This guide covers how to actually fly — from startup to shutdown — including the physics systems that affect handling and what to do when things go wrong. For key bindings, see the Controls Reference.
Before You Fly
Battery
The HelicopterBattery must be in the helicopter’s battery slot with charge greater than zero. Without it, the engine start action will not appear. The battery charges automatically while the engine is running — lights drain it, so leave them off until you’re in the air if the battery is low.
Damage Zones
The HUD shows six zone health indicators (Body, Engine, Chassis, Fuel, Main Rotor, Tail Rotor). Check them before starting — a damaged main rotor will reduce lift, and a damaged tail rotor will make yaw control difficult.
Starting Up
- Sit in the pilot or co-pilot seat
- Hold the Start Engine action (~1 second)
- The rotor begins to spool up — watch the animation and listen for the rotor sound to build
- Wait until the rotor has reached full speed before attempting to lift off
Startup time varies significantly between helicopters:
| Helicopter | Approx. Spool Time |
|---|
| MD500 Civilian | ~17 s |
| MH-6 Little Bird | ~17 s |
| SA342M Gazelle | ~32 s |
| MH-60L Blackhawk | ~20 s |
| UH-1H Iroquois | ~49 s |
| AW101 Merlin | ~60 s |
The engine cannot be stopped while the helicopter is airborne and moving. This is intentional — it prevents accidental engine cuts mid-flight.
Takeoff
- Increase collective with Shift gradually — don’t yank it to full
- As the helicopter lightens, use Q / E to correct any yaw rotation
- When you feel lift, continue increasing collective to rise off the ground
- Ground effect gives extra lift within approximately 10 m AGL — takeoffs feel easier close to the ground than climbing through mid-altitude
- Once airborne, pitch forward slightly with W to begin building forward speed
Forward Flight
Once moving, push pitch forward and let speed build. At around 72 km/h you will notice the helicopter climbs more easily — this is Effective Translational Lift (ETL), a real helicopter aerodynamic effect where forward movement makes the rotor more efficient. At cruise speed you’ll need less collective to maintain altitude than in a stationary hover.
Speed limits: Each helicopter has a VNE (velocity never exceed). Above 80% of that speed, progressive drag kicks in and pushes the nose down — you cannot sustainably fly above it.
Weathervane: At low forward speed, the helicopter naturally aligns its nose to the direction of travel. This automatic tendency is strongest on lighter helicopters and weakest on the heavy Merlin.
Hovering
Hovering is the most demanding phase of helicopter flight:
- Hold altitude with Shift (climb) and Z (descend)
- Small Q / E inputs to hold heading
- Ground effect gives a helpful stability cushion below ~10 m AGL — hovering close to the ground is slightly easier
- Press X to engage Auto Hover — the helicopter decelerates, stabilises, and holds altitude, heading, and position automatically. Any control input immediately disengages it.
Auto Hover is your best tool during cabin mode entries, crew transfers, or any time you need hands-off stability.
Landing
- Reduce forward speed with S — bring airspeed back toward zero
- At low speed, reduce collective gradually to descend
- As you descend through 10 m AGL, ground effect returns — you may need slightly less collective than expected
- Flare the descent rate with a small collective increase just before touchdown
- Touch down gently and reduce collective to zero once skids or wheels contact the ground
Auto Hover is useful for setting up a landing — engage it over your LZ, confirm you’re clear of obstacles, then descend straight down with collective.
Auto Hover
Press X at any time in the pilot or co-pilot seat.
- The helicopter smoothly decelerates and transitions into a locked hover
- Holds altitude, heading, and XY position
- Any control input immediately disengages it — no need to press X again
Automatic engagement: Auto Hover engages on its own if the pilot voluntarily exits while the helicopter is airborne. This stops the aircraft drifting away unmanned.
It does not engage if the pilot is killed. A pilot killed in their seat leaves the helicopter flying on its last heading with no hold — the co-pilot must take control, or it will eventually crash.
Autorotation (Engine Failure)
If the engine fails — from fuel exhaustion, engine destruction, or manual shutdown — the rotor continues spinning through inertia. This is autorotation and it is your path to a survivable landing.
During the glide:
- The helicopter descends in a controlled glide rather than an immediate freefall
- Descent rate is capped per helicopter (lighter aircraft glide better than heavy ones)
- The rotor stays spinning as long as you maintain airspeed
The flare:
- On your final approach, pull collective up — this converts rotor inertia into a brief vertical lift boost, slowing your descent rate for the last few metres
- Time this correctly and you can land safely with a dead engine
| Helicopter | Max Autorotation Descent |
|---|
| MD500 Civilian | 8.5 m/s |
| MH-6 Little Bird | 8.0 m/s |
| SA342M Gazelle | 9.5 m/s |
| UH-1H Iroquois | 11.5 m/s |
| MH-60L Blackhawk | 14.0 m/s |
| AW101 Merlin | 16.0 m/s |
Emergency Procedures
Fuel low
Warning beeps start at 20% fuel remaining (configurable). The beep interval shortens as fuel continues to drop — increasing urgency. Find a landing zone immediately. Both pilot and co-pilot hear the warning.
Tail rotor destroyed
The helicopter enters an uncontrolled yaw spin. Spin rate depends on helicopter type. Attempt an immediate autorotation landing — yaw authority is gone, but collective still works. You have limited time before the spin becomes unrecoverable.
Main rotor destroyed
The helicopter loses lift immediately and falls. There is no recovery from main rotor destruction.
Inverted on the ground
If CZH_groundFlipRecovery is enabled on your server, pressing X while grounded and inverted will flip the helicopter upright. This is disabled by default.
Helicopter Differences
All six helicopters use the same controls but feel significantly different:
| Helicopter | Character |
|---|
| MD500 Civilian | Light, nimble, very responsive — easiest to learn on |
| MH-6 Little Bird | Similar to MD500 but slightly more agile |
| SA342M Gazelle | Note: pilot sits on the RIGHT — opposite to all other helicopters |
| UH-1H Iroquois | Medium, predictable, good for cargo work |
| MH-60L Blackhawk | Heavy, stable — requires more collective and input |
| AW101 Merlin | Very heavy — sluggish responses, highest startup time, lowest service ceiling |
Shutting Down
- Land fully — wheels or skids on the ground
- Hold the Stop Engine action (~1 second)
- The rotor will spool down
The engine cannot be stopped while airborne and moving — the action is blocked as a safety measure. 