Common Issues

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 log — it tells you exactly what the mod found:

$profile:\CZAutoz_Whitelist_YYYY-MM-DD.log

Since v0.3.0 the helicopter reports into the same date-stamped whitelist log as the CZ Autoz vehicle mods — one shared file for the whole fleet, one RESULT line per product per check. The line shows your server’s detected IP and port and the result:

NOT REGISTERED — this IP isn’t on the whitelist; submit it via the bot in #ip-whitelisting or at czautoz.co.uk/whitelist
PORT MISMATCH — the port in the log doesn’t match what was registered; re-whitelist with the correct port
COULD NOT VERIFY (NETWORK) — the mod couldn’t reach the whitelist service; check your server’s outbound internet access and verify the service is online at status.czautoz.co.uk — the mod keeps retrying automatically
If your server IP has changed (new host, new instance), re-whitelist the new IP via the bot or website
After whitelisting, restart the server for it to take effect (the mod also re-checks automatically on its retry timer)

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_Whitelist_YYYY-MM-DD.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	3.6
AW101 Merlin	3.6
MH-47G Chinook	3.7

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

Controls feel sluggish or unresponsive

Lower the control.response.*Tau time constants for snappier control response — the *AccelTau values govern how fast a control winds up, the *DecayTau values how fast it settles back. Lower = sharper, higher = smoother/heavier.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. The real emergency procedure works (since v0.3.0): shut the engine off and the spin stops — the spin is engine reaction torque, so with power cut you can autorotate down and land it straight.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 autoHoverEnabled in the live flight-mode profile (featuresSimple or featuresAdvanced, whichever matches gameplay.flightMode) in mod_config.json — if it is 0, Autohover is disabled for that mode. Set it to 1 and restart, or flip it live from the Admin Panel. Autohover is bound to X on the keyboard by default and is rebindable in the controls settings.

Free look seems always on / the mouse moves the helicopter

That player has Mouse Flight turned on. It is a per-player opt-in added in v0.3.9 — press K in the pilot seat to toggle it, and the dial cluster shows a KEYBOARD or MOUSE badge so you always know which mode you are in. While it is on the mouse feeds the cyclic instead of looking around, which is why free look appears to stop working.

The choice is saved to the player’s DayZ profile, so it survives relogs and restarts — pressing U once by accident sticks until they press it again
Since v0.4.0 an on-screen notification confirms every toggle, so an accidental press is no longer silent, and the free-look suppression applies only to the crew member actually holding the controls — passengers and non-flying crew keep always-on free look exactly as the server intends
Sensitivity is tunable per player with CZAutoz_MouseSens in their DayZ profile (default 0.3, valid range 0.01–2.0)
U is a normal binding — a player who uses it for something else can rebind it in DayZ’s controls settings

Sling Loading

The Attach Sling Load action won't appear

Sling loading has a strict eligibility list — every one of these must be true before the action shows:

The feature is enabled — features.slingloadEnabled is 1 in mod_config.json (this is the default; 0 disables sling loading entirely)
The rotor is at 90% spool or more — you cannot hook a load on a cold or still-spooling aircraft
The helicopter is nearly stationary — under 2.5 m/s; hold a steady hover over the load
Someone is in the pilot or co-pilot seat — this applies to the ground-crew hook too, not just the pilot’s own action
The load is within reach of the hook — hover directly over it, with a clear line of sight from the load up to the hook
The load is within the aircraft’s lifting class — an overweight load simply cannot be hooked, and the action never appears

Helicopter	Maximum sling load
MH-6 Little Bird	500 kg
MD500 Civilian	600 kg
SA342M Gazelle	700 kg
UH-1H Iroquois	1,500 kg
MH-60L Blackhawk	3,000 kg
AW101 Merlin	5,500 kg
MH-47G Chinook	10,000 kg

Once hooked, the rope winches between 4 m and 22 m.

Sling loading ships as an EXPERIMENTAL feature — fully playable and server-safe, but the rope visuals and carrying feel are still being polished. Server owners who would rather not run it yet can set features.slingloadEnabled = 0.

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? Since v0.3.0 a helicopter refuels directly at fuel stations: land on or right beside a working pump (within ~12 m — the station roof counts), walk to the helicopter’s fuel cap with empty hands, and hold F on “Refuel at Fuel Station” — every airframe fills from empty in about 100 seconds. Works with vanilla and Enoch stations, plus pump mods built on the vanilla fuel-station class.

Repair & Damage

Cannot repair the helicopter / repair action not appearing

All repairs require every one of the following conditions:

A Helicopter Repair Kit (CZ_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
`damage.heliCrashDamageEnabled`	v0.3.0 — `0` = crashes/impacts (hard landings, trees, water) don’t damage the airframe at all, while bullets and explosions still do

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
}

Zombies damage my helicopters despite a damage-off mod

Fixed in v0.4.0 — update the mod. Our damage handling no longer overrides another mod’s damage switch, so a zombie/infected damage-off mod (or any mod that turns damage off on a vehicle) now holds on the helicopters as it does on every other vehicle.If you cannot update yet, the workaround is to make the airframe invincible from our side instead: set all six damage.zones.* values to 0 in the helicopter’s JSON config, exactly as shown above.

Cabin Mode

Move to Cabin action is not appearing

Cabin Mode is available on three airframes — the UH-1H Iroquois, the MH-60L Blackhawk and the MH-47G Chinook. The Chinook is the only one you can stand fully upright in; the other two are crouch-height cabins
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
Check features.cabinModeEnabled is 1 (the default since v0.2.8) — servers that disabled it during the v0.2.3/v0.2.4 rework keep their old 0 through config migration until an admin changes it back

Ramp & Doors

The Merlin / Chinook ramp is open but there's an invisible wall across it after a restart

Fixed in v0.4.0 — update the mod. A ramp (or landing gear, or a cabin door) that was left open across a server restart had its collision restored to the closed shape when the helicopter loaded back in, so the opening was blocked by geometry that was no longer visible. The collision shape is now re-baked properly on both the server and every client after a restart.

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.

Repairing with CFTools / GameLabs fills the helicopter with cargo modules I never configured

Fixed in v0.4.0 — update the mod. That repair action fills every empty attachment slot on a vehicle, which mounted all of the optional extra cargo modules regardless of your extraModules settings. The helicopter now notices modules attached by an outside tool and re-converges to your configured extraModules values a moment later, so CFTools, VPP and Expansion admin repairs all end up matching your config. Loaded and legitimately-configured modules are never stripped.

A vehicle-recovery or teleport mod moved a parked helicopter and it's invisible at the new spot

Fixed in v0.4.0 — update the mod. A parked helicopter moved by an external tool was relocated correctly on the server, but clients never applied the jump, so it appeared to stay where it was (or vanish). Clients now hard-snap a parked helicopter to its new position when an outside mod moves it. Normal flight smoothing is unchanged.

Historical Fixes

Historical fixes — if you are upgrading from an old build

These describe problems that were fixed long ago. They only matter if you are coming from an old build, or still carry a config value you set on our earlier advice.Cabin Mode (v0.2.8–v0.3.0) — Cabin Mode was fully reworked in v0.2.8 and polished further in v0.2.9 and v0.3.0. Moving to the cabin in flight is smooth and reliable at any speed, any attitude and any framerate (the old snapping/teleporting and stuck-falling issues from v0.2.3/v0.2.4 are gone, and v0.3.0 fixed a high-FPS arrival race that could briefly wedge a falling stance), and it ships ON by default (features.cabinModeEnabled = 1).

If you set cabinModeEnabled = 0 on our earlier advice, set it back to 1 — config migration keeps custom values, so an old 0 stays until you change it. From the in-game Admin Panel it applies live (no restart); direct JSON edits need a restart
Seat Exit Free Walk and Walk-On Linking (cabin passengers, AW101 Merlin) are engine-native and were never affected

Distant engine audio and prompts (v0.3.0) — engine shutdown and start are delivered guaranteed to every player at any distance, so a distant helicopter winds down audibly when its pilot shuts off, and the action prompt on approach (“Start Engine” vs “Shut Off Engine”) is always correct. If you still see this behaviour, the cause is a version mismatch — confirm the server and every client run the same mod version (both the Scripts and Models/Data PBOs), then retest.

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
`$profile:\CZAutoz_Whitelist_YYYY-MM-DD.log`	Every whitelist check (appended, one dated file per day)	Shared fleet whitelist log — one `RESULT` line per product per check with the detected IP/port and exact failure reason. Same file the CZ Autoz vehicle mods use
`$profile:\CZAutoz_Heli_debug_YYYY-MM-DD.log`	While `logging.CZAutoz_logDebug = 1`	Verbose mod diagnostics — repair checks, config loading, feature gates
`$profile:\CZAutoz_Heli_activity_YYYY-MM-DD.log`	While `logging.CZAutoz_logActivity = 1`	Timestamped player activity — who flew which helicopter and when
`$profile:\CZAutoz_Heli_physics_YYYY-MM-DD.log`	While `logging.CZAutoz_logPhysics = 1`	Flight-model telemetry in its own file, separate from the debug log — for developer-assisted flight investigations only

All four are written to the root of your profile folder (not inside CZAutoz_Heli\), and all four are date-stamped and roll over daily — one file per log, per day.

Whitelist Log

$profile:\CZAutoz_Whitelist_YYYY-MM-DD.log

Check this first whenever helicopters are not responding or controls are dead. Since v0.3.0 the helicopter reports into the same date-stamped whitelist log as the CZ Autoz vehicle mods — one shared file for the whole fleet, one RESULT line per product per check:

Result	Meaning
`RESULT: WHITELISTED`	IP verified — mod is fully active
`RESULT: NOT REGISTERED`	This server’s IP isn’t on the whitelist — features are disabled
`RESULT: PORT MISMATCH`	The IP is registered, but with a different port — re-whitelist with the correct one
`RESULT: COULD NOT VERIFY (NETWORK)`	The whitelist service couldn’t be reached — the mod retries automatically

Each line 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.

The file is appended (one dated file per day) and self-trims, so it never grows without bound. Before digging into a network result, check whether the CZ Autoz whitelist service itself is online: status.czautoz.co.uk. If the service is down, a network result is expected and no server-side fix is needed — the mod keeps retrying and recovers on its own.

Mod Debug Log

$profile:\CZAutoz_Heli_debug_YYYY-MM-DD.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 today’s $profile:\CZAutoz_Heli_debug_YYYY-MM-DD.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.

Physics Log

$profile:\CZAutoz_Heli_physics_YYYY-MM-DD.log

Same rule as the debug log — only enable this when a CZ Autoz developer asks you to. It writes flight-model telemetry at a high rate and will grow large quickly on a busy server.

Flight-model telemetry — the numbers behind lift, attitude, autorotation and impacts. It is a separate file from the debug log, with its own switch: set "CZAutoz_logPhysics": 1 in the logging section of mod_config.json and restart. It is off by default. Set it back to 0 as soon as the developer has what they need.

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

Getting Started

The Fleet

Features

Server Configuration

More

Installation & Whitelisting

Engine & Battery

Flight & Physics

Sling Loading

Refuelling

Repair & Damage

Cabin Mode

Ramp & Doors

Configuration

Mod Compatibility

Historical Fixes

Logging & Diagnostics

Log File Overview

Whitelist Log

Mod Debug Log

Physics Log

Activity Log

Still Need Help?

CZ Autoz Discord

​Installation & Whitelisting

​Engine & Battery

​Flight & Physics

​Sling Loading

​Refuelling

​Repair & Damage

​Cabin Mode

​Ramp & Doors

​Configuration

​Mod Compatibility

​Historical Fixes

​Logging & Diagnostics

​Log File Overview

​Whitelist Log

​Mod Debug Log

​Physics Log

​Activity Log

​Still Need Help?

CZ Autoz Discord

Installation & Whitelisting

Engine & Battery

Flight & Physics

Sling Loading

Refuelling

Repair & Damage

Cabin Mode

Ramp & Doors

Configuration

Mod Compatibility

Historical Fixes

Logging & Diagnostics

Log File Overview

Whitelist Log

Mod Debug Log

Physics Log

Activity Log

Still Need Help?