Common Issues - CZ Autoz Mods

Start here before anything else. CZ Autoz Helicopter generates its own dedicated log files — these will tell you exactly what is wrong far faster than anything else. See Logging & Diagnostics below for the full list and what each file contains.

Installation & Whitelisting

Helicopters don't work / controls are unresponsive

The most common cause is an IP not being whitelisted. The first thing to do is check the whitelist status log — it tells you exactly what the mod found:

$profile:\CZAutoz_Heli_whitelist_status.log

The log will show your server’s detected IP and port, the whitelist result (WHITELISTED or NOT WHITELISTED), and the exact reason if it failed. Common reasons shown in the log:

IP not registered — go to #ip-whitelisting and submit your IP via the bot
Port mismatch — the port in the log doesn’t match what was registered; re-whitelist with the correct port
API unreachable — the mod couldn’t reach the whitelist service; check your server’s outbound internet access, check CZAutoz_Heli_whitelist_debug.log for connection details, and verify the service is online at status.czautoz.co.uk
If your server IP has changed (new host, new instance), re-whitelist the new IP via the bot
After whitelisting, restart the server for it to take effect

Config files are not being generated

Config files are written to $profile:\CZAutoz_Heli\ on the first server start after the mod is loaded.

Confirm the mod is correctly added to your server’s -mod= startup parameter
Confirm the mod is loading successfully — check your RPT log for any mod load errors
Make sure the server profile directory is writable
Try a full server restart (not a crash recovery restart)

Mod loads but helicopters are not appearing in game

Helicopters are not added to loot automatically — you need to add them to your server’s economy:

Add helicopter classnames to your types.xml, trader config, or event spawner
All spawnable classnames are listed on the Helicopter Overview page
After editing types.xml, restart the server for changes to take effect

Helicopters don't persist / disappear after a restart

As of v0.2.1 the helicopters are built on DayZ’s native CarScript base class, so they are covered by DayZ’s native vehicle Central Economy root automatically — no manual persistence setup is required. Helicopters persist across restarts out of the box.

A manual cfgeconomycore.xml <rootclass> entry is no longer required as of v0.2.1
Upgrading from v0.2? v0.2 was built on the Transport base class and required a manual <rootclass name="CZAutoz_Helicopter_Script" act="car" reportMemoryLOD="no" /> entry in cfgeconomycore.xml. Remove that line — it is no longer needed.
Wipe existing helicopter persistence once when updating to v0.2.1, as the save format changed with the base-class migration.

See the Persistence — No Setup Required step in the setup guide for full context.

Engine & Battery

Cannot start the engine — no start action appears

The engine start action requires a charged CZ_HelicopterBattery in the helicopter’s battery slot.

Check the helicopter’s inventory for a CZ_HelicopterBattery item in the dedicated battery slot
If the battery is present but has zero charge, it needs to be recharged or replaced
If no battery is present at all, add CZ_HelicopterBattery to your types.xml so it can spawn
To disable the battery requirement entirely: set battery.startDrain = 0 in the helicopter’s JSON config

Battery drains very quickly

Battery drain is controlled by three settings in the battery section of the helicopter’s JSON config:

Setting	Effect
`battery.startDrain`	Drained per engine start/stop (default: `10`)
`battery.lightDrain`	Drained per second with lights on (default: `2.0`)
`battery.chargeRate`	Recharged per second while engine running (default: `5.0`)

Battery max charge is 500 units. Increase battery.chargeRate or reduce drain values to extend battery life.

Engine won't start even with a charged battery

Confirm the battery is in the correct HelicopterBattery slot (not general cargo)
Make sure the battery charge is greater than 0 — a battery at exactly 0 charge will not work
If the battery is correct and charged but the engine still won’t start, check whether the server is whitelisted — an unwhitelisted server disables all mod features including engine start. Open $profile:\CZAutoz_Heli_whitelist_status.log to confirm the whitelist result

Flight & Physics

Helicopter feels too heavy / hard to lift off

Increase flight.liftMultiplier in the helicopter’s JSON config. Each helicopter has a different default:

Helicopter	Default Lift
MD500 Civilian	2.6
MH-6 Little Bird	2.8
SA342M Gazelle	2.7
UH-1H Iroquois	3.3
MH-60L Blackhawk	4.3
AW101 Merlin	4.3

Try increasing by 0.2–0.5 increments and restarting the server to test.

Controls feel sluggish or unresponsive

Increase control.b2tRampRate for snappier control response. Lower values = smoother/more sluggish, higher = more direct.Also check control.pitchStrength, control.bankStrength, and control.yawStrength — these can all be increased independently.

Helicopter spins out of control after tail rotor damage

This is intentional behaviour when the tail rotor is destroyed. To reduce the severity:

Lower tailRotorFailure.spinRate (degrees per second of uncontrolled yaw)
Lower tailRotorFailure.descentRate (forced descent rate in m/s²)
Or disable tail rotor damage entirely: set damage.zones.rotor2 = 0

Autohover X key does nothing

Check features.autoHoverEnabled in mod_config.json — if this is set to 0, Autohover is disabled server-wide. Set it to 1 and restart. Autohover is bound to X on the keyboard by default and is rebindable in the controls settings.

Refuelling

Refuel action won't appear

The refuel action has several requirements — all must be met for it to show:

Hold a gasoline container — must be in your hands (e.g. Jerrycan). Only gasoline-type fuel is accepted; other liquid types will not work
Look at the fuel refill point on the helicopter model — the action appears on a specific component on the airframe, not just anywhere near the helicopter
Within range — you must be within fuel.refuelDistance metres of the refill point (default 5.0 m)
Tank not already full — the action won’t appear if the helicopter’s fuel is at 100%
Container not ruined — a ruined container cannot be used

No jerry can? A helicopter can also be pump-refuelled at a working map fuel station (vanilla, Enoch, or a Simple Gas Pump) — fly or push it up to the pump and use the built-in refuel action, which fills at a faster rate.

Repair & Damage

Cannot repair the helicopter / repair action not appearing

All repairs require every one of the following conditions:

HelicopterRepairKit held in hands — must be actively held, not in inventory or backpack
Engine off — or the main rotor must be fully destroyed (a destroyed main rotor unlocks repairs even if the engine is still spooling down)
Rotor spool below 50% — the rotor must have slowed to below half speed before repairs are available
Helicopter within 5 m AGL — must be on or very close to the ground
Player must be standing — crouched or prone stances block the repair action
Proximity — main/tail rotor repairs require you within 3 m of the rotor; all other zones within 5 m

If all conditions are met and the action still doesn’t appear, confirm CZ_HelicopterRepairKit is in your types.xml and spawning in the world.

Helicopter takes damage too easily / is too fragile

Adjust these settings in the damage section of the helicopter’s JSON config:

Setting	Effect
`damage.contactCoef`	Lower = tougher airframe (less damage per impact)
`damage.crashThreshold`	Higher = harder hits needed before heavy damage occurs

To make a helicopter completely invincible, set all damage zones to 0 under damage.zones:

"zones": {
  "chassis": 0,
  "body": 0,
  "engine": 0,
  "fuel": 0,
  "rotor1": 0,
  "rotor2": 0
}

Cabin Mode

Character snaps / teleports repeatedly when moving to the cabin in flight

Known issue — Cabin Mode is still being reworked and is now disabled by default (v0.2.4). Moving to the cabin while the helicopter is moving, hovering, or in flight does not yet hold the pilot/co-pilot inside the cabin correctly (snapping/teleporting, or a stuck falling animation).

As of v0.2.4, features.cabinModeEnabled defaults to 0 — first-time and regenerated configs disable it automatically. Please keep it disabled until a future hotfix completes the rework
Existing servers: set cabinModeEnabled = 0 in mod_config.json to hide the action and avoid the issue entirely
Seat Exit Free Walk and Walk-On Linking (cabin passengers, AW101 Merlin) are engine-native and were never affected

Move to Cabin action is not appearing

Cabin Mode is only available on the UH-1H Iroquois and MH-60L Blackhawk
You must be seated as pilot or co-pilot — cabin passengers use the standard get-out action which exits them into the interior directly, so they do not have or need this action
As of v0.2.4 features.cabinModeEnabled defaults to 0 (Cabin Mode is being reworked), so the action will not appear unless an admin enables it. We recommend leaving it off until a future hotfix — it reappears if cabinModeEnabled is set to 1

Re-enabling Cabin Mode

Cabin Mode ships OFF by default as of v0.2.4 while it is being reworked — we recommend leaving it disabled until a future hotfix. If you do want to turn it on, set features.cabinModeEnabled to 1: from the in-game Admin Panel it applies live (no restart), or edit mod_config.json directly and restart the server.

Configuration

Config changes are not taking effect

Changes made in the in-game Admin Panel apply live — they update every spawned helicopter and connected player instantly, no restart or reconnect (since v0.2.3). Only direct edits to the JSON config files need a server restart, since those are read on startup.

Config values after a mod update

Since v0.2.3, a mod update migrates your configs in place — new keys are added, removed keys cleaned up, and all your custom values are kept. It is triggered by the version field stored in mod_config.json changing.

Your originals are backed up first to $profile:\CZAutoz_Heli\Backups\v<oldversion>_<date>\ before any migration touches a file
Only when first moving from v0.2.2-or-earlier onto a v0.2.3+ build might a one-time re-apply be needed
Do not manually edit the version field in mod_config.json — let the mod set it

New config keys from a mod update are missing

Since v0.2.3 a mod version update migrates configs in place, so new keys are added automatically while your existing custom values are kept. If new keys are still missing after a server restart, check your RPT log for errors during config loading.

Mod Compatibility

Vehicle 3PP / 3rd-person camera mod won't switch the helicopters to 3rd person

As of v0.2.1 the helicopters are CarScript vehicles, so 3rd-person camera mods like Vehicle 3PP now apply their whitelist to them (under the old Transport base they bypassed it entirely and always showed 3rd person). If your helis are stuck in 1st person, they just need adding to the 3PP whitelist:

Open $profile:3PPVehicleWhitelist.json
Add CZAutoz_Helicopter_Base to the Whitelist array — this one base class covers all CZ Autoz helicopters via inheritance
Or leave the Whitelist array empty to allow 3rd person on all vehicles
3PP’s DriverOnly setting still applies: "true" lets only the pilot use 3rd person (passengers locked to 1st); set "false" to allow everyone

This is a one-time setting on the 3PP mod’s side — nothing needs changing in CZ Autoz. The 3rd-person view you get is the mod’s own smoothed helicopter chase camera.

Client crashes when spawning a helicopter via an admin tool (VPP, COT, etc.)

First confirm every client and the server are running the exact same mod version — both the Scripts and the Models/Data PBOs. A version mismatch (for example a client still on an older build while the server runs the current one) is the most common cause of a client crash on spawn, because the helicopter’s class and config definitions differ between the two. Fully update / re-subscribe the mod on every client and the server, then retry.

Logging & Diagnostics

CZ Autoz Helicopter generates its own dedicated log files — separate from the standard DayZ .RPT. These are your first stop for any issue. They are written to your server’s profile directory and contain specific, readable diagnostics that the generic RPT cannot provide.

Log File Overview

File	Written	Purpose
`$profile:\CZAutoz_Heli_whitelist_status.log`	Every server start (overwritten)	Human-readable whitelist result — status, detected IP/port, exact failure reason
`$profile:\CZAutoz_Heli_whitelist_debug.log`	Every whitelist check (appended)	Low-level API call details, retry attempts, connection errors
`$profile:\CZAutoz_Heli_debug.log`	While `logging.CZAutoz_logDebug = 1`	Verbose mod diagnostics — physics, repair checks, config loading
`$profile:\CZAutoz_Heli_Activity_YYYY-MM-DD.log`	While `logging.CZAutoz_logActivity = 1`	Timestamped player activity — who flew which helicopter and when

Whitelist Status Log

$profile:\CZAutoz_Heli_whitelist_status.log

Check this first whenever helicopters are not responding or controls are dead. The mod writes this file on every server start. Open it and look for the STATUS line:

Status	Meaning
`STATUS : WHITELISTED`	IP verified — mod is fully active
`STATUS : NOT WHITELISTED`	IP check failed — features are disabled

The file also shows the server IP and port the mod detected — compare these against what you submitted to the whitelist bot. If they don’t match, that is your problem. If the status is NOT WHITELISTED, the file contains the exact reason and what to do about it.

This file is overwritten on every server start — it always shows the result of the most recent check.

Whitelist Debug Log

$profile:\CZAutoz_Heli_whitelist_debug.log

Check this if the status log shows an unexpected result, or if the mod reports it couldn’t reach the whitelist API. This file contains the raw API responses, retry attempts, HTTP status codes, and connection error details. Useful for diagnosing firewall blocks or network issues between your server and the whitelist service. Unlike the status log, this file is appended — it accumulates across server starts. Each entry is timestamped so you can identify the relevant session.

Before digging into the debug log, check whether the CZ Autoz whitelist service itself is online: status.czautoz.co.uk. If the service is down, an API unreachable result is expected and no server-side fix is needed — wait for service restoration and restart.

Mod Debug Log

$profile:\CZAutoz_Heli_debug.log

Do not enable debug logging unless you have been specifically asked to by a CZ Autoz developer. It is not a general troubleshooting tool — it generates very large log files and can impact server performance on a live server. Only enable it when a developer requests it to investigate a specific reported issue.

For developer-assisted diagnostics only. This log is only written when debug logging is enabled — it is off by default and should stay that way. To enable when asked by a developer:

Open $profile:\CZAutoz_Heli\mod_config.json
In the logging section, set "CZAutoz_logDebug": 1
Restart the server
Reproduce the issue
Open $profile:\CZAutoz_Heli_debug.log and share the contents with the developer

Always set logging.CZAutoz_logDebug back to 0 immediately after. Never leave it enabled on a live server.

Activity Log

$profile:\CZAutoz_Heli_Activity_YYYY-MM-DD.log

A daily timestamped record of every significant player helicopter event — engine starts/stops, seat enter/exit, repairs, refuels, cargo changes, crashes, rotor kills, combat logging indicators, and more. Each entry includes the player’s display name, Steam GUID, and helicopter classname. This is the primary tool for admin investigations, compensation decisions, and dispute resolution. Enabled by setting logging.CZAutoz_logActivity = 1 in mod_config.json — we recommend enabling it on all servers. See Global Settings for the full list of recorded events and what data each one captures.

Still Need Help?

If your issue isn’t covered here, visit the CZ Autoz Discord for community support.

CZ Autoz Discord

Get help from the community and the development team

​Installation & Whitelisting

​Engine & Battery

​Flight & Physics

​Refuelling

​Repair & Damage

​Cabin Mode

​Configuration

​Mod Compatibility

​Logging & Diagnostics

​Log File Overview

​Whitelist Status Log

​Whitelist Debug Log

​Mod Debug Log

​Activity Log

​Still Need Help?

CZ Autoz Discord

Installation & Whitelisting

Engine & Battery

Flight & Physics

Refuelling

Repair & Damage

Cabin Mode

Configuration

Mod Compatibility

Logging & Diagnostics

Log File Overview

Whitelist Status Log

Whitelist Debug Log

Mod Debug Log

Activity Log

Still Need Help?