Re: Helicopter Wheels
Posted: 2012-12-26 02:06
I gave it a little run about 10 minutes ago and these are my observations:
-The ability to taxi on the ground gives an extra dimension to chopper piloting, allowing the pilot to taxi around the carrier/runway. This is good as it means no longer will I have to fly 1ft off the ground in order to just fly 2m down the carrier/runway as I did not land on the reloading area, instead I can just taxi forwards at no risk to other air traffic.
-When landing the chopper it rolls at the speed that you touched down at (good) which is easily counter-acted by the pilot using the reverse taxi direction effectively acting as a brake (in combination with using the S key). Also, this means that flying a transport chopper will now require a bit more skill by the pilot who will require a (slightly) larger landing area.
-After doing some tests as to how different landing speeds affect the actual landing, I found that anything under 250km/h is easily manageable to apply reverse thrust and come to a safe stop, but anything over around a 550km/h landing and then attempting to apply reverse taxi runs a high risk of sending the chopper pointing 45-90 degrees into the sky and wildly whipping back wards at a high speed (similar to what happens to new "noob" PR pilots when trying to land their first helicopter as they flare drastically, and therefore over compensate for speed sending the helicopter speeding backwards). This highspeed can easily be brought down to a manageable lower speed by doing a slight flare when reaching the LZ (which leads conditions perfect for hover landing or a slow rolling landing) or tapping (default) S as you approach the LZ.
-The ability to roll forward does not contribute much to the takeoff (sadly) and you can still easily takeoff in a hover by slightly applying reverse taxi as you increase power.
-With regards to the forward rolling being used as a momentum gain before takeoff, the maximum you can gain is around 40-50 km/h in forwards taxi which can easily be gained in flight if you decide to do a hover takeoff anyway. (Fun fact:While testing taxiing out on the Chinook, holding the 'S' key along with apply reverse taxi allowed me to travel at 330 km/h backwards).
-Having wheels on these choppers adds a slight difference to increased stability on the ground when turning your helicopter to face a different direction (e.g. Compare to the Lynx).
-Different choppers have power differences in taxiing. For example the Chinook is alot more powerful when taxiing when compared to the H-34.
If I had to choose between the old system and the new system, I would definitely choose the new system as it feels more polished and (dare I say) realistic.
-The ability to taxi on the ground gives an extra dimension to chopper piloting, allowing the pilot to taxi around the carrier/runway. This is good as it means no longer will I have to fly 1ft off the ground in order to just fly 2m down the carrier/runway as I did not land on the reloading area, instead I can just taxi forwards at no risk to other air traffic.
-When landing the chopper it rolls at the speed that you touched down at (good) which is easily counter-acted by the pilot using the reverse taxi direction effectively acting as a brake (in combination with using the S key). Also, this means that flying a transport chopper will now require a bit more skill by the pilot who will require a (slightly) larger landing area.
-After doing some tests as to how different landing speeds affect the actual landing, I found that anything under 250km/h is easily manageable to apply reverse thrust and come to a safe stop, but anything over around a 550km/h landing and then attempting to apply reverse taxi runs a high risk of sending the chopper pointing 45-90 degrees into the sky and wildly whipping back wards at a high speed (similar to what happens to new "noob" PR pilots when trying to land their first helicopter as they flare drastically, and therefore over compensate for speed sending the helicopter speeding backwards). This highspeed can easily be brought down to a manageable lower speed by doing a slight flare when reaching the LZ (which leads conditions perfect for hover landing or a slow rolling landing) or tapping (default) S as you approach the LZ.
-The ability to roll forward does not contribute much to the takeoff (sadly) and you can still easily takeoff in a hover by slightly applying reverse taxi as you increase power.
-With regards to the forward rolling being used as a momentum gain before takeoff, the maximum you can gain is around 40-50 km/h in forwards taxi which can easily be gained in flight if you decide to do a hover takeoff anyway. (Fun fact:While testing taxiing out on the Chinook, holding the 'S' key along with apply reverse taxi allowed me to travel at 330 km/h backwards).
-Having wheels on these choppers adds a slight difference to increased stability on the ground when turning your helicopter to face a different direction (e.g. Compare to the Lynx).
-Different choppers have power differences in taxiing. For example the Chinook is alot more powerful when taxiing when compared to the H-34.
If I had to choose between the old system and the new system, I would definitely choose the new system as it feels more polished and (dare I say) realistic.
