I can see the complaints regarding the Gaz FM when you have modules like the Huey or the Hind. However, I certainly think it is flyable and enjoyable. Until we have another light gun help, I’ll work with what I have.
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Are you talking about the Dixmude campaign? Maybe I’m just remembering the ones that Nicolas was talking to me about - he was talking about needing to use the NVG and staying out of sight etc. Having to hold the machine exactly in place (using the AP) whilst jumping to the left seat for missile firing etc. It did sound great, but until recently I never really got into that side of operating the Gazelle. I suppose I do have enough knowledge to do it now, without having the manual open. Well, maybe I’ll have a go - I’ve flown that practice navigation mission so many times now, at least I know I can get where I want to go 
He was very passionate about it - I do hope he’s doing a campaign for the Kiowa, I’ve not heard from him in a long time.
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That’s the one I was referring to.
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Ah, I don’t have the South Atlantic map so didn’t download it. I was talking about the campaign that comes with the module.
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I flew the first, maybe two, missions of Operation Dixmude.
Then I had to stop an entire advancing tank column at night, by myself, with an attack chopper armed with only 4 missiles, which I could only aim, very slowly from the autohover.
After getting shot down by the tanks a few timws, I gave up.
I’m sure it’s possible if you are in the right spot at the right time and looking at the right place. I just never got all of those things right and got frustrated of fighting the autohover and switching seats.
It’s a shame that the Gazelle camera still hasn’t been fixed. Would be a joy to fly in multicrew. Currently the slewing mechanism is the same as in the FC3 A-10A and the Su-25T.
Where you keep whatever button pressed (up, down, left right) but mostly move where you are aiming with the attitude of the aircraft. Then when you let go of the button, the camera is stabilized again. It’s workable in a lo-fi attack jet, but in a twitchy multi-crew helicopter, it is terribly frustrating.
The worst part is that when you are in the cockpit with a crew of 2, you can’t even briefly activate the auto-hover to keep the nose still for a bit: that is disabled when flying multi-crew
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I haven’t flown the Gaz much recently, so they may have broken something with the autotrack with the Athos since the last update that I missed.
The key to the Gaz is using vertical cover to expose your sight enough to aim, pretty much like the MMS in the Kiowa will function (just a little lower on the helo). It took me a bit to learn that lesson, but using ridge lines, buildings, etc it’s quite workable once you get used to it. Either that, or setup for a max range shot while running in, and know just how far off laterally you can get and still have the HOT guide.
My general procedure was slow to a hover in my preferred location, engage autohover, disable the autocollective, get collective set to maintain the masked height I want. Switch to the left hand seat, and adjust the collective to just unmask the sight, find my targets, auto slave the helo to target direction (so the nose is facing the target), set the camera to track the target (I would skip this step usually if I was shooting from a hover), verify parameters, and shoot. On impact bob down, possibly reposition depending on the range and incoming fire, repeat.
Alternately, run in with the SAS and altitude hold engaged, switch to seat 2, line up my targets using the cyclic, slave the camera, verify parameters, shoot at max range. Soon as the missile impacts, break, and do it again.
I never finished Dixmude due to a bug that popped up after an update, but I got fairly far into it and never found it unfair. Challenging yes, but not unfair.
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I don’t mean to come across the wrong way at all (total Gazelle noob, owned for years but never touched it until now), but what is broken about it? I had no trouble at all (seemingly) using Chuck’s guide from ~2016 to set up controls, and then going and flying/fighting it. I thought the camera and weapon employment (HOT AT Missiles, anyway) was among the simplest modules to make use of; now I’m wondering if there’s something I missed or am failing to grasp? 
There’s a few missions like that in the Falklands campaign, where the # of targets exceeds the basic load, requiring a rapid return to the FARP and re-arming to re-engage. I actually loved that quasi-realism there. I’ll have to give the default campaign a try, maybe it’s a whole 'nother can of worms at night.
Are you using buttons or a hat for the camera? I just mapped my throttle TDC axis (axii?) to the camera slew without thinking about it, makes it easy to track moving targets as long as I focus on the trend so as not to overcorrect.
My workflow consists of flying (T/O, cruise, approach/landing) mostly from the right seat, and fighting in the left. Maybe unrealistic to switch back and forth (functional multicrew would be epic!), but seemed to be the way the module was intended. I’ve had fairly good luck shooting my first 1-2 missiles at long range while approaching the target if it’s unaware and in the open. The autopilot altitude and speed hold modes work pretty well for me for that purpose, and guiding a missile while flying at decent altitude isn’t quite impossible.
Then diving behind a ridgeline, city or forest and repositioning laterally I can come to a low hover, engage the auto-hover mode, and sneak up from defilade for the rest of my shots. I’ve got everything bound to HOTAS so I don’t have to fight the systems really at all.
I think (based on what little I know about the bird) that the hardest part is getting a stable hover within the parameters that auto-hover will engage. I did struggle a bit with that until I found the attitude indicator has a flight director mode (3-way rotary to the right, IIRC without looking) that gives you guidance to stabilize within those parameters. That works pretty good (along with having the controls indicator up to visually confirm it’s ‘taken’).
What you said. 
That does suck. Why would they disable the auto-hover mode of the autopilot (an actual aircraft system, not a game-ism) when using multicrew?! 
It is definitely that! I fly it not with my fingertips, but by blowing on the stick and occasionally gently rubbing it with one finger. Any more than that and it’s perfectly content to roll inverted, and perfectly happy to stay that way, merrily flying along. 
All in all, I love the systems, weapons (well, HOT missiles and TV anyway), and cockpit. The flight model irks me though. I speculate they started with an FC3 fixed-wing flight model and set mass=0 or something like that.
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Thanks for the tips guys! Sounds like I should try single-crew Gazelle flying again.
The camera works fine from an autopilot stabilized hover, but when a human is hovering, the slight movements of the nose far exceed the authority of the (unstabilized) slew controls.
The rest is 100% skill issue on my part.
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axes 
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… and pitchforks oc 
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and if you are asking, no, I dont own Gazelle for DCS only for XP. I should try the two weeks trial I guess 
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*pronounced “axease” or “ackseez” if ya like
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Ah, Yes! I’d forgot, but I did notice that. I think it’s the only time momentum or inertia is simulated in the entire flight model. 
I made peace with it by toggling between slaved and unslaved, target-finding unslaved and then using slaved to get within launch parameters.
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The Gazelle is great fun. But so is the broom in Hogwarts Legacy. Both are similarly grounded to real-world aerodynamics.
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Well put!
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Darn you @Phantom88 ! I specifically logged in here to post this video and you beat me to it again. I’ll get you next time.
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I like how you can adjust the aiming mark on the windshield. Very clever.
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I’m going to message you next time before I post so I don’t ■■■■ you off!! 
Yeah that adjustable grease marker is a Very Clever Idea
I didn’t think After The Apache release that I’d care much about this module……but now I see what a great companion it will be to The 64 and how much We really do need a good scout aircraft
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There is going to be a lot of virtual helicopter flyers making “Hunter Killer” missions with this module and the Apache. I would assume that among other reasons Kiowa is still not released could be waiting for ED to get the data link for Apache implemented which I assume would be compatible with Kiowa data link. Going to be real fun running these two modules together in multiplayer.
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