Goodies to come

Since we will have a Bell 206 in FFS, tuned by an owner of the real one, its default MILVIZ 407, ported from FSX, also works (more or less, its flight model  needs improvement, its systems are yet to be added), and there are great Dreamfoil 206 and 407 for X-Plane as well, I decided to take on the challenge of making a mechanical 206-style idle stop latch mod for a single collective =)

I am not yet sure how it will look, and what changes to the lever will be needed (as I see it now, 3 parts would need to be replaced, thus it won’t look good with a Huey head anymore).

We can also expect a 206 semi-scale head and probably a 407 one. Can’t say anything about when yet, but here’s a small teaser:



If everything goes right, with a good model of 206 made by a real pilot and backed up by affordable open source hardware, we can set a new standard of quality helicopter simulation, as a Dodosim 206 did some 10 years ago.

12 Replies to “Goodies to come”

  1. Just found your work and I am super excited. I have access to solidworks 2018 if you need any help modeling anything let me know id be glad to help. Really interested in the 407 head!

    1. Hello mate! Thank you for your offer! Well, if you draw the 407 head, or maybe, if you can get some dimensions of it, that would be great =) I am starting to dislike the idea of the inability to save in an earlier version format in SW, but in this case, will figure something out!

  2. Good news I was able to install 2016 back on my computer while still having 2018. So I should be good to work with you in SW2016 and you be able to open the parts! Feel free to email me on how I can best help you(if you can see my email address). I am already working on trying to get dim for the 407 head , and the 206 head, I have access to a 206 so that shouldn’t be to hard but the 407 is proving to be difficult.

    1. That’s superb, thank you! Yes, I can see your email. If you won’t be able to find exact dimensions, I think it may be roughly estimated from 40mm throttle grip diameter =) The head is quite simple inside actually, just a few switches, so if we will be off by a bit, I don’t think it will be a huge problem =)

      http://www.aviastar.org/theory/bell-407/p4.jpg

      http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1337/5140768258_a7138faa58.jpg

      http://www.blueskyrotor.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/DSC07620.jpg

      Now, the second variant is quite interesting. It clearly shows you can attach pretty much anything you want to the head lol! The problem is, the hat switch is quite small, so fitting KY-083 board in there will force us to change dimensions of the side section a bit if we decide to do it that way. However, that head on the 2nd photo seems a lot more useful than the one we can see in Dreamfoil 407 as well as on the 1st photo: I think that floats inflate switch will end up being pressed once a year lol! The third photo is something in between. Hat switch is definitely a good thing, it makes the device more universal. We may also combine the nice switch with a red cover that will never be pressed (lol) with a regular one in a slightly fictional layout =)

      What do you think? =)

        1. Yup, we can, at least, as an option, but jeez, it’s 30USD with the cap! 😀 KY-083 is 1$ per piece, its analog, so you have several options of using it, it can be found locally quite often, can be bought from several vendors… If we want to be really anal with scaliness, lol, it’s still better to put the KY board somewhere onto the bottom of the box and use some rod to put a switch cap on it. Then we can just calibrate it in firmware and use whatever range is available for hat switch push detection.

          But, what (except FAA certification and stuff like that lol) actually stops you from using ANY kind of switch in a real heli? I think if we add a cm or two to the side section width it won’t be that critical IMHO =)

          The KY-083 is only 26mm wide, so something like 32mm wide side section should be sufficient! If the throttle is 40mm or so, the one on the picture should be around 20-22mm. So, it’s 1cm that’s 15$ worth lol!

  3. Ok so I’ve made some progress on the 407 head . I’m having trouble finding a particular switch. Would you mind emailing me so that I can send some screen shot to you.

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