einfacher, bergen aber das Risiko des Überschlages falls man schiebend (d. h. mit seitlicher Geschwindigkeitskomponente) aufsetzt.

[[Image:bo105_landed.jpg]]

== Landen II ==
Hier wird kurz auf die Autorotation eingegangen. Dieses ist eine antriebslose Flugkonfiguration, bei der Rotor ausschließlich durch den ihn durchströmenden Luftstrom angetrieben wird. Wählen Sie in ausreichender Höhe einen Landepunkt (beginnen Sie mit einem größeren Verkehrsflughafen) und stellen sie dann das Triebwerk durch Druck auf "}" ab. Verringern Sie die kollektive Blattverstellung auf Minimum und stellen Sie den Einstellwinkel des Heckrotors in etwa auf 0 Grad (bei der Bo 105 müssen Sie dazu das rechte Pedal in etwa zur Hälfte treten, bei russischen oder französischen Hubschrauben (wie die [[Aérospatiale Alouette II|Alouette 2]]) das linke). Fliegen Sie mit etwa 80 Knoten an. Halten Sie dabei die Rotordrehzal im Auge, sie darf nicht wesentlich über 100% ansteigen. Erhöhen Sie nötigenfalls die kollektive Blattverstellung. Wenn Sie sich dem Boden annähern verringern Sie die Vorwärtsgeschwindigkeit durch Heben der Hubschraubernase, zugleich wird die Sinkgeschwindigkeit abnehmen, sie brauchen dazu nicht am kollektiven Blattverstellhebel zu ziehen. In dieser "Flare" genannten Flugphase kann die Rotordrehzahl deutlich ansteigen. Halten Sie die Drehzahl mit der kollektiven Blattverstellung im erlaubten Bereich. Unmittelbar über dem Boden verringern Sie die Sinkrate durch ziehen an der kollektiven Blattverstellung. Idealerweise setzen Sie ohne Vorwärtsgeschwindigkeit mit sehr geringer Sinkrate auf. Einfacher (und bei vielen Hubschraubern unvermeidlich) ist das Aufsetzen mit Vorwährtsfahrt. Achten Sie dabei auf die Ausrichtung des Hubschraubers, sonst droht ein Überschlag. Während der Autorotation produziert der Rotor nahezu kein Drehmoment, daher muss der Heckrotor, einmal auf 0 Grad gestellt, bis auf das Ausrichten des Hubschraubers im Moment der Landung nicht weiter beachtet werden. Sollten Sie nach einiger Übung zur Überzeugung gelangen, dass Autorotationslandungen zu einfach sind: Wiederholen Sie die Übung mit höherer Zuladung (via payload Menü).

Ein letzter Hinweis: einige Flightgear-Hubschrauber brauchen im Landeanflug aufgrund (noch) nicht vollständig optimierter aerodynamischer Parameter von Rumpf und Leitwerk einen deutlichen Ausschlag des Sticks, was dem Rotor viel Energie entzieht und einen Autorotationsanflug unmöglich macht.

[[Image:bo105_auto.jpg]]

'''Viel Spaß mit den Flightgear Hubschraubern!'''

[[en:Flying the helicopter]]
[[es:Volando el helicoptero]]
[[fr:Piloter l'hélicoptère]]

De/Fliegen mit dem Helikopter

2010-05-01T16:51:45Z

Mjustus: Übersetzung der letzten beiden Absätze

== Allgemeines ==
'''Als erstes:'''
Alles was für echte Helikopter gilt, gilt auch für die Helikopter in [[FlightGear]]!
Grundlegende Techniken und Flugmanöver sind sehr gut aber in englischer Sprache hier beschrieben:
http://www.cybercom.net/~copters/pilot/maneuvers.html

Einige Details sind in FlightGear vereinfacht, im besonderen die Triebwerke sowie Überbelastung sind (noch) nicht simuliert oder haben keine Konsequenz. Es ist bisher in FlightGear nicht möglich den Hubschrauber im Flug zu beschädigen. (z.B. durch zu hohe Rotordrehzahl, Overspeed Vne...)

[[Image:bo105_cockpit.jpg]]

Seit dem Erscheinen von FlightGear 0.9.10 gab es einige Verbesserungen zum [[helicopter]] Flugmodell und deshalb sollte Version 1.0.0 und später verwendet werden.

Mit diesen Verbesserungen ist das Helikopter Flugmodell physikalisch korrekt. Ausnahme ist nur bisher der Vortex-Wirbelringzustand, der bisher nicht simuliert wird. Dieser erscheint sobald man zu schnell ohne genügend Vorwärtsgeschwindigkeit sinkt. (>300fps/<30knots). Der Helikopter gerät dabei in seinen eigenen Abwind, und der Auftrieb verringert sich schlagartig. Nur in sehr großer Höhe kommt man da wieder sicher heraus. Im Netz finden sich einige Videos darüber.

Einige Helikopter sind aufgrund Originaldaten und Messungen sehr realistisch im Flugverhalten, aber Perfomancedaten können leicht vom Original abweichen.
Ein guter [[joystick]] ohne Feder wird empfohlen, da sich dieser nicht selbst zentriert. Man kenn diese bei den meisten Modellen leicht entfernen. Man kann aber auch einen Force Feedback Joystick verwenden, in dem man Force Feedback unterdrückt.
Des weiteren sollte der Joystick über einen Schubkontrollhebel verfügen, dieser ersetzt den Collective.
Um den Heckrotor zu kontrollieren sollte man Ruderpedale oder einen Joystick mit Twistachse haben, Tastatur genügt in keinem Fall.
('''Hinweis:''' FlightGear unterstützt mehrere Steuergeräte gleichzeitig.)

Auto-coordination sollte ausgeschaltet werden siehe [[FlightGear Wizard]].

== Anfang ==
Die Zahl der Hubschrauber in FlightGear steigt stetig. Die [[Eurocopter Bo105|Bo105]] sollte der einfachste zum fliegen sein, da er dank seines Rotorsystems sofort und direkter als andere Hubschrauber reagiert. Seit es mehr und mehr Hubschrauber in FGFS gibt, gibt es eine Vielzahl an unterschiedlichen Modellen, die alle ihr eigenes Flugverhalten der Realität entsprechend haben.

Wenn FlightGear geladen ist, zentriere Stick, Collective und Pedale. Vor allem Collective kann je nach Helimodell auf "Maximum" gestellt sein, was unliebsame Überraschungen mit sich bringt.

[[Image:s76c_landed.jpg]]

Ein Hubschrauber wird mittels vier Funktionen gesteuert. Mit dem Stick (Joystick) werden zwei davon kontrolliert: die Neigung der Rotorebene (und somit die Neigung des gesamten Hubschraubers) in zwei Richtungen, vor/zurück und seitlich. Diese Funktionen werden zyklische Blattverstellung genannt, da dieses durch periodische Verstellung der Einstellwinkel der Rotorblätter werden des Umlaufs erreicht wird. Die nächste Funktion ist die kollektive Blattverstellung, im Deutschen auch "Pitch" genannt, während im Englischen "pitch" die zyklische Blatttverstellung zur Neigung der Rotorebene vor/zurück meint. Um Verwechslungen zu vermeiden wird diese Funktion im Folgenden nur "kollektive Blattverstellung" genannt. Die kollektive Blattverstellung verstellt den Einstellwinkel der Rotorblätter unabhängig von der Umlaufposition und somit den Schub des gesamten Rotorsystems. Da die Übertragung der benötigten Leistung vom Triebwerk auf den Rotor mit der Übertragung eines Drehmoments auf den Rumpf einhergeht, muss dieses Drehmoment von einem Heckrotor kompensiert werden. Da das Drehmoment von der kollektiven (und zyklischen) Blatteinstellung abhängt und auch Wind ein Drehmoment auf den Rumpf übertragen kann, ist der Einstellwinkel der Heckorotorblätter über die Pedale steuerbar. Ein Tritt in das rechte Pedal bewirkt eine Drehung nach rechts (die Pedale sind kein Lenkrad). Mit den Pedalen kann folglich neben dem Ausgleich des auf den Rumpf übertragen Drehmoments eine Drehung des Rumpfs um die Hochachse (genannt "gieren") gesteuert werden. Bei den meisten Hubschraubern (und derzeit bei allen FlightGear Hubschraubern) braucht die Triebwerksleistung nicht gesteuert zu werden, ein Drehzahlregler hält die Rotordrehzahl möglichst konstant.

[[Image:ec135_in_the_air.jpg]]

== Start ==
Reduzieren Sie als erstes die kollektive Blattverstellung auf Minimum. Um den Schub des Rotors zu erhöhen müssen sie in einem Hubschrauber den Blattverstell-Hebel nach oben ziehen. Entsprechend muss für minimalen Schub der Hebel nach unten gedrückt werden. Dieses Ziehen um Schub zu erhöhen ist am Schubregler des Joystick in der Richtung umgesetzt, die bei den Flugzeugen zur Schub/Drehzahl-Reduzierung verwendet wird. Bei den meisten Joysticks muss zur Schuberhöhung eines Rotors somit der Gashebel zum Anwender hin gezogen werden. Anschließend kann das Triebwerk mittels “}” gestartet werden. Nach wenigen Sekunden wird der Rotor zu drehen anfangen und langsam beschleunigen. Halten sie den Stick und die Pedale in etwa in Mittelstellung. Warten Sie, bis der Rotor auf Nenndrehzahl beschleunigt hat. Die Bo105 hat ein Istrument zur Drehzahlanzeige von Rotor und Triebwerken ganz links und der obersten Instrumenten Reihe.

Nachdem die Beschleunigung des Rotors abgeschlossen ist, ziehen Sie langsam an der kollektiven Blattverstellung. Beobachten Sie währenddessen den Horizont. Bei der kleinsten Bewegung / Neigung des Hubschraubers stoppen sie die Schuberhöhung und gleichen Sie diese Bewegung mittels Stick und Pedalen aus. Nur wenn dieses erfolgreich abgeschlossen ist, setzten sie die langsame Schuberhöhung wieder fort.

Sobald der Hubschrauber den Boden verlässt erhöhen Sie die kollektive Blattverstellung noch ein klein wenig mehr und versuchen Sie dann, die Lage des Hubschraubers fortwährend dem Horizont anzugleichen. Die Herausforderung ist das Finden des richtigen Maßes an Steuereingaben als Reaktion auf Bewegungen / Drehungen des Hubschraubers. Hierbei können Ihnen nur drei Dinge helfen: Üben, Üben und Üben. Die Übungszeit bis zu einem gesteuerten und halbwegs ansehlichen Schwebeflug beträgt üblicherweise mehrere Stunden. Hinweis: Die Postion des Sticks im Schwebeflug ist nicht die Mittelstellung des Joysticks.

Schnellstartanleitung:
# Drücken Sie } um das (die) Triebwerk(e) zu starten
# Warten sie, bis Triebwerk und Rotor auf Nenndrehzahl sind
# Ziehen sie die kollektive Blattverstellung (Gashebel in Richtung "Leerlauf", s.o.)
# Steuern sie den Hubschrauber auch schon vor dem Abheben!
# Versuchen Sie die Kontrolle auch nach dem Abheben zu behalten, Versuchen Sie direkt über dem Startplatz zu schweben

== Fliegen ==
Um den frustrierenden Lernprozess des Schwebeflugs zu unterbrechen, bietet sich das Training des Vorwärtsfluges an. Nach dem Abheben erhöhen Sie ein klein wenig den Rotor Schub und senken dann die Nase des Hubschraubers ein wenig durch kurzes und leichtes Drücken des Sticks ab. Als Antwort wird der Hubschrauber vorwärts beschleunigen. Mit zunehmender Fahrt benötigt der Heckrotor immer weniger Ihrer Aufmerksamkeit, da der Windfahneneffekt Sie beim Ausrichten des Rumpfes in Flugrichtung effektiv unterstützt. Insgesamt ist das Flugverhalten im Vorwärtsflug dem eines schlecht getrimmten Flugzeuges nicht unähnlich. Die korrekte Stickposition ist abhängig von der Fluggeschwindigkeit und der kollektiven Blattverstellung. Es gibt keine allgemeine Neutralstellung.

Der Übergang zum Schwebeflug wir erreicht, indem durch Anheben der Hubschraubernase kontinuierlich Fahrt abgebaut wird. Gleichzeitig muss die kollektive Blattverstellung reduziert werden um ein Wegsteigen des Hubschraubers zu vermeiden. Mit Abnehmender Fahrt reduziert sich der Translationsauftrieb was durch Erhöhung der kollektiven Blattverstellung kompensiert werden muss. Kurz bevor die Fahrt auf Null reduziert ist, müssen Sie die Hubschraubernase wieder auf Schwebefluglage absenken. Andernfalls würde Hubschraube rückwärts Fahrt aufnehmen. Währenddessen halten die Ausrichtung des Rumpfes mit den Pedalen konstant.

== Landen I ==
Um zu Landen Verfahren Sie wie beim Übergang zum Schwebeflug beschrieben, Zusätzlich verringern sie gleichzeitig die Höhe auf Null. Für eine perfekte Landung müssen Sie nur die Geschwindigkeit, die Sinkrate und die Höhe gleichzeitig auf Null reduzieren, aber bitte gleichmäßig. Die Drehrate um die Hochachse halten sie währenddessen mit den Pedalen konstant auf Null. Da so eine perfekte Landung recht anspruchsvoll ist, streben die meisten Piloten einen stabilen Schwebeflug in geringer Flughöhe an um aus diesen heraus den Hubschrauber langsam senkrecht abzusetzen. Landungen mit Vorwärtsfahrt sind einfacher, bergen aber das Risiko des Überschlages falls man schiebend (d. h. mit seitlicher Geschwindigkeitskomponente) aufsetzt.

[[Image:bo105_landed.jpg]]

== Landen II ==
Hier wird kurz auf die Autorotation eingegangen. Dieses ist eine antriebslose FLugkonfiguration, bei der Rotor ausschließlich durch den ihn durchströmenden Luftstrom angetrieben wird. Wählen Sie in ausreichender Höhe einen Landepunkt (beginnen Sie mit einem größeren Verkehrsflughafen) und stellen sie dann das Triebwerk durch Druck auf "}" ab. Verringern Sie die kollektive Blattverstellung auf Minimum und stellen Sie den Einstellwinkel des Heckrotors in etwa auf 0 Grad (bei der Bo 105 müssen Sie dazu das rechte Pedal in etwa zur Hälfte treten, bei russischen oder französischen Hubschrauben (wie die [[Aérospatiale Alouette II|Alouette 2]]) das linke). Fliegen Sie mit etwa 80 Knoten an. Halten Sie dabei die Rotordrehzal im Auge, sie darf nicht wesentlich über 100% ansteigen. Erhöhen Sie nötigenfalls die kollektive Blattverstellung. Wenn Sie sich dem Boden annähern verringern Sie die Vorwärtsgeschwindigkeit durch Heben der Hubschraubernase, zugleich wird die Sinkgeschwindigkeit abnehmen, sie brauchen dazu nicht am kollektiven Blattverstellhebel zu ziehen. In dieser "Flare" genannten Flugphase kann die Rotordrehzahl deutlich ansteigen. Halten Sie die Drehzahl mit der kollektiven Blattverstellung im erlaubten Bereich. Umnittelbar über dem Boden verringern Sie die Sinkrate durch ziehen an der kollektiven Blattverstellung. Idealerweise setzen Sie ohne Vorwärtsgeschwindigkeit mit sehr geringer Sinkrate auf. Einfacher (und bei vielen Hubschraubern unvermeidlich) ist das Aufsetzen mit Vorwährtsfahrt. Achten Sie dabei auf die Ausrichtung des Hubschraubers, sonst droht ein Überschlag. Während der Autorotation produziert der Rotor nahezu kein Drehmoment, daher muss der Heckrotor, einmal auf 0 Grad gestellt, bis auf das Ausrichten des Hubschraubers im Moment der Landung nicht weiter beachtet werden. Sollten Sie nach einiger Übung zur Überzeugung gelangen, dass Autorotationslandungen zu einfach sind: Wiederholen Sie die Übung mit höherer Zuladung (via payload Menü).

Ein letzter Hinweis: einige Flightgear-Hubschrauber brauchen im Landeanflug aufgrund (noch) nicht vollständig optimiertert aerdoynamischer Parameter von Rumpf und Leitwerk einen deutlichen Ausschlag des Sticks, was dem Rotor viel Energie entzieht und einen Autoroationsanflug unmöglich macht.

[[Image:bo105_auto.jpg]]

'''Viel Spaß mit den Flightgear Hubschraubern!'''

[[en:Flying the helicopter]]
[[es:Volando el helicoptero]]
[[fr:Piloter l'hélicoptère]]

De/Fliegen mit dem Helikopter

2010-05-01T16:15:46Z

Mjustus: Zwei weitere Absätze übersetzt

== Allgemeines ==
'''Als erstes:'''
Alles was für echte Helikopter gilt, gilt auch für die Helikopter in [[FlightGear]]!
Grundlegende Techniken und Flugmanöver sind sehr gut aber in englischer Sprache hier beschrieben:
http://www.cybercom.net/~copters/pilot/maneuvers.html

Einige Details sind in FlightGear vereinfacht, im besonderen die Triebwerke sowie Überbelastung sind (noch) nicht simuliert oder haben keine Konsequenz. Es ist bisher in FlightGear nicht möglich den Hubschrauber im Flug zu beschädigen. (z.B. durch zu hohe Rotordrehzahl, Overspeed Vne...)

[[Image:bo105_cockpit.jpg]]

Seit dem Erscheinen von FlightGear 0.9.10 gab es einige Verbesserungen zum [[helicopter]] Flugmodell und deshalb sollte Version 1.0.0 und später verwendet werden.

Mit diesen Verbesserungen ist das Helikopter Flugmodell physikalisch korrekt. Ausnahme ist nur bisher der Vortex-Wirbelringzustand, der bisher nicht simuliert wird. Dieser erscheint sobald man zu schnell ohne genügend Vorwärtsgeschwindigkeit sinkt. (>300fps/<30knots). Der Helikopter gerät dabei in seinen eigenen Abwind, und der Auftrieb verringert sich schlagartig. Nur in sehr großer Höhe kommt man da wieder sicher heraus. Im Netz finden sich einige Videos darüber.

Einige Helikopter sind aufgrund Originaldaten und Messungen sehr realistisch im Flugverhalten, aber Perfomancedaten können leicht vom Original abweichen.
Ein guter [[joystick]] ohne Feder wird empfohlen, da sich dieser nicht selbst zentriert. Man kenn diese bei den meisten Modellen leicht entfernen. Man kann aber auch einen Force Feedback Joystick verwenden, in dem man Force Feedback unterdrückt.
Des weiteren sollte der Joystick über einen Schubkontrollhebel verfügen, dieser ersetzt den Collective.
Um den Heckrotor zu kontrollieren sollte man Ruderpedale oder einen Joystick mit Twistachse haben, Tastatur genügt in keinem Fall.
('''Hinweis:''' FlightGear unterstützt mehrere Steuergeräte gleichzeitig.)

Auto-coordination sollte ausgeschaltet werden siehe [[FlightGear Wizard]].

== Anfang ==
Die Zahl der Hubschrauber in FlightGear steigt stetig. Die [[Eurocopter Bo105|Bo105]] sollte der einfachste zum fliegen sein, da er dank seines Rotorsystems sofort und direkter als andere Hubschrauber reagiert. Seit es mehr und mehr Hubschrauber in FGFS gibt, gibt es eine Vielzahl an unterschiedlichen Modellen, die alle ihr eigenes Flugverhalten der Realität entsprechend haben.

Wenn FlightGear geladen ist, zentriere Stick, Collective und Pedale. Vor allem Collective kann je nach Helimodell auf "Maximum" gestellt sein, was unliebsame Überraschungen mit sich bringt.

[[Image:s76c_landed.jpg]]

Ein Hubschrauber wird mittels vier Funktionen gesteuert. Mit dem Stick (Joystick) werden zwei davon kontrolliert: die Neigung der Rotorebene (und somit die Neigung des gesamten Hubschraubers) in zwei Richtungen, vor/zurück und seitlich. Diese Funktionen werden zyklische Blattverstellung genannt, da dieses durch periodische Verstellung der Einstellwinkel der Rotorblätter werden des Umlaufs erreicht wird. Die nächste Funktion ist die kollektive Blattverstellung, im Deutschen auch "Pitch" genannt, während im Englischen "pitch" die zyklische Blatttverstellung zur Neigung der Rotorebene vor/zurück meint. Um Verwechslungen zu vermeiden wird diese Funktion im Folgenden nur "kollektive Blattverstellung" genannt. Die kollektive Blattverstellung verstellt den Einstellwinkel der Rotorblätter unabhängig von der Umlaufposition und somit den Schub des gesamten Rotorsystems. Da die Übertragung der benötigten Leistung vom Triebwerk auf den Rotor mit der Übertragung eines Drehmoments auf den Rumpf einhergeht, muss dieses Drehmoment von einem Heckrotor kompensiert werden. Da das Drehmoment von der kollektiven (und zyklischen) Blatteinstellung abhängt und auch Wind ein Drehmoment auf den Rumpf übertragen kann, ist der Einstellwinkel der Heckorotorblätter über die Pedale steuerbar. Ein Tritt in das rechte Pedal bewirkt eine Drehung nach rechts (die Pedale sind kein Lenkrad). Mit den Pedalen kann folglich neben dem Ausgleich des auf den Rumpf übertragen Drehmoments eine Drehung des Rumpfs um die Hochachse (genannt "gieren") gesteuert werden. Bei den meisten Hubschraubern (und derzeit bei allen FlightGear Hubschraubern) braucht die Triebwerksleistung nicht gesteuert zu werden, ein Drehzahlregler hält die Rotordrehzahl möglichst konstant.

[[Image:ec135_in_the_air.jpg]]

== Start ==
Reduzieren Sie als erstes die kollektive Blattverstellung auf Minimum. Um den Schub des Rotors zu erhöhen müssen sie in einem Hubschrauber den Blattverstell-Hebel nach oben ziehen. Entsprechend muss für minimalen Schub der Hebel nach unten gedrückt werden. Dieses Ziehen um Schub zu erhöhen ist am Schubregler des Joystick in der Richtung umgesetzt, die bei den Flugzeugen zur Schub/Drehzahl-Reduzierung verwendet wird. Bei den meisten Joysticks muss zur Schuberhöhung eines Rotors somit der Gashebel zum Anwender hin gezogen werden. Anschließend kann das Triebwerk mittels “}” gestartet werden. Nach wenigen Sekunden wird der Rotor zu drehen anfangen und langsam beschleunigen. Halten sie den Stick und die Pedale in etwa in Mittelstellung. Warten Sie, bis der Rotor auf Nenndrehzahl beschleunigt hat. Die Bo105 hat ein Istrument zur Drehzahlanzeige von Rotor und Triebwerken ganz links und der obersten Instrumenten Reihe.

Nachdem die Beschleunigung des Rotors abgeschlossen ist, ziehen Sie langsam an der kollektiven Blattverstellung. Beobachten Sie währenddessen den Horizont. Bei der kleinsten Bewegung / Neigung des Hubschraubers stoppen sie die Schuberhöhung und gleichen Sie diese Bewegung mittels Stick und Pedalen aus. Nur wenn dieses erfolgreich abgeschlossen ist, setzten sie die langsame Schuberhöhung wieder fort.

Sobald der Hubschrauber den Boden verlässt erhöhen Sie die kollektive Blattverstellung noch ein klein wenig mehr und versuchen Sie dann, die Lage des Hubschraubers fortwährend dem Horizont anzugleichen. Die Herausforderung ist das Finden des richtigen Maßes an Steuereingaben als Reaktion auf Bewegungen / Drehungen des Hubschraubers. Hierbei können Ihnen nur drei Dinge helfen: Üben, Üben und Üben. Die Übungszeit bis zu einem gesteuerten und halbwegs ansehlichen Schwebeflug beträgt üblicherweise mehrere Stunden. Hinweis: Die Postion des Sticks im Schwebeflug ist nicht die Mittelstellung des Joysticks.

Schnellstartanleitung:
# Drücken Sie } um das (die) Triebwerk(e) zu starten
# Warten sie, bis Triebwerk und Rotor auf Nenndrehzahl sind
# Ziehen sie die kollektive Blattverstellung (Gashebel in Richtung "Leerlauf", s.o.)
# Steuern sie den Hubschrauber auch schon vor dem Abheben!
# Versuchen Sie die Kontrolle auch nach dem Abheben zu behalten, Versuchen Sie direkt über dem Startplatz zu schweben

== Fliegen ==
Um den frustrierenden Lernprozess des Schwebeflugs zu unterbrechen, bietet sich das Training des Vorwärtsfluges an. Nach dem Abheben erhöhen Sie ein klein wenig den Rotor Schub und senken dann die Nase des Hubschraubers ein wenig durch kurzes und leichtes Drücken des Sticks ab. Als Antwort wird der Hubschrauber vorwärts beschleunigen. Mit zunehmender Fahrt benötigt der Heckrotor immer weniger Ihrer Aufmerksamkeit, da der Windfahneneffekt Sie beim Ausrichten des Rumpfes in Flugrichtung effektiv unterstützt. Insgesamt ist das Flugverhalten im Vorwärtsflug dem eines schlecht getrimmten Flugzeuges nicht unähnlich. Die korrekte Stickposition ist abhängig von der Fluggeschwindigkeit und der kollektiven Blattverstellung. Es gibt keine allgemeine Neutralstellung.

Der Übergang zum Schwebeflug wir erreicht, indem durch Anheben der Hubschraubernase kontinuierlich Fahrt abgebaut wird. Gleichzeitig muss die kollektive Blattverstellung reduziert werden um ein Wegsteigen des Hubschraubers zu vermeiden. Mit Abnehmender Fahrt reduziert sich der Translationsauftrieb was durch Erhöhung der kollektiven Blattverstellung kompensiert werden muss. Kurz bevor die Fahrt auf Null reduziert ist, müssen sie die Hubschraubernase wieder auf Schwebefluglage absenken. Andernfalls würde Hubschraube rückwärts Fahrt aufnehmen.

== Back to Earth I ==
To land the helicopter transition to a hover as described above while reducing the altitude using the collective. Briefly before hitting the ground reduce the rate of descent slowly. A perfect landing is achieved if you managed to zero the altitude, speed and descent rate at the same time (gently). However, such landing are extremely difficult. Most pilots perform a hover more or less near to the ground and then decent slowly to the ground. Landing with forward velocity is easier, however you must make sure you don't land with any lateral (sideways) component to avoid a rollover.

Quick Reference
# Get to the airport
# Throttle up slowly to about 80%
# Keep it level
# Don't come down too hard
# Land and turn your turbines off (key-{-)
# Have a nice day

[[Image:bo105_landed.jpg]]

== Back to Earth II ==
It is worth mentioning autorotation briefly. This is an unpowered flight condition, where the flow of air through the rotors rotates the rotor itself. At an appropriate altitude select a landing point (at first in the size of a larger airfield) and then switch the engine off by pressing "{". Reduce collective to minimum, place the tail rotor to approximately 0 degrees incidence (with the Bo push the right pedal about half , with Russian or French helicopters (like the [[Aérospatiale Alouette II|Alouette 2]]) the left). Approach at approximately 80 knots. Don't allow the rotor speed to rise more than a few percent over 100%, otherwise the rotor will be damaged (though this is not currently simulated). As you reach the ground, reduce the airspeed by lifting the nose. The descent rate will drop at the same time, so you do not need to pull the collective. It may be the case that the rotor speed rises beyond the permitted range. Counteract this by raising the collective if required. Just above the ground, reduce the descent rate by pulling the collective. The goal is it to touch down with a very low descent rate and no forward speed. With forward speed it is easier, but there is a danger of a roll over if the skids are not aligned parallel to the flight direction. During the approach it is not necessary to adjust the tail rotor, since without power there is almost no torque. If you feel (after some practice), that autorotation is too easy, try it with a more realistic payload via the payload menu.

[[Image:bo105_auto.jpg]]

'''Much fun with the Flightgear helicopters!'''

[[en:Flying the helicopter]]
[[es:Volando el helicoptero]]
[[fr:Piloter l'hélicoptère]]

De/Fliegen mit dem Helikopter

2010-04-22T20:54:46Z

Mjustus: Feintuning

== Allgemeines ==
'''Als erstes:'''
Alles was für echte Helikopter gilt, gilt auch für die Helikopter in [[FlightGear]]!
Grundlegende Techniken und Flugmanöver sind sehr gut aber in englischer Sprache hier beschrieben:
http://www.cybercom.net/~copters/pilot/maneuvers.html

Einige Details sind in FlightGear vereinfacht, im besonderen die Triebwerke sowie Überbelastung sind (noch) nicht simuliert oder haben keine Konsequenz. Es ist bisher in FlightGear nicht möglich den Hubschrauber im Flug zu beschädigen. (z.B. durch zu hohe Rotordrehzahl, Overspeed Vne...)

[[Image:bo105_cockpit.jpg]]

Seit dem Erscheinen von FlightGear 0.9.10 gab es einige Verbesserungen zum [[helicopter]] Flugmodell und deshalb sollte Version 1.0.0 und später verwendet werden.

Mit diesen Verbesserungen ist das Helikopter Flugmodell physikalisch korrekt. Ausnahme ist nur bisher der Vortex-Wirbelringzustand, der bisher nicht simuliert wird. Dieser erscheint sobald man zu schnell ohne genügend Vorwärtsgeschwindigkeit sinkt. (>300fps/<30knots). Der Helikopter gerät dabei in seinen eigenen Abwind, und der Auftrieb verringert sich schlagartig. Nur in sehr großer Höhe kommt man da wieder sicher heraus. Im Netz finden sich einige Videos darüber.

Einige Helikopter sind aufgrund Originaldaten und Messungen sehr realistisch im Flugverhalten, aber Perfomancedaten können leicht vom Original abweichen.
Ein guter [[joystick]] ohne Feder wird empfohlen, da sich dieser nicht selbst zentriert. Man kenn diese bei den meisten Modellen leicht entfernen. Man kann aber auch einen Force Feedback Joystick verwenden, in dem man Force Feedback unterdrückt.
Des weiteren sollte der Joystick über einen Schubkontrollhebel verfügen, dieser ersetzt den Collective.
Um den Heckrotor zu kontrollieren sollte man Ruderpedale oder einen Joystick mit Twistachse haben, Tastatur genügt in keinem Fall.
('''Hinweis:''' FlightGear unterstützt mehrere Steuergeräte gleichzeitig.)

Auto-coordination sollte ausgeschaltet werden siehe [[FlightGear Wizard]].

== Anfang ==
Die Zahl der Hubschrauber in FlightGear steigt stetig. Die [[Eurocopter Bo105|Bo105]] sollte der einfachste zum fliegen sein, da er dank seines Rotorsystems sofort und direkter als andere Hubschrauber reagiert. Seit es mehr und mehr Hubschrauber in FGFS gibt, gibt es eine Vielzahl an unterschiedlichen Modellen, die alle ihr eigenes Flugverhalten der Realität entsprechend haben.

Wenn FlightGear geladen ist, zentriere Stick, Collective und Pedale. Vor allem Collective kann je nach Helimodell auf "Maximum" gestellt sein, was unliebsame Überraschungen mit sich bringt.

[[Image:s76c_landed.jpg]]

Ein Hubschrauber wird mittels vier Funktionen gesteuert. Mit dem Stick (Joystick) werden zwei davon kontrolliert: die Neigung der Rotorebene (und somit die Neigung des gesamten Hubschraubers) in zwei Richtungen, vor/zurück und seitlich. Diese Funktionen werden zyklische Blattverstellung genannt, da dieses durch periodische Verstellung der Einstellwinkel der Rotorblätter werden des Umlaufs erreicht wird. Die nächste Funktion ist die kollektive Blattverstellung, im Deutschen auch "Pitch" genannt, während im Englischen "pitch" die zyklische Blatttverstellung zur Neigung der Rotorebene vor/zurück meint. Um Verwechslungen zu vermeiden wird diese Funktion im Folgenden nur "kollektive Blattverstellung" genannt. Die kollektive Blattverstellung verstellt den Einstellwinkel der Rotorblätter unabhängig von der Umlaufposition und somit den Schub des gesamten Rotorsystems. Da die Übertragung der benötigten Leistung vom Triebwerk auf den Rotor mit der Übertragung eines Drehmoments auf den Rumpf einhergeht, muss dieses Drehmoment von einem Heckrotor kompensiert werden. Da das Drehmoment von der kollektiven (und zyklischen) Blatteinstellung abhängt und auch Wind ein Drehmoment auf den Rumpf übertragen kann, ist der Einstellwinkel der Heckorotorblätter über die Pedale steuerbar. Ein Tritt in das rechte Pedal bewirkt eine Drehung nach rechts (die Pedale sind kein Lenkrad). Mit den Pedalen kann folglich neben dem Ausgleich des auf den Rumpf übertragen Drehmoments eine Drehung des Rumpfs um die Hochachse (genannt "gieren") gesteuert werden. Bei den meisten Hubschraubern (und derzeit bei allen FlightGear Hubschraubern) braucht die Triebwerksleistung nicht gesteuert zu werden, ein Drehzahlregler hält die Rotordrehzahl möglichst konstant.

[[Image:ec135_in_the_air.jpg]]

== Lift-Off ==
First reduce the collective to minimum. To increase the rotor thrust, you have to “pull” the collective. Therefore for minimum collective you have to push the control down (that is the full acceleration position (!) of the thrust controller). Equally, “full power” has the thrust controller at idle. Started the engine with “}”. After few seconds the rotor will start to turn and accelerates slowly. Keep the stick and the pedals approximately centered. Wait until the rotor has finished accelerating. For the Bo105 there is an instruments for engine and rotor speed on the left of the upper row.

Once rotor acceleration is complete, pull the collective very slowly. Keep your eye on the horizon. If the heli tilts or turns even slightly, stop increasing the collective and correct the position/movement with stick and pedals. If you are successful, continue pulling the collective (slowly!).

As the helicopter takes off, increase the collective a little bit more and try to keep the helicopter in a leveled position. The main challenge is reacting to the inadvertent rotating motion of the helicopter with the correct control inputs. Only three things can help you: practice, practice and practice. It is quite common for it to take hours of practice to achieve a halfway good looking hovering flight. Note: The stick position in a stable hover is not the center position of the joystick.

Quick Reference:
# Press } to start the turbines
# Disengage parking or rotor brake. (If applicable)
# Wait for your turbine to come to full speed
# Push the throttle '''Down''', not up. Pushing up makes the chopper go down
# When at desired altitude, push throttle to about 60%
# Fly freely

== In the air ==
To avoid the continual frustration of trying to achieve level flight, you may want to try forward flight. After take off continue pulling the collective a short time and then lower the nose a slightly using the control stick. The helicopter will accelerate forward. With forward speed the tail rotor does not have to be controlled as precisely due to the relative wind coming from directly ahead. Altogether the flight behavior in forward flight is quite similar to that of an badly trimmed airplane. The “neutral” position of the stick will depend upon airspeed and collective.

Transitioning from forward flight to hovering is easiest if you reduce speed slowly by raising the nose of the helicopter. At the same time, reduce the collective to stop the helicopter from climbing. As the helicopter slows, “translation lift” is reduced, and you will have to compensate by pulling the collective. When the speed is nearly zero, lower the nose to the position it was when hovering. Otherwise the helicopter will accelerate backwards!

== Back to Earth I ==
To land the helicopter transition to a hover as described above while reducing the altitude using the collective. Briefly before hitting the ground reduce the rate of descent slowly. A perfect landing is achieved if you managed to zero the altitude, speed and descent rate at the same time (gently). However, such landing are extremely difficult. Most pilots perform a hover more or less near to the ground and then decent slowly to the ground. Landing with forward velocity is easier, however you must make sure you don't land with any lateral (sideways) component to avoid a rollover.

Quick Reference
# Get to the airport
# Throttle up slowly to about 80%
# Keep it level
# Don't come down too hard
# Land and turn your turbines off (key-{-)
# Have a nice day

[[Image:bo105_landed.jpg]]

== Back to Earth II ==
It is worth mentioning autorotation briefly. This is an unpowered flight condition, where the flow of air through the rotors rotates the rotor itself. At an appropriate altitude select a landing point (at first in the size of a larger airfield) and then switch the engine off by pressing "{". Reduce collective to minimum, place the tail rotor to approximately 0 degrees incidence (with the Bo push the right pedal about half , with Russian or French helicopters (like the [[Aérospatiale Alouette II|Alouette 2]]) the left). Approach at approximately 80 knots. Don't allow the rotor speed to rise more than a few percent over 100%, otherwise the rotor will be damaged (though this is not currently simulated). As you reach the ground, reduce the airspeed by lifting the nose. The descent rate will drop at the same time, so you do not need to pull the collective. It may be the case that the rotor speed rises beyond the permitted range. Counteract this by raising the collective if required. Just above the ground, reduce the descent rate by pulling the collective. The goal is it to touch down with a very low descent rate and no forward speed. With forward speed it is easier, but there is a danger of a roll over if the skids are not aligned parallel to the flight direction. During the approach it is not necessary to adjust the tail rotor, since without power there is almost no torque. If you feel (after some practice), that autorotation is too easy, try it with a more realistic payload via the payload menu.

[[Image:bo105_auto.jpg]]

'''Much fun with the Flightgear helicopters!'''

[[en:Flying the helicopter]]
[[es:Volando el helicoptero]]
[[fr:Piloter l'hélicoptère]]

De/Fliegen mit dem Helikopter

2010-04-22T20:52:11Z

Mjustus: Ein weiteren Absatz übersetzt und Kapitel Zusammenfassung gelöscht, da es keine Zusammenfassung war

== Allgemeines ==
'''Als erstes:'''
Alles was für echte Helikopter gilt, gilt auch für die Helikopter in [[FlightGear]]!
Grundlegende Techniken und Flugmanöver sind sehr gut aber in englischer Sprache hier beschrieben:
http://www.cybercom.net/~copters/pilot/maneuvers.html

Einige Details sind in FlightGear vereinfacht, im besonderen die Triebwerke sowie Überbelastung sind (noch) nicht simuliert oder haben keine Konsequenz. Es ist bisher in FlightGear nicht möglich den Hubschrauber im Flug zu beschädigen. (z.B. durch zu hohe Rotordrehzahl, Overspeed Vne...)

[[Image:bo105_cockpit.jpg]]

Seit dem Erscheinen von FlightGear 0.9.10 gab es einige Verbesserungen zum [[helicopter]] Flugmodell und deshalb sollte Version 1.0.0 und später verwendet werden.

Mit diesen Verbesserungen ist das Helikopter Flugmodell physikalisch korrekt. Ausnahme ist nur bisher der Vortex-Wirbelringzustand, der bisher nicht simuliert wird. Dieser erscheint sobald man zu schnell ohne genügend Vorwärtsgeschwindigkeit sinkt. (>300fps/<30knots). Der Helikopter gerät dabei in seinen eigenen Abwind, und der Auftrieb verringert sich schlagartig. Nur in sehr großer Höhe kommt man da wieder sicher heraus. Im Netz finden sich einige Videos darüber.

Einige Helikopter sind aufgrund Originaldaten und Messungen sehr realistisch im Flugverhalten, aber Perfomancedaten können leicht vom Original abweichen.
Ein guter [[joystick]] ohne Feder wird empfohlen, da sich dieser nicht selbst zentriert. Man kenn diese bei den meisten Modellen leicht entfernen. Man kann aber auch einen Force Feedback Joystick verwenden, in dem man Force Feedback unterdrückt.
Des weiteren sollte der Joystick über einen Schubkontrollhebel verfügen, dieser ersetzt den Collective.
Um den Heckrotor zu kontrollieren sollte man Ruderpedale oder einen Joystick mit Twistachse haben, Tastatur genügt in keinem Fall.
('''Hinweis:''' FlightGear unterstützt mehrere Steuergeräte gleichzeitig.)

Auto-coordination sollte ausgeschaltet werden siehe [[FlightGear Wizard]].

== Anfang ==
Die Zahl der Hubschrauber in FlightGear steigt stetig. Die [[Eurocopter Bo105|Bo105]] sollte der einfachste zum fliegen sein, da er dank seines Rotorsystems sofort und direkter als andere Hubschrauber reagiert. Seit es mehr und mehr Hubschrauber in FGFS gibt, gibt es eine Vielzahl an unterschiedlichen Modellen, die alle ihr eigenes Flugverhalten der Realität entsprechend haben.

Wenn FlightGear geladen ist, zentriere Stick, Collective und Pedale. Vor allem Collective kann je nach Helimodell auf "Maximum" gestellt sein, was unliebsame Überraschungen mit sich bringt.

[[Image:s76c_landed.jpg]]

Ein Hubschrauber wird mittels vier Funktionen gesteuert. Mit dem Stick (Joystick) werden zwei davon kontrolliert: die Neigung der Rotorebene (und somit die Neigung des gesamten Hubschraubers) in zwei Richtungen, vor/zurück und seitlich. Diese Funktionen werden zyklische Blattverstellung genannt, da dieses durch periodische Verstellung der Einstellwinkel der Rotorblätter werden des Umlaufs erreicht wird. Die nächste Funktion ist die kollektive Blattverstellung, im Deutschen auch "Pitch" genannt, während im Englischen "pitch" die zyklische Blatttverstellung zur Neigung der Rotorebene vor/zurück meint. Um Verwechslungen zu vermeiden wird diese Funktion im Folgenden nur "kollektive Blattverstellung" genannt. Die kollektive Blattverstellung verstellt den Einstellwinkel der Rotorblätter unabhängig von der Umlaufposition und somit den Schub des gesamten Rotorsystems. Da die Übertragung der benötigten Leistung vom Triebwerk auf den Rotor mit der Übertragung eines Drehmoments auf den Rumpf einhergeht, muss dieses Drehmoment von einem Heckrotor kompensiert werden. Da das Drehmoment von der kollektiven (und zyklischen) Blatteinstellung abhängt und auch Wind ein Drehmoment auf den Rumpf übertragen kann, ist der Einstellwinkel der Heckorotorblätter über die Pedale steuerbar. Ein Tritt in das rechte Pedal bewirkt eine Drehung nach rechts; die Pedale sind kein Lenkrad. Mit den Pedalen kann folglich neben dem Ausgleich des auf den Rumpf übertragen Drehmoments eine Drehung des Rumpfs um die Hochachse (genannt "gieren") gesteuert werden. Bei den meisten Hubschraubern (und derzeit bei allen FlightGear Hubschraubern) braucht die Triebwerksleistung nicht gesteuert zu werden, ein Drehzahlregler hält diese möglichst konstant.

[[Image:ec135_in_the_air.jpg]]

== Lift-Off ==
First reduce the collective to minimum. To increase the rotor thrust, you have to “pull” the collective. Therefore for minimum collective you have to push the control down (that is the full acceleration position (!) of the thrust controller). Equally, “full power” has the thrust controller at idle. Started the engine with “}”. After few seconds the rotor will start to turn and accelerates slowly. Keep the stick and the pedals approximately centered. Wait until the rotor has finished accelerating. For the Bo105 there is an instruments for engine and rotor speed on the left of the upper row.

Once rotor acceleration is complete, pull the collective very slowly. Keep your eye on the horizon. If the heli tilts or turns even slightly, stop increasing the collective and correct the position/movement with stick and pedals. If you are successful, continue pulling the collective (slowly!).

As the helicopter takes off, increase the collective a little bit more and try to keep the helicopter in a leveled position. The main challenge is reacting to the inadvertent rotating motion of the helicopter with the correct control inputs. Only three things can help you: practice, practice and practice. It is quite common for it to take hours of practice to achieve a halfway good looking hovering flight. Note: The stick position in a stable hover is not the center position of the joystick.

Quick Reference:
# Press } to start the turbines
# Disengage parking or rotor brake. (If applicable)
# Wait for your turbine to come to full speed
# Push the throttle '''Down''', not up. Pushing up makes the chopper go down
# When at desired altitude, push throttle to about 60%
# Fly freely

== In the air ==
To avoid the continual frustration of trying to achieve level flight, you may want to try forward flight. After take off continue pulling the collective a short time and then lower the nose a slightly using the control stick. The helicopter will accelerate forward. With forward speed the tail rotor does not have to be controlled as precisely due to the relative wind coming from directly ahead. Altogether the flight behavior in forward flight is quite similar to that of an badly trimmed airplane. The “neutral” position of the stick will depend upon airspeed and collective.

Transitioning from forward flight to hovering is easiest if you reduce speed slowly by raising the nose of the helicopter. At the same time, reduce the collective to stop the helicopter from climbing. As the helicopter slows, “translation lift” is reduced, and you will have to compensate by pulling the collective. When the speed is nearly zero, lower the nose to the position it was when hovering. Otherwise the helicopter will accelerate backwards!

== Back to Earth I ==
To land the helicopter transition to a hover as described above while reducing the altitude using the collective. Briefly before hitting the ground reduce the rate of descent slowly. A perfect landing is achieved if you managed to zero the altitude, speed and descent rate at the same time (gently). However, such landing are extremely difficult. Most pilots perform a hover more or less near to the ground and then decent slowly to the ground. Landing with forward velocity is easier, however you must make sure you don't land with any lateral (sideways) component to avoid a rollover.

Quick Reference
# Get to the airport
# Throttle up slowly to about 80%
# Keep it level
# Don't come down too hard
# Land and turn your turbines off (key-{-)
# Have a nice day

[[Image:bo105_landed.jpg]]

== Back to Earth II ==
It is worth mentioning autorotation briefly. This is an unpowered flight condition, where the flow of air through the rotors rotates the rotor itself. At an appropriate altitude select a landing point (at first in the size of a larger airfield) and then switch the engine off by pressing "{". Reduce collective to minimum, place the tail rotor to approximately 0 degrees incidence (with the Bo push the right pedal about half , with Russian or French helicopters (like the [[Aérospatiale Alouette II|Alouette 2]]) the left). Approach at approximately 80 knots. Don't allow the rotor speed to rise more than a few percent over 100%, otherwise the rotor will be damaged (though this is not currently simulated). As you reach the ground, reduce the airspeed by lifting the nose. The descent rate will drop at the same time, so you do not need to pull the collective. It may be the case that the rotor speed rises beyond the permitted range. Counteract this by raising the collective if required. Just above the ground, reduce the descent rate by pulling the collective. The goal is it to touch down with a very low descent rate and no forward speed. With forward speed it is easier, but there is a danger of a roll over if the skids are not aligned parallel to the flight direction. During the approach it is not necessary to adjust the tail rotor, since without power there is almost no torque. If you feel (after some practice), that autorotation is too easy, try it with a more realistic payload via the payload menu.

[[Image:bo105_auto.jpg]]

'''Much fun with the Flightgear helicopters!'''

[[en:Flying the helicopter]]
[[es:Volando el helicoptero]]
[[fr:Piloter l'hélicoptère]]

Howto:Fly a helicopter

2010-04-22T19:30:30Z

Mjustus: The number of available helicopters in FlightGear is increasing rather quick

== Preface ==
'''First:''' in principle everything that applies to real helicopters, applies also to [[FlightGear]]. Fundamental maneuvers are well described on: http://www.cybercom.net/~copters/pilot/maneuvers.html Some details are simplified in FlightGear, in particular the engine handling and some overstresses are not simulated or are without any consequence. In FlightGear it is (up to now) not possible to damage a helicopter in flight.

[[Image:bo105_cockpit.jpg]]

Since the release of version FlightGear 0.9.10, important improvements have been made to the [[helicopter]] flight model. For this reason, version 1.0.0 or later should be used. With these improvements the helicopter flight model of FlightGear should be quite realistic. A notable exception is “vortex ring conditions”. These occur if you descend too fast and perpendicularly (without forward speed). The heli can get into its own rotor downwash causing the lift to be substantially reduced. Recovering from this condition is possible only at higher altitudes. On the Internet you can find a video of a SeaKing helicopter which got into this condition during a flight demonstration and touched down so hard afterwards that it was completely destroyed.

The parameters for FlightGear helicopters are not completely optimized and thus the performance between model and original may deviate. On the hardware side I recommend the use of a “good” [[joystick]]. A joystick without centering springs is recommended for cyclic control. You can achieve this with a normal joystick by by removing or disabling the centering spring(s) or you could use a force feedback joystick with a disconnected voltage supply. Further, the joystick should have a “thrust controller” (throttle). For controlling the tail rotor you should have pedals or at least a twistable joystick; flying helicopters by keyboard is very difficult. ('''hint:''' Flightgear supports more than one joystick attached at the same time.)

If using a mouse it's recommended to turn off the Auto-coordination in the [[FlightGear Wizard]].

== Getting started ==
The number of available helicopters in FlightGear is increasing rather quick. In my opinion the [[Eurocopter Bo105|Bo105]] is the easiest to fly, since it reacts substantially more directly than other helicopters. As [[helicopter|helicopters]] have become more popular in FlightGear, many others have been developed. Each of them have their unique flight behaviour.

Once you have loaded FlightGear, take a moment to centralize the controls by moving them around. In particular the collective is often at maximum on startup.

[[Image:s76c_landed.jpg]]

The helicopter is controlled by four functions. The stick (joystick) controls two of them, the inclination of the rotor disc (and thus the inclination of the helicopter) to the right/ left and forwards/back. Together these functions are called “cyclic blade control”. Next there is the “collective blade control”, which is controlled by the thrust controller. This causes a change of the thrust produced by the rotor. Since the powering of the main rotor transfers torque (as a twisting or turning force) to the fuselage, this must be compensated by the tail rotor. Since the torque is dependent on the collective and on the flight condition as well as wind can add additional torque on the fuselage, the [[tail rotor]] is also controlled by the pilot using the the pedals. If you push the right pedal, the helicopter turns to the right (!). The pedals are not a steering wheel. Using the pedals you can yaw helicopter around the vertical axis. The number of revolutions of the rotor is kept constant (if possible) by the aircraft.

[[Image:ec135_in_the_air.jpg]]

== Lift-Off ==
First reduce the collective to minimum. To increase the rotor thrust, you have to “pull” the collective. Therefore for minimum collective you have to push the control down (that is the full acceleration position (!) of the thrust controller). Equally, “full power” has the thrust controller at idle. Started the engine with “}”. After few seconds the rotor will start to turn and accelerates slowly. Keep the stick and the pedals approximately centered. Wait until the rotor has finished accelerating. For the Bo105 there is an instruments for engine and rotor speed on the left of the upper row.

Once rotor acceleration is complete, pull the collective very slowly. Keep your eye on the horizon. If the heli tilts or turns even slightly, stop increasing the collective and correct the position/movement with stick and pedals. If you are successful, continue pulling the collective (slowly!).

As the helicopter takes off, increase the collective a little bit more and try to keep the helicopter in a leveled position. The main challenge is reacting to the inadvertent rotating motion of the helicopter with the correct control inputs. Only three things can help you: practice, practice and practice. It is quite common for it to take hours of practice to achieve a halfway good looking hovering flight. Note: The stick position in a stable hover is not the center position of the joystick.

Quick Reference:
# Press } to start the turbines
# Disengage parking or rotor brake. (If applicable)
# Wait for your turbine to come to full speed
# Push the throttle '''Down''', not up. Pushing up makes the chopper go down
# When at desired altitude, push throttle to about 60%
# Fly freely

== In the air ==
To avoid the continual frustration of trying to achieve level flight, you may want to try forward flight. After take off continue pulling the collective a short time and then lower the nose a slightly using the control stick. The helicopter will accelerate forward. With forward speed the tail rotor does not have to be controlled as precisely due to the relative wind coming from directly ahead. Altogether the flight behavior in forward flight is quite similar to that of an badly trimmed airplane. The “neutral” position of the stick will depend upon airspeed and collective.

Transitioning from forward flight to hovering is easiest if you reduce speed slowly by raising the nose of the helicopter. At the same time, reduce the collective to stop the helicopter from climbing. As the helicopter slows, “translation lift” is reduced, and you will have to compensate by pulling the collective. When the speed is nearly zero, lower the nose to the position it was when hovering. Otherwise the helicopter will accelerate backwards!

== Back to Earth I ==
To land the helicopter transition to a hover as described above while reducing the altitude using the collective. Briefly before hitting the ground reduce the rate of descent slowly. A perfect landing is achieved if you managed to zero the altitude, speed and descent rate at the same time (gently). However, such landing are extremely difficult. Most pilots perform a hover more or less near to the ground and then decent slowly to the ground. Landing with forward velocity is easier, however you must make sure you don't land with any lateral (sideways) component to avoid a rollover.

Quick Reference
# Get to the airport
# Throttle up slowly to about 80%
# Keep it level
# Don't come down too hard
# Land and turn your turbines off (key-{-)
# Have a nice day

[[Image:bo105_landed.jpg]]

== Back to Earth II ==
It is worth mentioning autorotation briefly. This is an unpowered flight condition, where the flow of air through the rotors rotates the rotor itself. At an appropriate altitude select a landing point (at first in the size of a larger airfield) and then switch the engine off by pressing "{". Reduce collective to minimum, place the tail rotor to approximately 0 degrees incidence (with the Bo push the right pedal about half , with Russian or French helicopters (like the [[Aérospatiale Alouette II|Alouette 2]]) the left). Approach at approximately 80 knots. Don't allow the rotor speed to rise more than a few percent over 100%, otherwise the rotor will be damaged (though this is not currently simulated). As you reach the ground, reduce the airspeed by lifting the nose. The descent rate will drop at the same time, so you do not need to pull the collective. It may be the case that the rotor speed rises beyond the permitted range. Counteract this by raising the collective if required. Just above the ground, reduce the descent rate by pulling the collective. The goal is it to touch down with a very low descent rate and no forward speed. With forward speed it is easier, but there is a danger of a roll over if the skids are not aligned parallel to the flight direction. During the approach it is not necessary to adjust the tail rotor, since without power there is almost no torque. If you feel (after some practice), that autorotation is too easy, try it with a more realistic payload via the payload menu.

[[Image:bo105_auto.jpg]]

'''Much fun with the Flightgear helicopters!'''

[[de:Fliegen mit dem helikopter]]
[[es:Volando el helicoptero]]
[[fr:Piloter l'hélicoptère]]
[[pl:Lot śmigłowcem]]

Howto:Fly a helicopter

2009-10-31T17:52:09Z

Mjustus: Summary removed. 1st: it was not a summary of the article. 2nd: it was mostly wrong

== Preface ==
'''First:''' in principle everything that applies to real helicopters, applies also to [[FlightGear]]. Fundamental maneuvers are well described on: http://www.cybercom.net/~copters/pilot/maneuvers.html Some details are simplified in FlightGear, in particular the engine handling and some overstresses are not simulated or are without any consequence. In FlightGear it is (up to now) not possible to damage a helicopter in flight.

[[Image:bo105_cockpit.jpg]]

Since the release of version 0.9.10 some improvements have been made to the [[helicopter]] flight model and therefore version 1.0.0 or the CVS version should be used. With these improvements the helicopter flight model of FlightGear should be quite realistic. The only exceptions are “vortex ring conditions”. These occur if you descend too fast and perpendicularly (without forward speed). The heli can get into its own rotor downwash causing the lift to be substantially reduced. Recovering from this condition is possible only at higher altitudes. On the Internet you can find a video of a Seaking helicopter, which got into this condition during a flight demonstration and touched down so hard afterwards that it was completely destroyed.

For all Flightgear helicopters the parameters are not completely optimized and thus the performance data between model and original can deviate slightly. On the hardware side I recommend the use of a “good” [[joystick]]. A joystick without springs is recommended because it will not center by itself. You can have this by modifying (removing the spring) from a normal joystick, or by using a force feedback joystick, with a disconnected voltage supply. Further, the joystick should have a “thrust controller” (throttle). For controlling the tail rotor you should have pedals or at least a twistable joystick, keyboard would be the hard way. ('''hint:''' Flightgear supports more than one joystick attached at the same time.)

If using a mouse it's recommended to turn off the Auto-coordination in the [[FlightGear Wizard]].

== Getting started ==
The number of available helicopters in FlightGear is limited. In my opinion the [[Eurocopter Bo105|Bo105]] is the easiest to fly, since it reacts substantially more directly than other helicopters. Since helicopters get more and more popular in FlightGear, there are many other [[helicopter|helicopters]], all of them have their unique flight behavior.

Once you have loaded FlightGear, take a moment to centralize the controls by moving them around. In particular the collective is often at maximum on startup.

[[Image:s76c_landed.jpg]]

The helicopter is controlled by four functions. The stick (joystick) controls two of them, the inclination of the rotor disc (and thus the inclination of the helicopter) to the right/ left and forwards/back. Together these functions are called “cyclic blade control”. Next there is the “collective blade control”, which is controlled by the thrust controller. This causes a change of the thrust produced by the rotor. Since the powering of the main rotor transfers a torque to the fuselage, this must be compensated by the tail rotor. Since the torque is dependent on the collective and on the flight condition as well as wind can add additional torque on the fuselage, the [[tail rotor]] is also controlled by the pilot using the the pedals. If you push the right pedal, the helicopter turns to the right (!). The pedals are not a steering wheel. Using the pedals you can yaw helicopter around the vertical axis. The number of revolutions of the rotor is kept constant (if possible) by the aircraft.

[[Image:ec135_in_the_air.jpg]]

== Lift-Off ==
First reduce the collective to minimum. To increase the rotor thrust, you have to “pull” the collective. Therefore for minimum collective you have to push the control down (that is the full acceleration position (!) of the thrust controller). Equally, “full power” has the thrust controller at idle. Started the engine with “}”. After few seconds the rotor will start to turn and accelerates slowly. Keep the stick and the pedals approximately centered. Wait until the rotor has finished accelerating. For the Bo105 there is an instruments for engine and rotor speed on the left of the upper row.

Once rotor acceleration is complete, pull the collective very slowly. Keep your eye on the horizon. If the heli tilts or turns even slightly, stop increasing the collective and correct the position/movement with stick and pedals. If you are successful, continue pulling the collective (slowly!).

As the helicopter takes off, increase the collective a little bit more and try to keep the helicopter in a leveled position. The main challenge is reacting to the inadvertent rotating motion of the helicopter with the correct control inputs. Only three things can help you: practice, practice and practice. It is quite common for it to take hours of practice to achieve a halfway good looking hovering flight. Note: The stick position in a stable hover is not the center position of the joystick.

Quick Reference:
# Press } to start the turbines
# Disengage parking or rotor brake. (If applicable)
# Wait for your turbine to come to full speed
# Push the throttle '''Down''', not up. Pushing up makes the chopper go down
# When at desired altitude, push throttle to about 60%
# Fly freely

== In the air ==
To avoid the continual frustration of trying to achieve level flight, you may want to try forward flight. After take off continue pulling the collective a short time and then lower the nose a slightly using the control stick. The helicopter will accelerate forward. With forward speed the tail rotor does not have to be controlled as precisely due to the relative wind coming from directly ahead. Altogether the flight behavior in forward flight is quite similar to that of an badly trimmed airplane. The “neutral” position of the stick will depend upon airspeed and collective.

Transitioning from forward flight to hovering is easiest if you reduce speed slowly by raising the nose of the helicopter. At the same time, reduce the collective to stop the helicopter from climbing. As the helicopter slows, “translation lift” is reduced, and you will have to compensate by pulling the collective. When the speed is nearly zero, lower the nose to the position it was when hovering. Otherwise the helicopter will accelerate backwards!

== Back to Earth I ==
To land the helicopter transition to a hover as described above while reducing the altitude using the collective. Briefly before hitting the ground reduce the rate of descent slowly. A perfect landing is achieved if you managed to zero the altitude, speed and descent rate at the same time (gently). However, such landing are extremely difficult. Most pilots perform a hover more or less near to the ground and then decent slowly to the ground. Landing with forward velocity is easier, however you must make sure you don't land with any lateral (sideways) component to avoid a rollover.

Quick Reference
# Get to the airport
# Throttle up slowly to about 80%
# Keep it level
# Don't come down too hard
# Land and turn your turbines off (key-{-)
# Have a nice day

[[Image:bo105_landed.jpg]]

== Back to Earth II ==
It is worth mentioning autorotation briefly. This is an unpowered flight condition, where the flow of air through the rotors rotates the rotor itself. At an appropriate altitude select a landing point (at first in the size of a larger airfield) and then switch the engine off by pressing "{". Reduce collective to minimum, place the tail rotor to approximately 0 degrees incidence (with the Bo push the right pedal about half , with Russian or French helicopters (like the [[Aérospatiale Alouette II|Alouette 2]]) the left). Approach at approximately 80 knots. Don't allow the rotor speed to rise more than a few percent over 100%, otherwise the rotor will be damaged (though this is not currently simulated). As you reach the ground, reduce the airspeed by lifting the nose. The descent rate will drop at the same time, so you do not need to pull the collective. It may be the case that the rotor speed rises beyond the permitted range. Counteract this by raising the collective if required. Just above the ground, reduce the descent rate by pulling the collective. The goal is it to touch down with a very low descent rate and no forward speed. With forward speed it is easier, but there is a danger of a roll over if the skids are not aligned parallel to the flight direction. During the approach it is not necessary to adjust the tail rotor, since without power there is almost no torque. If you feel (after some practice), that autorotation is too easy, try it with a more realistic payload via the payload menu.

[[Image:bo105_auto.jpg]]

'''Much fun with the Flightgear helicopters!'''

[[de:Fliegen mit dem helikopter]]
[[fr:Pilotait l'hélicoptère]]

B&F FK9 Mark 2

2009-06-25T21:42:55Z

Mjustus: /* External links */ added link to a real picture of D-MSJA

{{stub}}
{{infobox Aircraft
|image = FK9MK2.jpg
|name = B&F FK9 Mark 2
|type = Civilian Aircraft
|authors = Emmanuel Baranger, Maik Justus (FDM)
|fdm = YASim
|status = beta
|fgname = fk9mk2-yasim
}}

B&F Technik Vertriebs GmbH single piston engine aircraft entered production in 1995, a improved version of the Mark 1 which had entered production in 1990. [http://avia-dejavu.net/photo%20D-MPKM.htm]

==External links==
*[http://www.fk-lightplanes.com/html/fk-history.html FK Lightplanes History (www.fk-lightplanes.com)]
*[http://avia-dejavu.net/photo%20D-MPKM.htm Real life photo of FK9 Mark 2 (avia-dejavu.net)]
*[http://mjustus.rc-modellflug.net/flugtools.html Real life photo of the FK9 Mark 2 D-MSJA]
[[Category:Aircraft]]
[[Category:Aircraft TODO]]
[[Category:Civilian aircraft]]

Howto:Fly a helicopter

2008-03-01T22:57:11Z

Mjustus: /* Preface */ mentioning of 1.0.0 instead of cvs only

== Preface ==

First: in principle everything that applies to real helicopters, applies also to Flightgear. Fundamental maneuvers are well described on: http://www.cybercom.net/~copters/pilot/maneuvers.html Some details are simplified in Flightgear, in particular the engine handling and some overstresses are not simulated or are without any consequence. In Flightgear it is (up to now) not possible to damage a helicopter in flight.

[[Image:bo105_cockpit.jpg]]

Since the release of version 0.9.10 some improvements have been made to the helicopter flight model and therefore version 1.0.0 or the CVS version should be used. With these improvements the helicopter flight model of Flightgear should be quite realistic. The only exceptions are “vortex ring conditions”. These occur if you descend too fast and perpendicularly (without forward speed). The heli can get into its own rotor downwash causing the lift to be substantially reduced. Recovering from this condition is possible only at higher altitudes. On the Internet you can find a video of a Seaking helicopter, which got into this condition during a flight demonstration and touched down so hard afterwards that it was completely destroyed.

For all Flightgear helicopters the parameters are not completely optimized and thus the performance data between model and original can deviate slightly. On the hardware side I recommend the use of a “good” joystick. A joystick without springs is recommended because it will not center by itself. You can have this by modifying (removing the spring) from a normal joystick, or by using a force feedback joystick, with a disconnected voltage supply. Further, the joystick should have a “thrust controller” (throttle). For controlling the tail rotor you should have pedals or at least a twistable joystick, keyboard would be the hard way. (Hint: Flightgear supports more than one joystick attached at the same time.)

== Getting started ==

The number of available helicopters in FlightGear is limited. In my opinion the [[Eurocopter Bo105|Bo105]] is the easiest to fly, since it reacts substantially more directly than other helicopters. Since helicopters get more and more popular in FlightGear, there are many other [[helicopter|helicopters]], all of them have their unique flight behavior.

Once you have loaded FlightGear, take a moment to centralize the controls by moving them around. In particular the collective is often at maximum on startup.

[[Image:s76c_landed.jpg]]

The helicopter is controlled by four functions. The stick (joystick) controls two of them, the inclination of the rotor disc (and thus the inclination of the helicopter) to the right/ left and forwards/back. Together these functions are called “cyclic blade control”. Next there is the “collective blade control”, which is controlled by the thrust controller. This causes a change of the thrust produced by the rotor. Since the powering of the main rotor transfers a torque to the fuselage, this must be compensated by the tail rotor. Since the torque is dependent on the collective and on the flight condition as well as wind can add additional torque on the fuselage, the tail rotor is also controlled by the pilot using the the pedals. If you push the right pedal, the helicopter turns to the right (!). The pedals are not a steering wheel. Using the pedals you can yaw helicopter around the vertical axis. The number of revolutions of the rotor is kept constant (if possible) by the aircraft.

[[Image:ec135_in_the_air.jpg]]

== Lift-Off ==

First reduce the collective to minimum. To increase the rotor thrust, you have to “pull” the collective. Therefore for minimum collective you have to push the control down (that is the full acceleration position (!) of the thrust controller). Equally, “full power” has the thrust controller at idle. Started the engine with “}”. After few seconds the rotor will start to turn and accelerates slowly. Keep the stick and the pedals approximately centered. Wait until the rotor has finished accelerating. For the Bo105 there is an instruments for engine and rotor speed on the left of the upper row.

Once rotor acceleration is complete, pull the collective very slowly. Keep your eye on the horizon. If the heli tilts or turns even slightly, stop increasing the collective and correct the position/movement with stick and pedals. If you are successful, continue pulling the collective (slowly!).

As the helicopter takes off, increase the collective a little bit more and try to keep the helicopter in a leveled position. The main challenge is reacting to the inadvertent rotating motion of the helicopter with the correct control inputs. Only three things can help you: practice, practice and practice. It is quite common for it to take hours of practice to achieve a halfway good looking hovering flight. Note: The stick position in a stable hover is not the center position of the joystick.

== In the air ==

To avoid the continual frustration of trying to achieve level flight, you may want to try forward flight. After take off continue pulling the collective a short time and then lower the nose a slightly using the control stick. The helicopter will accelerate forward. With forward speed the [[tail rotor]] does not have to be controlled as precisely due to the relative wind coming from directly ahead. Altogether the flight behavior in forward flight is quite similar to that of an badly trimmed airplane. The “neutral” position of the stick will depend upon airspeed and collective.

Transitioning from forward flight to hovering is easiest if you reduce speed slowly by raising the nose of the helicopter. At the same time, reduce the collective to stop the helicopter from climbing. As the helicopter slows, “translation lift” is reduced, and you will have to compensate by pulling the collective. When the speed is nearly zero, lower the nose to the position it was when hovering. Otherwise the helicopter will accelerate backwards!

== Back to Earth I ==

To land the helicopter transition to a hover as described above while reducing the altitude using the collective. Briefly before hitting the ground reduce the rate of descent slowly. A perfect landing is achieved if you managed to zero the altitude, speed and descent rate at the same time (gently). However, such landing are extremely difficult. Most pilots perform a hover more or less near to the ground and then decent slowly to the ground. Landing with forward velocity is easier, however you must make sure you don't land with any lateral (sideways) component to avoid a rollover.

[[Image:bo105_landed.jpg]]

== Back to Earth II ==

It is worth mentioning autorotation briefly. This is an unpowered flight condition, where the flow of air through the rotors rotates the rotor itself. At an appropriate altitude select a landing point (at first in the size of a larger airfield) and then switch the engine off by pressing "{". Reduce collective to minimum, place the tail rotor to approximately 0 degrees incidence (with the Bo push the right pedal about half , with Russian or French helicopters (like the Alouette 2) the left). Approach at approximately 80 knots. Don't allow the rotor speed to rise more than a few percent over 100%, otherwise the rotor will be damaged (though this is not currently simulated). As you reach the ground, reduce the airspeed by lifting the nose. The descent rate will drop at the same time, so you do not need to pull the collective. It may be the case that the rotor speed rises beyond the permitted range. Counteract this by raising the collective if required. Just above the ground, reduce the descent rate by pulling the collective. The goal is it to touch down with a very low descent rate and no forward speed. With forward speed it is easier, but there is a danger of a roll over if the skids are not aligned parallel to the flight direction. During the approach it is not necessary to adjust the tail rotor, since without power there is almost no torque. If you feel (after some practice), that autorotation is too easy, try it with a more realistic payload via the payload menu.

[[Image:bo105_auto.jpg]]

'''Much fun with the Flightgear helicopters!'''

GDT Hornet (autogyro)

2007-12-17T21:24:20Z

Mjustus: filled in some information

{{infobox Aircraft
|image =Hornet.jpg
|name =GDT Hornet
|type =Autogyro
|authors =Emmanuel Baranger(3D), Maik Justus(FDM)
|fdm =YASim
|status =beta
|fgname = <tt>hornet-yasim</tt>
}}

[[Category:Aircraft]]
[[Category:Helicopters]]

Sikorsky UH-60

2007-12-17T21:23:18Z

Mjustus: added some information

{{infobox Aircraft
|image =Uh60.jpg
|name =Sikorsky UH60
|type = Helicopter
|authors =Emmanuel Baranger(3D), Reagan Thomas, Maik Justus(FDM)
|fdm =YASim
|status =beta
|fgname = <tt>uh60</tt>
}}

[[Category:Helicopters]]

Sikorsky S-58

2007-12-17T21:21:40Z

Mjustus: added some information

{{infobox Aircraft
|image =S58.jpg
|name =Sikorsky S58
|type = Helicopter
|authors =Emmanuel Baranger(3D), Maik Justus(FDM, Sound)
|fdm =YASim
|status =beta
|fgname = <tt>s58</tt>
}}

[[Category:Helicopters]]
[[Category:Military helicopter]]

Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey

2007-12-17T21:20:49Z

Mjustus: added some information

{{infobox Aircraft
|image =V22Osprey.jpg
|name =Bell Boeing V22 Osprey
|type = Helicopter
|authors =Emmanuel Baranger(3D), Maik Justus(FDM)
|fdm = YASim
|status = alpha
|fgname = <tt>v22</tt>
}}
==External links==
* [http://helijah.free.fr/flightgear/les-appareils/v22/appareil.htm The V22 Osprey download page] (Note: Also available in FlightGear/CVS)

[[Category:Aircraft]]
[[Category:Helicopters]]
[[Category:Military helicopter]]

Sikorsky S-58

2007-12-17T21:19:30Z

Mjustus: filled in some information

{{infobox Aircraft
|image =S58.jpg
|name =Sikorsky S58
|type = Helicopter
|authors =Emmanuel Baranger(3D), Maik Justus(FDM)
|fdm =YASim
|status =beta
|fgname = <tt>s58</tt>
}}

[[Category:Helicopters]]
[[Category:Military helicopter]]

Howto:Fly a helicopter

2007-11-30T23:42:38Z

Mjustus: /* Back to Earth II */ citation of the AL2 instead of the as350

== Preface ==

First: in principle everything that applies to real helicopters, applies also to Flightgear. Fundamental maneuvers are well described on: http://www.cybercom.net/~copters/pilot/maneuvers.html Some details are simplified in Flightgear, in particular the engine handling and some overstresses are not simulated or are without any consequence. In Flightgear it is (up to now) not possible to damage a helicopter in flight.

[[Image:bo105_cockpit.jpg]]

Since the release of version 0.9.10 some improvements have been made to the helicopter flight model and therefore the CVS version should be used. With these improvements the helicopter flight model of Flightgear should be quite realistic. The only exceptions are “vortex ring conditions”. These occur if you descend too fast and perpendicularly (without forward speed). The heli can get into its own rotor downwash causing the lift to be substantially reduced. Recovering from this condition is possible only at higher altitudes. On the Internet you can find a video of a Seaking helicopter, which got into this condition during a flight demonstration and touched down so hard afterwards that it was completely destroyed.

For all Flightgear helicopters the parameters are not completely optimized and thus the performance data between model and original can deviate slightly. On the hardware side I recommend the use of a “good” joystick. A joystick without springs is recommended because it will not center by itself. You can have this by modifying (removing the spring) from a normal joystick, or by using a force feedback joystick, with a disconnected voltage supply. Further, the joystick should have a “thrust controller” (throttle). For controlling the tail rotor you should have pedals or at least a twistable joystick, keyboard would be the hard way. (Hint: Flightgear supports more than one joystick attached at the same time.)

== Getting started ==

The number of available helicopters in FlightGear is limited. In my opinion the [[Eurocopter Bo105|Bo105]] is the easiest to fly, since it reacts substantially more directly than other helicopters. Since helicopters get more and more popular in FlightGear, there are many other [[helicopter|helicopters]], all of them have their unique flight behavior.

Once you have loaded FlightGear, take a moment to centralize the controls by moving them around. In particular the collective is often at maximum on startup.

[[Image:s76c_landed.jpg]]

The helicopter is controlled by four functions. The stick (joystick) controls two of them, the inclination of the rotor disc (and thus the inclination of the helicopter) to the right/ left and forwards/back. Together these functions are called “cyclic blade control”. Next there is the “collective blade control”, which is controlled by the thrust controller. This causes a change of the thrust produced by the rotor. Since the powering of the main rotor transfers a torque to the fuselage, this must be compensated by the tail rotor. Since the torque is dependent on the collective and on the flight condition as well as wind can add additional torque on the fuselage, the tail rotor is also controlled by the pilot using the the pedals. If you push the right pedal, the helicopter turns to the right (!). The pedals are not a steering wheel. Using the pedals you can yaw helicopter around the vertical axis. The number of revolutions of the rotor is kept constant (if possible) by the aircraft.

[[Image:ec135_in_the_air.jpg]]

== Lift-Off ==

First reduce the collective to minimum. To increase the rotor thrust, you have to “pull” the collective. Therefore for minimum collective you have to push the control down (that is the full acceleration position (!) of the thrust controller). Equally, “full power” has the thrust controller at idle. Started the engine with “}”. After few seconds the rotor will start to turn and accelerates slowly. Keep the stick and the pedals approximately centered. Wait until the rotor has finished accelerating. For the Bo105 there is an instruments for engine and rotor speed on the left of the upper row.

Once rotor acceleration is complete, pull the collective very slowly. Keep your eye on the horizon. If the heli tilts or turns even slightly, stop increasing the collective and correct the position/movement with stick and pedals. If you are successful, continue pulling the collective (slowly!).

As the helicopter takes off, increase the collective a little bit more and try to keep the helicopter in a leveled position. The main challenge is reacting to the inadvertent rotating motion of the helicopter with the correct control inputs. Only three things can help you: practice, practice and practice. It is quite common for it to take hours of practice to achieve a halfway good looking hovering flight. Note: The stick position in a stable hover is not the center position of the joystick.

== In the air ==

To avoid the continual frustration of trying to achieve level flight, you may want to try forward flight. After take off continue pulling the collective a short time and then lower the nose a slightly using the control stick. The helicopter will accelerate forward. With forward speed the [[tail rotor]] does not have to be controlled as precisely due to the relative wind coming from directly ahead. Altogether the flight behavior in forward flight is quite similar to that of an badly trimmed airplane. The “neutral” position of the stick will depend upon airspeed and collective.

Transitioning from forward flight to hovering is easiest if you reduce speed slowly by raising the nose of the helicopter. At the same time, reduce the collective to stop the helicopter from climbing. As the helicopter slows, “translation lift” is reduced, and you will have to compensate by pulling the collective. When the speed is nearly zero, lower the nose to the position it was when hovering. Otherwise the helicopter will accelerate backwards!

== Back to Earth I ==

To land the helicopter transition to a hover as described above while reducing the altitude using the collective. Briefly before hitting the ground reduce the rate of descent slowly. A perfect landing is achieved if you managed to zero the altitude, speed and descent rate at the same time (gently). However, such landing are extremely difficult. Most pilots perform a hover more or less near to the ground and then decent slowly to the ground. Landing with forward velocity is easier, however you must make sure you don't land with any lateral (sideways) component to avoid a rollover.

[[Image:bo105_landed.jpg]]

== Back to Earth II ==

It is worth mentioning autorotation briefly. This is an unpowered flight condition, where the flow of air through the rotors rotates the rotor itself. At an appropriate altitude select a landing point (at first in the size of a larger airfield) and then switch the engine off by pressing "{". Reduce collective to minimum, place the tail rotor to approximately 0 degrees incidence (with the Bo push the right pedal about half , with Russian or French helicopters (like the Alouette 2) the left). Approach at approximately 80 knots. Don't allow the rotor speed to rise more than a few percent over 100%, otherwise the rotor will be damaged (though this is not currently simulated). As you reach the ground, reduce the airspeed by lifting the nose. The descent rate will drop at the same time, so you do not need to pull the collective. It may be the case that the rotor speed rises beyond the permitted range. Counteract this by raising the collective if required. Just above the ground, reduce the descent rate by pulling the collective. The goal is it to touch down with a very low descent rate and no forward speed. With forward speed it is easier, but there is a danger of a roll over if the skids are not aligned parallel to the flight direction. During the approach it is not necessary to adjust the tail rotor, since without power there is almost no torque. If you feel (after some practice), that autorotation is too easy, try it with a more realistic payload via the payload menu.

[[Image:bo105_auto.jpg]]

'''Much fun with the Flightgear helicopters!'''

MBB Bo 105

2007-11-30T00:01:39Z

Mjustus: status added

{{infobox Aircraft
|image =Bo105.jpg
|name =Eurocopter Bo105
|type =Helicopter
|fdm = YASim
|status = production
|authors = Melchior Franz, Maik Justus (FDM)
|fgname =<tt>bo105</tt>
}}
==Aircraft help==
{| width="100%"
| width="50%" align="left"| Shutdown/Start turbines
| width="50%" | { }
|-
| Select next/previous door
| d/D
|-
| Open/Close selected door
| Ctrl-D
|-
| Switch to next/previous variant
| y/Y
|-
| Open material dialogs
| Ctrl-Y
|-
| Fire machine guns/missiles
| ,
|-
| Open/Close Bo105 config dialog
| Tab
|}

== External links ==
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MBB_Bo_105 Wikipedia: Bo 105]

[[Image:FlightGearNL-9.jpg|thumb|270px|Bo105 at a heliplatform in the [[FlightGear NL]] scenery]]

[[Category:Aircraft]]
[[Category:Helicopters]]

B&F FK9 Mark 2

2007-11-29T22:02:04Z

Mjustus: first version

{{infobox Aircraft
|image = FK9MK2.jpg
|name = B&F FK9 Mark 2
|type = Civilian Aircraft
|authors = Emmanuel Baranger, Maik Justus (FDM)
|fdm = YASim
|status = beta
|fgname = <tt>fk9mk2-yasim</tt>
}}

File:FK9MK2.jpg

2007-11-29T21:58:23Z

Mjustus: B&F FK9 Mk2 Taildragger Version

B&F FK9 Mk2 Taildragger Version

Aircraft

2007-11-29T21:57:34Z

Mjustus: FK9MK2

{{Gallery|
[[Airbus A300]]|A300.png|
[[Airbus A320]]|A320.jpg|
[[Airbus A330]]|A330.jpg|
[[Airbus A340]]|A340.jpg|
[[Airbus A380]]|A380.jpg|
[[Airwave Xtreme 150]]|AirwaveXtreme150.jpg|
[[Antonov AN-225]]|Antonov_AN-255.jpg|
[[Antonov An-2]]|Antonov_An-2.jpg|
[[ASW-20 sailplane]]|Asw20.jpg|
[[BAC TSR-2 Prototype]]|BAC_TSR-2_Prototype.jpg|
[[Beechcraft Model 99]]|Beech99.jpg|
[[Bell 206 JetRanger Helicopter]]|Bell_206.jpg|
[[Boeing 737]]|737-300.jpg|
[[Boeing 747]]|747.jpg|
[[Boeing B-52]]|B-52F.jpg|
[[British Aerospace Harrier]]|Harrier.jpg|
[[B&F FK9 Mark 2]]|FK9MK2.jpg|
[[Cessna C172]]|Cessna_172P.jpg|
[[Cessna C182]]|Cessna_182.jpg|
[[Cessna C310]]|Cessna_C310.jpg|
[[Cessna T-37]]|Cessna_T-37.jpg|
[[CH-47 Chinook Helicopter]]|CH-47_Chinook.jpg|
[[ComperSwift Comper]]|ComperSwift.jpg|
[[Concorde]]|Concorde.jpg|
[[Douglas A4 Skyhawk]]|Douglas_A4.jpg|
[[Douglas DC-3]]|Douglas_DC3.jpg|
[[Ecureuil AS 350 Helicopter]]|Ecureuil_AS_350.jpg|
[[Eurocopter EC135]]|Ec135.png|
[[Fairchild A-10]]|A-10.jpg|
[[Fokker 100]]|Fokker100.jpg|
[[Fokker 50]]|Fokker50.jpg|
[[Fokker Dr.I]]|Fokker_DrI.jpg|
[[General Dynamics F-16]]|General_Dynamics_F16.jpg|
[[Grumman A-6E]]|A-6E.jpg|
[[Hawker Hunter]]|Hawker_Hunter.png|
[[Hawker Seahawk]]|Hawker_Seahawk.jpg|
[[Lockheed 1049]]|Lockheed_1049.jpg|
[[Lockheed F-104 Starfighter]]|Lockheed_F104.jpg|
[[McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle]]|McDonnell_Douglas_F-15.jpg|
[[North American OV-10A Bronco]]|OV-10A2.jpg|
[[North American X-15]]|X15.jpg|
[[Northrop T-38]]|Northrop_T-38.jpg|
[[Northrop/McDonnell Douglas YF-23]]|YF-23.jpg|
[[P-51D]]|P51d-mustang.png|
[[Paraglider]]|Paraglider.jpg|
[[Pilatus PC-7]]|Pilatus_PC-7.jpg|
[[Piper Cherokee Warrior II]]|Piper_Cherokee_Warrior_II.png|
[[Piper J3 Cub]]|Piper_j3cub.jpg|
[[Piper PA34-200T Seneca II]]|Piper_SenecaII.jpg|
[[Saab J 35Ö Draken]]|Saab_J35.jpg|
[[Schweizer 2-33]]|Sgs233.jpg|
[[Siai Marchetti S.211]]|Siai_Marchetti_S211.jpg|
[[Soko J-22 Orao / IAR-93]]|J22.jpg|
[[Sopwith Camel]]|SopwithCamel.jpg|
[[Space Shuttle]]|Space_Shuttle.jpg|
[[Supermarine Spitfire]]|Spitfire.jpg|
[[Tupolev 154]]|Tu154.jpg|
[[UFO from the 'White Project' of the UNESCO]]|UFO.jpg|
[[Wright Flyer (UIUC)]]|1903_Wright_Flyer.jpg|
[[X24]]|X24.jpg}}

Aérospatiale Alouette II

2007-11-29T21:53:55Z

Mjustus: first version

{{infobox Aircraft
|image =Aluette2.jpg
|name =Sud Aviation SA318C
|type = Helicopter
|authors = Emmanuel Baranger, Maik Justus (FDM, sound)
|fdm = YASim
|status = beta-
|fgname = <tt>alouette2</tt>, <tt>alouette2F</tt>
}}

[[Category:Helicopters]]

File:Aluette2.jpg

2007-11-29T21:47:31Z

Mjustus: Aluette 2

Aluette 2

Helicopter

2007-11-29T21:46:39Z

Mjustus: Aluette2

{{Gallery|
[[Bell 206 JetRanger Helicopter]]|Bell 206.jpg|
[[Bell Boeing V22 Osprey]]|V22Osprey.jpg|
[[Boeing-Vertol H21C]]|H21c.jpg|
[[CH-47 Chinook Helicopter]]|CH-47 Chinook.jpg|
[[Ecureuil AS 350 Helicopter]]|AS350.jpg|
[[Eurocopter Bo105]]|Bo105.jpg|
[[Eurocopter EC135]]|Ec135.jpg|
[[GDT Hornet (autogyro)]]|Hornet.jpg|
[[Sikorsky CH53E]]|Ch53e.jpg|
[[Sikorsky S51]]|S51.jpg|
[[Sikorsky S58]]|S58.jpg|
[[Sikorsky S76C]]|s76c_landed.jpg|
[[Sikorsky UH60]]|Uh60.jpg|
[[Sud Aviation SA318C Aluette2]]|Aluette2.jpg|
[[Piasecki HUP-3 ]]|Hup-3.jpg|
[[Robinson R22]]|R22.jpg
}}

Howto:Fly a helicopter

2007-11-18T00:59:32Z

Mjustus: /* Getting started */ Link to helicopter page

== Preface ==

First: in principle everything that applies to real helicopters, applies also to Flightgear. Fundamental maneuvers are well described on: http://www.cybercom.net/~copters/pilot/maneuvers.html Some details are simplified in Flightgear, in particular the engine handling and some overstresses are not simulated or are without any consequence. In Flightgear it is (up to now) not possible to damage a helicopter in flight.

[[Image:bo105_cockpit.jpg]]

Since the release of version 0.9.10 some improvements have been made to the helicopter flight model and therefore the CVS version should be used. With these improvements the helicopter flight model of Flightgear should be quite realistic. The only exceptions are “vortex ring conditions”. These occur if you descend too fast and perpendicularly (without forward speed). The heli can get into its own rotor downwash causing the lift to be substantially reduced. Recovering from this condition is possible only at higher altitudes. On the Internet you can find a video of a Seaking helicopter, which got into this condition during a flight demonstration and touched down so hard afterwards that it was completely destroyed.

For all Flightgear helicopters the parameters are not completely optimized and thus the performance data between model and original can deviate slightly. On the hardware side I recommend the use of a “good” joystick. A joystick without springs is recommended because it will not center by itself. You can have this by modifying (removing the spring) from a normal joystick, or by using a force feedback joystick, with a disconnected voltage supply. Further, the joystick should have a “thrust controller” (throttle). For controlling the tail rotor you should have pedals or at least a twistable joystick, keyboard would be the hard way. (Hint: Flightgear supports more than one joystick attached at the same time.)

== Getting started ==

The number of available helicopters in FlightGear is limited. In my opinion the [[Eurocopter Bo105|Bo105]] is the easiest to fly, since it reacts substantially more directly than other helicopters. Since helicopters get more and more popular in FlightGear, there are many other [[helicopter|helicopters]], all of them have their unique flight behavior.

Once you have loaded FlightGear, take a moment to centralize the controls by moving them around. In particular the collective is often at maximum on startup.

[[Image:s76c_landed.jpg]]

The helicopter is controlled by four functions. The stick (joystick) controls two of them, the inclination of the rotor disc (and thus the inclination of the helicopter) to the right/ left and forwards/back. Together these functions are called “cyclic blade control”. Next there is the “collective blade control”, which is controlled by the thrust controller. This causes a change of the thrust produced by the rotor. Since the powering of the main rotor transfers a torque to the fuselage, this must be compensated by the tail rotor. Since the torque is dependent on the collective and on the flight condition as well as wind can add additional torque on the fuselage, the tail rotor is also controlled by the pilot using the the pedals. If you push the right pedal, the helicopter turns to the right (!). The pedals are not a steering wheel. Using the pedals you can yaw helicopter around the vertical axis. The number of revolutions of the rotor is kept constant (if possible) by the aircraft.

[[Image:ec135_in_the_air.jpg]]

== Lift-Off ==

First reduce the collective to minimum. To increase the rotor thrust, you have to “pull” the collective. Therefore for minimum collective you have to push the control down (that is the full acceleration position (!) of the thrust controller). Equally, “full power” has the thrust controller at idle. Started the engine with “}”. After few seconds the rotor will start to turn and accelerates slowly. Keep the stick and the pedals approximately centered. Wait until the rotor has finished accelerating. For the Bo105 there is an instruments for engine and rotor speed on the left of the upper row.

Once rotor acceleration is complete, pull the collective very slowly. Keep your eye on the horizon. If the heli tilts or turns even slightly, stop increasing the collective and correct the position/movement with stick and pedals. If you are successful, continue pulling the collective (slowly!).

As the helicopter takes off, increase the collective a little bit more and try to keep the helicopter in a leveled position. The main challenge is reacting to the inadvertent rotating motion of the helicopter with the correct control inputs. Only three things can help you: practice, practice and practice. It is quite common for it to take hours of practice to achieve a halfway good looking hovering flight. Note: The stick position in a stable hover is not the center position of the joystick.

== In the air ==

To avoid the continual frustration of trying to achieve level flight, you may want to try forward flight. After take off continue pulling the collective a short time and then lower the nose a slightly using the control stick. The helicopter will accelerate forward. With forward speed the [[tail rotor]] does not have to be controlled as precisely due to the relative wind coming from directly ahead. Altogether the flight behavior in forward flight is quite similar to that of an badly trimmed airplane. The “neutral” position of the stick will depend upon airspeed and collective.

Transitioning from forward flight to hovering is easiest if you reduce speed slowly by raising the nose of the helicopter. At the same time, reduce the collective to stop the helicopter from climbing. As the helicopter slows, “translation lift” is reduced, and you will have to compensate by pulling the collective. When the speed is nearly zero, lower the nose to the position it was when hovering. Otherwise the helicopter will accelerate backwards!

== Back to Earth I ==

To land the helicopter transition to a hover as described above while reducing the altitude using the collective. Briefly before hitting the ground reduce the rate of descent slowly. A perfect landing is achieved if you managed to zero the altitude, speed and descent rate at the same time (gently). However, such landing are extremely difficult. Most pilots perform a hover more or less near to the ground and then decent slowly to the ground. Landing with forward velocity is easier, however you must make sure you don't land with any lateral (sideways) component to avoid a rollover.

[[Image:bo105_landed.jpg]]

== Back to Earth II ==

It is worth mentioning autorotation briefly. This is an unpowered flight condition, where the flow of air through the rotors rotates the rotor itself. At an appropriate altitude select a landing point (at first in the size of a larger airfield) and then switch the engine off by pressing "{". Reduce collective to minimum, place the tail rotor to approximately 0 degrees incidence (with the Bo push the right pedal about half , with AS 350 the left). Approach at approximately 80 knots. Don't allow the rotor speed to rise more than a few percent over 100%, otherwise the rotor will be damaged (though this is not currently simulated). As you reach the ground, reduce the airspeed by lifting the nose. The descent rate will drop at the same time, so you do not need to pull the collective. It may be the case that the rotor speed rises beyond the permitted range. Counteract this by raising the collective if required. Just above the ground, reduce the descent rate by pulling the collective. The goal is it to touch down with a very low descent rate and no forward speed. With forward speed it is easier, but there is a danger of a roll over if the skids are not aligned parallel to the flight direction. During the approach it is not necessary to adjust the tail rotor, since without power there is almost no torque. If you feel (after some practice), that autorotation is too easy, try it with a more realistic payload via the payload menu.

[[Image:bo105_auto.jpg]]

'''Much fun with the Flightgear helicopters!'''

File:Hornet.jpg

2007-11-18T00:51:04Z

Mjustus: GDT Hornet (autogyro)

GDT Hornet (autogyro)

Helicopter

2007-11-18T00:49:34Z

Mjustus: Hornet added

{{Gallery|
[[Bell 206 JetRanger Helicopter]]|Bell 206.jpg|
[[Bell Boeing V22 Osprey]]|V22Osprey.jpg|
[[Boeing-Vertol H21C]]|H21c.jpg|
[[CH-47 Chinook Helicopter]]|CH-47 Chinook.jpg|
[[Ecureuil AS 350 Helicopter]]|AS350.jpg|
[[Eurocopter Bo105]]|Bo105.jpg|
[[Eurocopter EC135]]|Ec135.jpg|
[[GDT Hornet (autogyro)]]|Hornet.jpg|
[[Sikorsky CH53E]]|Ch53e.jpg|
[[Sikorsky S51]]|S51.jpg|
[[Sikorsky S58]]|S58.jpg|
[[Sikorsky S76C]]|s76c_landed.jpg|
[[Sikorsky UH60]]|Uh60.jpg|
[[Piasecki HUP-3 ]]|Hup-3.jpg|
[[Robinson R22]]|R22.jpg
}}

File:Uh60.jpg

2007-11-18T00:38:31Z

Mjustus: Sikorsky UH60

Sikorsky UH60

File:S58.jpg

2007-11-18T00:34:07Z

Mjustus: Sikorsky S58

Sikorsky S58

File:R22.jpg

2007-11-18T00:21:16Z

Mjustus: Robinson R22

Robinson R22

File:Hup-3.jpg

2007-11-18T00:20:42Z

Mjustus: Piasecki HUP-3

Piasecki HUP-3

File:CH-47 Chinook.jpg

2007-11-18T00:20:18Z

Mjustus: CH-47 Chinook

CH-47 Chinook

File:S51.jpg

2007-11-18T00:18:32Z

Mjustus: Sikorsky S51

Sikorsky S51

File:H21c.jpg

2007-11-18T00:08:45Z

Mjustus: Boeing-Vertol H21C

Boeing-Vertol H21C

Helicopter

2007-11-17T23:53:13Z

Mjustus: Update of the list

{{Gallery|
[[Bell 206 JetRanger Helicopter]]|Bell 206.jpg|
[[Bell Boeing V22 Osprey]]|V22Osprey.jpg|
[[Boeing-Vertol H21C]]|H21c.jpg|
[[CH-47 Chinook Helicopter]]|CH-47 Chinook.jpg|
[[Ecureuil AS 350 Helicopter]]|AS350.jpg|
[[Eurocopter Bo105]]|Bo105.jpg|
[[Eurocopter EC135]]|Ec135.jpg|
[[Sikorsky CH53E]]|Ch53e.jpg|
[[Sikorsky S51]]|S51.jpg|
[[Sikorsky S58]]|S58.jpg|
[[Sikorsky S76C]]|s76c_landed.jpg|
[[Sikorsky UH60]]|Uh60.jpg|
[[Piasecki HUP-3 ]]|Hup-3.jpg|
[[Robinson R22]]|R22.jpg
}}

Howto:Fly a helicopter

2007-11-17T23:38:30Z

Mjustus: /* Getting started */ remove the recommendation of the as350

== Preface ==

First: in principle everything that applies to real helicopters, applies also to Flightgear. Fundamental maneuvers are well described on: http://www.cybercom.net/~copters/pilot/maneuvers.html Some details are simplified in Flightgear, in particular the engine handling and some overstresses are not simulated or are without any consequence. In Flightgear it is (up to now) not possible to damage a helicopter in flight.

[[Image:bo105_cockpit.jpg]]

Since the release of version 0.9.10 some improvements have been made to the helicopter flight model and therefore the CVS version should be used. With these improvements the helicopter flight model of Flightgear should be quite realistic. The only exceptions are “vortex ring conditions”. These occur if you descend too fast and perpendicularly (without forward speed). The heli can get into its own rotor downwash causing the lift to be substantially reduced. Recovering from this condition is possible only at higher altitudes. On the Internet you can find a video of a Seaking helicopter, which got into this condition during a flight demonstration and touched down so hard afterwards that it was completely destroyed.

For all Flightgear helicopters the parameters are not completely optimized and thus the performance data between model and original can deviate slightly. On the hardware side I recommend the use of a “good” joystick. A joystick without springs is recommended because it will not center by itself. You can have this by modifying (removing the spring) from a normal joystick, or by using a force feedback joystick, with a disconnected voltage supply. Further, the joystick should have a “thrust controller” (throttle). For controlling the tail rotor you should have pedals or at least a twistable joystick, keyboard would be the hard way. (Hint: Flightgear supports more than one joystick attached at the same time.)

== Getting started ==

The number of available helicopters in FlightGear is limited. In my opinion the [[Eurocopter Bo105|Bo105]] is the easiest to fly, since it reacts substantially more directly than other helicopters. Since helicopters get more and more popular in FlightGear, there are many other helicopters, all of them have their unique flight behavior.

Once you have loaded FlightGear, take a moment to centralize the controls by moving them around. In particular the collective is often at maximum on startup.

[[Image:s76c_landed.jpg]]

The helicopter is controlled by four functions. The stick (joystick) controls two of them, the inclination of the rotor disc (and thus the inclination of the helicopter) to the right/ left and forwards/back. Together these functions are called “cyclic blade control”. Next there is the “collective blade control”, which is controlled by the thrust controller. This causes a change of the thrust produced by the rotor. Since the powering of the main rotor transfers a torque to the fuselage, this must be compensated by the tail rotor. Since the torque is dependent on the collective and on the flight condition as well as wind can add additional torque on the fuselage, the tail rotor is also controlled by the pilot using the the pedals. If you push the right pedal, the helicopter turns to the right (!). The pedals are not a steering wheel. Using the pedals you can yaw helicopter around the vertical axis. The number of revolutions of the rotor is kept constant (if possible) by the aircraft.

[[Image:ec135_in_the_air.jpg]]

== Lift-Off ==

First reduce the collective to minimum. To increase the rotor thrust, you have to “pull” the collective. Therefore for minimum collective you have to push the control down (that is the full acceleration position (!) of the thrust controller). Equally, “full power” has the thrust controller at idle. Started the engine with “}”. After few seconds the rotor will start to turn and accelerates slowly. Keep the stick and the pedals approximately centered. Wait until the rotor has finished accelerating. For the Bo105 there is an instruments for engine and rotor speed on the left of the upper row.

Once rotor acceleration is complete, pull the collective very slowly. Keep your eye on the horizon. If the heli tilts or turns even slightly, stop increasing the collective and correct the position/movement with stick and pedals. If you are successful, continue pulling the collective (slowly!).

As the helicopter takes off, increase the collective a little bit more and try to keep the helicopter in a leveled position. The main challenge is reacting to the inadvertent rotating motion of the helicopter with the correct control inputs. Only three things can help you: practice, practice and practice. It is quite common for it to take hours of practice to achieve a halfway good looking hovering flight. Note: The stick position in a stable hover is not the center position of the joystick.

== In the air ==

To avoid the continual frustration of trying to achieve level flight, you may want to try forward flight. After take off continue pulling the collective a short time and then lower the nose a slightly using the control stick. The helicopter will accelerate forward. With forward speed the [[tail rotor]] does not have to be controlled as precisely due to the relative wind coming from directly ahead. Altogether the flight behavior in forward flight is quite similar to that of an badly trimmed airplane. The “neutral” position of the stick will depend upon airspeed and collective.

Transitioning from forward flight to hovering is easiest if you reduce speed slowly by raising the nose of the helicopter. At the same time, reduce the collective to stop the helicopter from climbing. As the helicopter slows, “translation lift” is reduced, and you will have to compensate by pulling the collective. When the speed is nearly zero, lower the nose to the position it was when hovering. Otherwise the helicopter will accelerate backwards!

== Back to Earth I ==

To land the helicopter transition to a hover as described above while reducing the altitude using the collective. Briefly before hitting the ground reduce the rate of descent slowly. A perfect landing is achieved if you managed to zero the altitude, speed and descent rate at the same time (gently). However, such landing are extremely difficult. Most pilots perform a hover more or less near to the ground and then decent slowly to the ground. Landing with forward velocity is easier, however you must make sure you don't land with any lateral (sideways) component to avoid a rollover.

[[Image:bo105_landed.jpg]]

== Back to Earth II ==

It is worth mentioning autorotation briefly. This is an unpowered flight condition, where the flow of air through the rotors rotates the rotor itself. At an appropriate altitude select a landing point (at first in the size of a larger airfield) and then switch the engine off by pressing "{". Reduce collective to minimum, place the tail rotor to approximately 0 degrees incidence (with the Bo push the right pedal about half , with AS 350 the left). Approach at approximately 80 knots. Don't allow the rotor speed to rise more than a few percent over 100%, otherwise the rotor will be damaged (though this is not currently simulated). As you reach the ground, reduce the airspeed by lifting the nose. The descent rate will drop at the same time, so you do not need to pull the collective. It may be the case that the rotor speed rises beyond the permitted range. Counteract this by raising the collective if required. Just above the ground, reduce the descent rate by pulling the collective. The goal is it to touch down with a very low descent rate and no forward speed. With forward speed it is easier, but there is a danger of a roll over if the skids are not aligned parallel to the flight direction. During the approach it is not necessary to adjust the tail rotor, since without power there is almost no torque. If you feel (after some practice), that autorotation is too easy, try it with a more realistic payload via the payload menu.

[[Image:bo105_auto.jpg]]

'''Much fun with the Flightgear helicopters!'''

Howto:Do aerotow over the net

2007-05-10T20:15:27Z

Mjustus:

You can do aerotow over the net (multiplayer). To do this, you need to use the latest source and data from cvs as this is not available with latest official 0.9.10 release of the program and aircraft data. At this time, only two motor-aircraft and one glider and are capable of participating in soaring. These are the J3 (j3cub), the Beaver (dhc2W) and the Bocian. The following example uses the J3 and the Bocian. But if you are new to aerotow: use the Beaver. It's much easier with it.

[[Image:aerotow2.jpg]]

Taxi the J3 within 60m to the bocian. The bocian pilot has to press Ctrl-o. Both pilots should see a radio message that they are connected to each other, then the J3 pilot can taxi. Until we have the instrumentation designed that is capable of displaying the distance between the two aircraft, the J3 pilot should watch /sim/hitches/aerotow/tow/dist and /sim/hitches/aerotow/tow/dist-time-lag-corrected in the property browser. Be very slow if the dist gets near 60m, the length of the tow. Increase the speed slowly. Both pilots should try to lift off gently - the glider pilot should be particularly careful not to lift the tail of the towplane. Either pilot can release the tow by pressing "O" (Shift-o).

[[Image:aerotow.jpg]]

If you are not using a local network connection, both pilots should log in on the same server to minimize the time lag. The time lag will still rather large. Therefore /sim/hitches/aerotow/tow/dist and /sim/hitches/aerotow/tow/dist-time-lag-corrected differ significantly (the second value is the estimated dist, the other pilot is seeing right now).

Howto:Do aerotow over the net

2007-03-22T21:28:05Z

Mjustus: Removed the comment about the bug in the patch cache (it is fixed meanwhile)

You can do aerotow over the net (multiplayer). To do this, you need to use the latest source and data from cvs as this is not available with latest official 0.9.10 release of the program and aircraft data. At this time, only two motor-aircraft and one glider and are capable of participating in soaring. These are the J3 (j3cub), the Beaver (dhc2F, dhc2W) and the Bocian. The following example uses the J3 and the Bocian. But if you are new to aerotow: use the Beaver. It's much easier with it.

[[Image:aerotow2.jpg]]

Taxi the J3 within 60m to the bocian. The bocian pilot has to press Ctrl-o. Both pilots should see a radio message that they are connected to each other, then the J3 pilot can taxi. Until we have the instrumentation designed that is capable of displaying the distance between the two aircraft, the J3 pilot should watch /sim/hitches/aerotow/tow/dist and /sim/hitches/aerotow/tow/dist-time-lag-corrected in the property browser. Be very slow if the dist gets near 60m, the length of the tow. Increase the speed slowly. Both pilots should try to lift off gently - the glider pilot should be particularly careful not to lift the tail of the towplane. Either pilot can release the tow by pressing "O" (Shift-o).

[[Image:aerotow.jpg]]

If you are not using a local network connection, both pilots should log in on the same server to minimize the time lag. The time lag will still rather large. Therefore /sim/hitches/aerotow/tow/dist and /sim/hitches/aerotow/tow/dist-time-lag-corrected differ significantly (the second value is the estimated dist, the other pilot is seeing right now).

Howto:Fly a helicopter

2007-02-08T15:14:50Z

Mjustus: pictures

== Preface ==

First: in principle everything that applies to real helicopters, applies also to Flightgear. Fundamental maneuvers are well described on: http://www.cybercom.net/~copters/pilot/maneuvers.html Some details are simplified in Flightgear, in particular the engine handling and some overstresses are not simulated or are without any consequence. In Flightgear it is (up to now) not possible to damage a helicopter in flight.

[[Image:bo105_cockpit.jpg]]

Since the release of version 0.9.10 some improvements have been made to the helicopter flight model and therefore the CVS version should be used. With these improvements the helicopter flight model of Flightgear should be quite realistic. The only exceptions are “vortex ring conditions”. These occur if you descend too fast and perpendicularly (without forward speed). The heli can get into its own rotor downwash causing the lift to be substantially reduced. Recovering from this condition is possible only at higher altitudes. On the Internet you can find a video of a Seaking helicopter, which got into this condition during a flight demonstration and touched down so hard afterwards that it was completely destroyed.

For all Flightgear helicopters the parameters are not completely optimized and thus the performance data between model and original can deviate slightly. On the hardware side I recommend the use of a “good” joystick. A joystick without springs is recommended because it will not center by itself. You can have this by modifying (removing the spring) from a normal joystick, or by using a force feedback joystick, with a disconnected voltage supply. Further, the joystick should have a “thrust controller” (throttle). For controlling the tail rotor you should have pedals or at least a twistable joystick, keyboard would be the hard way. (Hint: Flightgear supports more than one joystick attached at the same time.)

== Getting started ==

The number of available helicopters in FlightGear is limited. In my opinion the Bo105 is the easiest to fly, since it reacts substantially more directly than other helicopters. For flight behavior I can also recommend the as350, though there is no 3D-model - it uses the Bo105 3D-model. The As350 reacts more retarded than the Bo.

Once you have loaded FlightGear, take a moment to centralize the controls by moving them around. In particular the collective is often at maximum on startup.

[[Image:s76c_landed.jpg]]

The helicopter is controlled by four functions. The stick (joystick) controls two of them, the inclination of the rotor disc (and thus the inclination of the helicopter) to the right/ left and forwards/back. Together these functions are called “cyclic blade control”. Next there is the “collective blade control”, which is controlled by the thrust controller. This causes a change of the thrust produced by the rotor. Since the powering of the main rotor transfers a torque to the fuselage, this must be compensated by the tail rotor. Since the torque is dependent on the collective and on the flight condition as well as wind can add additional torque on the fuselage, the tail rotor is also controlled by the pilot using the the pedals. If you push the right pedal, the helicopter turns to the right (!). The pedals are not a steering wheel. Using the pedals you can yaw helicopter around the vertical axis. The number of revolutions of the rotor is kept constant (if possible) by the aircraft.

[[Image:ec135_in_the_air.jpg]]

== Lift-Off ==

First reduce the collective to minimum. To increase the rotor thrust, you have to “pull” the collective. Therefore for minimum collective you have to push the control down (that is the full acceleration position (!) of the thrust controller). Equally, “full power” has the thrust controller at idle. Started the engine with “}”. After few seconds the rotor will start to turn and accelerates slowly. Keep the stick and the pedals approximately centered. Wait until the rotor has finished accelerating. For the Bo105 there is an instruments for engine and rotor speed on the left of the upper row.

Once rotor acceleration is complete, pull the collective very slowly. Keep your eye on the horizon. If the heli tilts or turns even slightly, stop increasing the collective and correct the position/movement with stick and pedals. If you are successful, continue pulling the collective (slowly!).

As the helicopter takes off, increase the collective a little bit more and try to keep the helicopter in a leveled position. The main challenge is reacting to the inadvertent rotating motion of the helicopter with the correct control inputs. Only three things can help you: practice, practice and practice. It is quite common for it to take hours of practice to achieve a halfway good looking hovering flight. Note: The stick position in a stable hover is not the center position of the joystick.

== In the air ==

To avoid the continual frustration of trying to achieve level flight, you may want to try forward flight. After take off continue pulling the collective a short time and then lower the nose a slightly using the control stick. The helicopter will accelerate forward. With forward speed the tail rotor does not have to be controlled as precisely due to the relative wind coming from directly ahead. Altogether the flight behavior in forward flight is quite similar to that of an badly trimmed airplane. The “neutral” position of the stick will depend upon airspeed and collective.

Transitioning from forward flight to hovering is easiest if you reduce speed slowly by raising the nose of the helicopter. At the same time, reduce the collective to stop the helicopter from climbing. As the helicopter slows, “translation lift” is reduced, and you will have to compensate by pulling the collective. When the speed is nearly zero, lower the nose to the position it was when hovering. Otherwise the helicopter will accelerate backwards!

== Back to Earth I ==

To land the helicopter transition to a hover as described above while reducing the altitude using the collective. Briefly before hitting the ground reduce the rate of descent slowly. A perfect landing is achieved if you managed to zero the altitude, speed and descent rate at the same time (gently). However, such landing are extremely difficult. Most pilots perform a hover more or less near to the ground and then decent slowly to the ground. Landing with forward velocity is easier, however you must make sure you don't land with any lateral lateral (sideways) component to avoid a rollover.

[[Image:bo105_landed.jpg]]

== Back to Earth II ==

It is worth mentioning autoration briefly. This is a unpowered flight condition, where the flow of air through the rotors rotates the rotor itelf. At an appropriate altitude select a landing point (at first in the size of a larger airfield) and then switch the engine off by pressing "{". Reduce collective to minimum, place the tail rotor to approximately 0 degrees incidence (with the Bo push the right pedal about half , with As350 the left). Approach at approximately 80 knots. Don't allow the rotor speed to rise more than a few percent over 100%, otherwise the rotor will be damaged (though this is not currently simulated). As you reach the ground, reduce the airspeed by lifting the nose. The descent rate will drop at the same time, so you do not need to pull the collective. It may be the case that the rotor speed rises beyond the permitted range. Counteract this by raising the collective if required. Just above the ground, reduce the descent rate by pulling the collective. The goal is it to touch down with a very low descent rate and no forward speed. With forward speed it is easier, but there is a danger of a roll over if the skids are not aligned parallel to the flight direction. During the approach it is not necessary to adjust the tail rotor, since without power there is almost no torque. If you feel (after some practice), that autorotation is too easy, try it with a more realistic payload via the payload menu.

[[Image:bo105_auto.jpg]]

Much fun with the Flightgear helicopters.

File:Ec135 in the air.jpg

2007-02-08T15:13:48Z

Mjustus: EC 135

EC 135

File:S76c landed.jpg

2007-02-08T15:13:29Z

Mjustus: S76C

S76C

Howto:Do aerotow over the net

2007-01-22T23:35:09Z

Mjustus: comment about the beaver

You can do aerotow over the net (multiplayer). You need actual cvs-source and data for this. Up to now, only two motor-aircrafts and one glider and are capable of this, the J3 (j3cub), the Beaver (dhc2F, dhc2W) and the Bocian. The following example uses the J3 and the Bocian. But if you are new to aerotow: use the Beaver. It's much easier with it.

[[Image:aerotow2.jpg]]

Taxi the J3 within 60m to the bocian. The bocian pilot has to press Ctrl-o. Both pilots should see a radio message that they are connected to each other, then the J3 pilot can taxi. As long as we have no instrument displaying the distance between the two aircrafts, the J3 pilot should watch /sim/hitches/aerotow/tow/dist and /sim/hitches/aerotow/tow/dist-time-lag-corrected in the property browser. Be very slow if the dist gets near 60m, the length of the tow. Increase the speed slowly. Both pilots should try to lift off gently - the glider pilot should be particularly careful not to lift the tail of the towplane. Either pilot can release the tow by pressing "O" (Shift-o).

[[Image:aerotow.jpg]]

If you are not using a local network connection, both pilots should log in on the same server to minimize the time lag. The time lag will still rather large. Therefore /sim/hitches/aerotow/tow/dist and /sim/hitches/aerotow/tow/dist-time-lag-corrected differ significantly (the second value is the estimated dist, the other pilot is seeing right now).

If you fail to tow the two aircrafts, both of you should restart (not reset) flightgear. There is a bug in the path cache of the property tree, which sometimes causes this behavior.

Howto:Do aerotow over the net

2007-01-22T22:08:26Z

Mjustus: The beaver can now aerotow, too

You can do aerotow over the net (multiplayer). You need actual cvs-source and data for this. Up to now, only two motor-aircrafts and one glider and are capable of this, the J3 (j3cub), the Beaver (dhc2F, dhc2W) and the Bocian. The following example uses the J3 and the Bocian.

[[Image:aerotow2.jpg]]

Taxi the J3 within 60m to the bocian. The bocian pilot has to press Ctrl-o. Both pilots should see a radio message that they are connected to each other, then the J3 pilot can taxi. As long as we have no instrument displaying the distance between the two aircrafts, the J3 pilot should watch /sim/hitches/aerotow/tow/dist and /sim/hitches/aerotow/tow/dist-time-lag-corrected in the property browser. Be very slow if the dist gets near 60m, the length of the tow. Increase the speed slowly. Both pilots should try to lift off gently - the glider pilot should be particularly careful not to lift the tail of the towplane. Either pilot can release the tow by pressing "O" (Shift-o).

[[Image:aerotow.jpg]]

If you are not using a local network connection, both pilots should log in on the same server to minimize the time lag. The time lag will still rather large. Therefore /sim/hitches/aerotow/tow/dist and /sim/hitches/aerotow/tow/dist-time-lag-corrected differ significantly (the second value is the estimated dist, the other pilot is seeing right now).

If you fail to tow the two aircrafts, both of you should restart (not reset) flightgear. There is a bug in the path cache of the property tree, which sometimes causes this behavior.

Howto:Do aerotow over the net

2007-01-21T13:15:05Z

Mjustus: the messages are now displayed on the screen, not on the console

You can do aerotow over the net (multiplayer). You need actual cvs-source and data for this. Up to now, only one glider and one motor-aircraft are capable of this, the j3cub and the Bocian.

[[Image:aerotow2.jpg]]

Taxi the J3 within 60m to the bocian. The bocian pilot has to press Ctrl-o. Both pilots should see a radio message that they are connected to each other, then the J3 pilot can taxi. As long as we have no instrument displaying the distance between the two aircrafts, the J3 pilot should watch /sim/hitches/aerotow/tow/dist and /sim/hitches/aerotow/tow/dist-time-lag-corrected in the property browser. Be very slow if the dist gets near 60m, the length of the tow. Increase the speed slowly. Both pilots should try to lift off gently - the glider pilot should be particularly careful not to lift the tail of the towplane. Either pilot can release the tow by pressing "O" (Shift-o).

[[Image:aerotow.jpg]]

If you are not using a local network connection, both pilots should log in on the same server to minimize the time lag. The time lag will still rather large. Therefore /sim/hitches/aerotow/tow/dist and /sim/hitches/aerotow/tow/dist-time-lag-corrected differ significantly (the second value is the estimated dist, the other pilot is seeing right now).

If you fail to tow the two aircrafts, both of you should restart (not reset) flightgear. There is a bug in the path cache of the property tree, which sometimes causes this behavior.

Howto:Do aerotow over the net

2007-01-18T23:01:04Z

Mjustus: add comment about a bug

You can do aerotow over the net (multiplayer). You need actual cvs-source and data for this. Up to now, only one glider and one motor-aircraft are capable of this, the j3cub and the Bocian.

[[Image:aerotow2.jpg]]

Taxi the J3 within 60m to the bocian. The bocian pilot has to press Ctrl-o. Both pilots should see in the console window, that they are towed to each other. Then the J3 pilot can taxi. As long as we have no instrument displaying the distance between the two aircrafts, the J3 pilot should watch /sim/hitches/aerotow/tow/dist and /sim/hitches/aerotow/tow/dist-time-lag-corrected in the property browser. Be very slow if the dist gets near 60m, the length of the tow. Increase the speed slowly. Both pilots should try to lift of gently. Both pilots can release the tow by pressing "O" (Shift-o).

[[Image:aerotow.jpg]]

If you are not using a local network connection, both pilots should log in on the same server to minimize the time lag. The time lag will still rather large. Therefore /sim/hitches/aerotow/tow/dist and /sim/hitches/aerotow/tow/dist-time-lag-corrected differ significantly (the second value is the estimated dist, the other pilot is seeing right now).

If you fail to tow the two aircrafts, both of you should restart (not reset) flightgear. There is a bug in the path cache of the property tree, which sometimes causes this behavior.

Howto:Do aerotow over the net

2007-01-18T22:51:43Z

Mjustus: swapped images

You can do aerotow over the net (multiplayer). You need actual cvs-source and data for this. Up to now, only one glider and one motor-aircraft are capable to do this. The j3cub and the bocian.

[[Image:aerotow2.jpg]]

Taxi the J3 within 60m to the bocian. The bocian pilot has to press Ctrl-o. Both pilots should see in the console window, that they are towed to each other. Then the J3 pilot can taxi. As long as we have no instrument displaying the distance between the two aircrafts, the J3 pilot should watch /sim/hitches/aerotow/tow/dist and /sim/hitches/aerotow/tow/dist-time-lag-corrected in the property browser. Be very slow if the dist gets near 60m, the length of the tow. Increase the speed slowly. Both pilots should try to lift of gently. Both pilots can release the tow by pressing "O" (Shift-o).

[[Image:aerotow.jpg]]

If you are not using a local network connection, both pilots should log in on the same server to minimize the time lag. The time lag will still rather large. Therefore /sim/hitches/aerotow/tow/dist and /sim/hitches/aerotow/tow/dist-time-lag-corrected differ significantly (the second value is the estimated dist, the other pilot is seeing right now).

Main Page

2007-01-18T22:45:20Z

Mjustus: linked the aerotow page

__NOTOC__
__NOEDITSECTION__
'''FlightGear''' Flight Simulator project is an open-source, multi-platform, cooperative flight simulator development project. Source code for the entire project is available ([http://cvs.flightgear.org/cgi-bin/viewcvs/viewcvs.cgi/?cvsroot=FlightGear-0.9#dirlist CVS repository]) and licensed under the [http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html GNU General Public License].

The goal of the '''FlightGear''' project is to create a sophisticated flight simulator framework for use in research or academic environments, for the development and pursuit of other interesting flight simulation ideas, and as an end-user application. We are developing a sophisticated, open simulation framework that can be expanded and improved upon by anyone interested in [[Volunteer|contributing]].

There are many exciting possibilities for an open, free flight sim. We hope that this project will be interesting and useful to many people in many areas.

'''FlightGear''' comes with a set of illustrated documentation, notably
"The Manual", which is available as
[http://www.flightgear.org/Docs/getstart/getstart.pdf PDF] and
[http://www.flightgear.org/Docs/getstart/getstart.html HTML]. If you
prefer to follow the 'bleeding edge' set of FlightGear instructions,
then the following articles are likely to make you happy. You will
notice that parts of this Wiki duplicate information that's already
present in "The Manual".

{|cellspacing="10"
| width="50%"|
== User Documentation ==

=== Getting Started ===
* [[ New to FlightGear ]]
* [[ Why FlightGear ]]
* [[ Features ]]
* [[ FAQ ]]
* [[ Hardware Recommendations ]]
* [[ Recommended Software ]]
* [[ Troubleshooting Problems ]]
* [[ Volunteer ]]
* [[ Real Life Experience ]]

=== Configuring Flightgear ===
* [[ Command Line Parameters ]]
* [[ Installing Scenery ]]
* [[ Improving Framerates ]]
* [[ Multiplayer Howto ]]
* [[ Linux software audio mixing with FlightGear ]]

=== Using Flightgear ===
* [[Aircraft]]
* [[ Suggested Flights ]]
* [[ Starting in the Air ]]
* [[ Instant Replay ]]
* [[ Preset Properties ]]
* [[ Realism ]]
* [[ Flying the Helicopter ]]
* [[ Doing aerotow over the net ]]

=== Interactive Scenarios ===
* [[ Carrier Howto ]]
* [[ Air-Air Refueling Howto ]]
* [[ AI Systems ]]
* [[ Interactive Traffic ]]
* [[ Soaring ]]

=== Flying Resources ===
* [[ Definitions Acronyms ]]
* [[ Getting IFR Charts ]]
* [[ Understanding Altitude ]]
* [[ Understanding Navigation ]]
* [[ Understanding Propeller Torque and P-Factor ]]
* [[ Understanding Aerodynamics ]]
* [[ Communications ]]
* [[ Weather ]]
* [[ Avionics and Instruments ]]
* [http://www.wingfiles.com/ Everything you need ]

| width="50%" valign="top" |
== Developer Documentation ==

=== Compiling ===
* [[ Building Flightgear ]]
* [[ Building Terragear ]]
* [[ OpenSceneGraph ]]

=== Contributing ===
* [[ Submitting Patches ]]
* [[ Code Cleanup ]]
* [[ Development Resources ]]
* [[ Extension Support ]]
* [[ Technical Reports ]]

=== Code Internals ===
* [[ Property Tree ]]
* [[ Subsystems ]]
* [[ Commands ]]
* [[ FDM API ]]
* [[ Nasal scripting language ]]
* [[ File Formats ]]

=== Modeling ===
* [[ Modeling - Getting Started ]]
* [[ Model Import and Export ]]
* [[ Modeling Resources ]]
* [[ Autopilot Tuning Resources ]]
* [[ Aircraft Information Resources ]]
* [[ Blender Ground Signs Tutorial]]
* [[ Normals and Transparency Tutorial ]]

=== Todo ===
* [[ Long Term Goals ]]
* [[ Bugs ]]
* [[ FGFS Todo ]]
* [[:Category:Aircraft TODO]]
* [[ Feature Requests / Proposals / Ideas ]]
* [[ FlightGear Expo Checklist ]]

=== Miscellaneous ===
* [[ Glass Cockpit Projects ]]
* [[ Tutorial Resources ]]
* [[ Copyright Inquiry ]]
* [http://www.cafepress.com/fgfs_gear FlightGear - Gear]
* [[Resources]]
* [[ Sign Specification Proposal ]]
|}

File:Aerotow2.jpg

2007-01-18T22:43:30Z

Mjustus: Doing aerotow

Doing aerotow

Howto:Do aerotow over the net

2007-01-18T22:42:45Z

Mjustus: How to aerotow,

You can do aerotow over the net (multiplayer). You need actual cvs-source and data for this. Up to now, only one glider and one motor-aircraft are capable to do this. The j3cub and the bocian.

[[Image:aerotow.jpg]]

Taxi the J3 within 60m to the bocian. The bocian pilot has to press Ctrl-o. Both pilots should see in the console window, that they are towed to each other. Then the J3 pilot can taxi. As long as we have no instrument displaying the distance between the two aircrafts, the J3 pilot should watch /sim/hitches/aerotow/tow/dist and /sim/hitches/aerotow/tow/dist-time-lag-corrected in the property browser. Be very slow if the dist gets near 60m, the length of the tow. Increase the speed slowly. Both pilots should try to lift of gently. Both pilots can release the tow by pressing "O" (Shift-o).

[[Image:aerotow2.jpg]]

If you are not using a local network connection, both pilots should log in on the same server to minimize the time lag. The time lag will still rather large. Therefore /sim/hitches/aerotow/tow/dist and /sim/hitches/aerotow/tow/dist-time-lag-corrected differ significantly (the second value is the estimated dist, the other pilot is seeing right now).

File:Aerotow.jpg

2007-01-18T22:30:19Z

Mjustus: Doing Aerotow over the net

Doing Aerotow over the net

Howto:Fly a helicopter

2007-01-09T22:40:34Z

Mjustus: delted the request for revision

== Preface ==

First: in principle everything that applies to real helicopters, applies also to Flightgear. Fundamental maneuvers are well described on: http://www.cybercom.net/~copters/pilot/maneuvers.html Some details are simplified in Flightgear, in particular the engine handling and some overstresses are not simulated or are without any consequence. In Flightgear it is (up to now) not possible to damage a helicopter in flight.

[[Image:bo105_cockpit.jpg]]

Since the release of version 0.9.10 some improvements have been made to the helicopter flight model and therefore the CVS version should be used. With these improvements the helicopter flight model of Flightgear should be quite realistic. The only exceptions are “vortex ring conditions”. These occur if you descend too fast and perpendicularly (without forward speed). The heli can get into its own rotor downwash causing the lift to be substantially reduced. Recovering from this condition is possible only at higher altitudes. On the Internet you can find a video of a Seaking helicopter, which got into this condition during a flight demonstration and touched down so hard afterwards that it was completely destroyed.

For all Flightgear helicopters the parameters are not completely optimized and thus the performance data between model and original can deviate slightly. On the hardware side I recommend the use of a “good” joystick. A joystick without springs is recommended because it will not center by itself. You can have this by modifying (removing the spring) from a normal joystick, or by using a force feedback joystick, with a disconnected voltage supply. Further, the joystick should have a “thrust controller” (throttle). For controlling the tail rotor you should have pedals or at least a twistable joystick, keyboard would be the hard way. (Hint: Flightgear supports more than one joystick attached at the same time.)

== Getting started ==

The number of available helicopters in FlightGear is limited. In my opinion the Bo105 is the easiest to fly, since it reacts substantially more directly than other helicopters. For flight behavior I can also recommend the as350, though there is no 3D-model - it uses the Bo105 3D-model. The As350 reacts more retarded than the Bo.

Once you have loaded FlightGear, take a moment to centralize the controls by moving them around. In particular the collective is often at maximum on startup.

The helicopter is controlled by four functions. The stick (joystick) controls two of them, the inclination of the rotor disc (and thus the inclination of the helicopter) to the right/ left and forwards/back. Together these functions are called “cyclic blade control”. Next there is the “collective blade control”, which is controlled by the thrust controller. This causes a change of the thrust produced by the rotor. Since the powering of the main rotor transfers a torque to the fuselage, this must be compensated by the tail rotor. Since the torque is dependent on the collective and on the flight condition as well as wind can add additional torque on the fuselage, the tail rotor is also controlled by the pilot using the the pedals. If you push the right pedal, the helicopter turns to the right (!). The pedals are not a steering wheel. Using the pedals you can yaw helicopter around the vertical axis. The number of revolutions of the rotor is kept constant (if possible) by the aircraft.

[[Image:bo105_in_the_air.jpg]]

== Lift-Off ==

First reduce the collective to minimum. To increase the rotor thrust, you have to “pull” the collective. Therefore for minimum collective you have to push the control down (that is the full acceleration position (!) of the thrust controller). Equally, “full power” has the thrust controller at idle. Started the engine with “}”. After few seconds the rotor will start to turn and accelerates slowly. Keep the stick and the pedals approximately centered. Wait until the rotor has finished accelerating. For the Bo105 there is an instruments for engine and rotor speed on the left of the upper row.

Once rotor acceleration is complete, pull the collective very slowly. Keep your eye on the horizon. If the heli tilts or turns even slightly, stop increasing the collective and correct the position/movement with stick and pedals. If you are successful, continue pulling the collective (slowly!).

As the helicopter takes off, increase the collective a little bit more and try to keep the helicopter in a leveled position. The main challenge is reacting to the inadvertent rotating motion of the helicopter with the correct control inputs. Only three things can help you: practice, practice and practice. It is quite common for it to take hours of practice to achieve a halfway good looking hovering flight. Note: The stick position in a stable hover is not the center position of the joystick.

== In the air ==

To avoid the continual frustration of trying to achieve level flight, you may want to try forward flight. After take off continue pulling the collective a short time and then lower the nose a slightly using the control stick. The helicopter will accelerate forward. With forward speed the tail rotor does not have to be controlled as precisely due to the relative wind coming from directly ahead. Altogether the flight behavior in forward flight is quite similar to that of an badly trimmed airplane. The “neutral” position of the stick will depend upon airspeed and collective.

Transitioning from forward flight to hovering is easiest if you reduce speed slowly by raising the nose of the helicopter. At the same time, reduce the collective to stop the helicopter from climbing. As the helicopter slows, “translation lift” is reduced, and you will have to compensate by pulling the collective. When the speed is nearly zero, lower the nose to the position it was when hovering. Otherwise the helicopter will accelerate backwards!

== Back to Earth I ==

To land the helicopter transition to a hover as described above while reducing the altitude using the collective. Briefly before hitting the ground reduce the rate of descent slowly. A perfect landing is achieved if you managed to zero the altitude, speed and descent rate at the same time (gently). However, such landing are extremely difficult. Most pilots perform a hover more or less near to the ground and then decent slowly to the ground. Landing with forward velocity is easier, however you must make sure you don't land with any lateral lateral (sideways) component to avoid a rollover.

[[Image:bo105_landed.jpg]]

== Back to Earth II ==

It is worth mentioning autoration briefly. This is a unpowered flight condition, where the flow of air through the rotors rotates the rotor itelf. At an appropriate altitude select a landing point (at first in the size of a larger airfield) and then switch the engine off by pressing "{". Reduce collective to minimum, place the tail rotor to approximately 0 degrees incidence (with the Bo push the right pedal about half , with As350 the left). Approach at approximately 80 knots. Don't allow the rotor speed to rise more than a few percent over 100%, otherwise the rotor will be damaged (though this is not currently simulated). As you reach the ground, reduce the airspeed by lifting the nose. The descent rate will drop at the same time, so you do not need to pull the collective. It may be the case that the rotor speed rises beyond the permitted range. Counteract this by raising the collective if required. Just above the ground, reduce the descent rate by pulling the collective. The goal is it to touch down with a very low descent rate and no forward speed. With forward speed it is easier, but there is a danger of a roll over if the skids are not aligned parallel to the flight direction. During the approach it is not necessary to adjust the tail rotor, since without power there is almost no torque. If you feel (after some practice), that autorotation is too easy, try it with a more realistic payload via the payload menu.

[[Image:bo105_auto.jpg]]

Much fun with the Flightgear helicopters.