Wanted for a while to try this puppy out. Not got great expectations, but it’s all free so why not. Here’s the mod:
https://flightsim.to/file/8970/airbus-h135-helicopter-project
Here’s the Whistler Blackcomb Heliport, as pointed out by @BeachAV8R in the swollen Pacific NW sceneries topic.
https://flightsim.to/file/9709/whistler-blackcomb-heliport-bkcb
Ok, let’s spawn in by picking the parking spot in the above scenery and setting up the ‘Other’ category helo in the flight planner. Lots of glass!
Is that @BeachAV8R? Finally got him in a whirlybird…
So no cold and dark as yet, but at least the rotors aren’t spinning.
I picked a ‘medical’ livery that came with it, figuring I’d be picking up ragdolls from the bottom of the ski hill. As with all things MSFS, it’s very pretty.
Ok, the battery switch on the center console works, so I guess Cold and Dark is possible, although I was sort of wanting to go the other way.
A quick look around shows the GPS is functional, and there’s about 20% of the switches modelled so far. I believe it’s early days for the mod with lots to come. Don’t expect much in the way of systems yet.
I fumble around in the cockpit, and end up doing a CTRL E to start the spinny bits (there’ll be a seminar on advanced helo terms later).
(a still image doesn’t do great at picturing the spinning rotor disk, but there is one).
For reasons unknown the cockpit goes dark. The pitch/yaw are bound to the rotor, the throttle to the collective and the rudders seems ok. Nice to have nothing to bind to get going. I can’t see any controls move in the cockpit but they do respond, so imagination time. The sounds are pretty good, and the flight model is very docile so far. I expected to die, but this is sort of sleepy and a hover is fine.
I feel I may have skipped some pre-flight checklist items here. A door or two was left open. Oops.
I’m going to go back and do a pad start, either that or at least read how to start it up. Pro moves. Ok, back to the World Map to set up.
Ok, that’s better, we’re in a ready to go state with things spinning. Off we go. That reflection of the GPS is realistic and annoying.
Pretty easy to control, seem naturally stable, which makes me suspicious after all the killing DCS Huey had on me.
I’ll head down the mountain and see if I can find the Medical helipad in downtown Whistler, it’s not far.
Along the lake and on the left I think.
The rivers and trees are nice, but the buildings are sort of variable in this neck of the woods. Not sure if photogrammetry is ideal for this down low, but it’s an acquired taste for sure.
The Highway 99 looks ok, plus I recognize the shops on the right. Not much traffic though.
I still need to figure out a trim function, as it has a big tendency to want to roll up and go backwards without much stick pressure.
Ok, here we are over the day parking lot. The hospital is just up here, I can feel the Visa cards straining, as the leg casts set.
Hmm, no pad, so I’ll try to put it down in the car park then.
They put a building on my helipad. You can see it here on the texture to the right of my console, as the round circle. How rude!
I refuse to let a building spoil my plans.
Maybe if I open the garage door they’ll let me on the pad.
It’s a Canadian stand off, where we just apologize to each other for a bit.
If Chris is prepared to wait, then so will I.
The Fairmont coming up is at least the right colour, albeit a bit short, so we’ll stay there. At lot of the ski / mountain bike runs are correct, and pretty good details. Summer time people don’t break bones skiing, so move on to mountain biking injuries instead. It’s a year round industry.
Those yellow umbrellas are in front of the Longhorn restaurant below, which was what the early version of Windows Vista would become, as where the off-site’s were held. Poor Vista. TrackIR or VR is obviously very useful with this mod, and for screenshots I used TrackIR.
So all in all, quite nice. Very simple systems, no idea if the H135 is so nice and stable (it could be, it looks very modern) and the flight model isn’t ridiculous enough to be bad. This is going to be great for putting around looking at stuff.
Cool!
