Set up a Honeycomb Bravo lever as a helicopter collective in MSFS, including axis direction, profiles, sensitivity and conflict fixes.
Use a spare analogue lever on the Honeycomb Bravo as the collective in Microsoft Flight Simulator. Bind that lever to the collective axis, reverse it if cockpit movement is backwards, remove its aeroplane throttle, propeller and mixture bindings, then save the binding in a dedicated helicopter profile.
Which Honeycomb control should be the collective?
The Honeycomb Bravo is the suitable unit because each main lever provides a proportional analogue axis and stays where it is placed. The Honeycomb Alpha has no equivalent lever; its switches would provide only abrupt increase-and-decrease commands.
| Physical control | MSFS assignment | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| One Bravo lever | Collective axis | Raises or lowers rotor blade pitch |
| Alpha pitch and roll | Cyclic pitch and roll axes | Controls helicopter attitude |
| Rudder pedals | Tail-rotor or rudder axis | Provides anti-torque and yaw control |
| Second Bravo lever, if required | Helicopter throttle axis | Controls engine power separately from collective |
A Bravo is electrically suitable but does not reproduce the position or movement of a purpose-built floor-mounted collective. Our explanation of cyclic, collective, throttle and anti-torque controls covers the differences between these axes.
How do I bind the Honeycomb Bravo collective axis?
- Confirm that MSFS detects the Bravo. Open the simulator's Controls screen, select the Bravo and move the intended lever. Its input indicator should respond through the whole travel. If the device or axis is missing, use our Bravo recognition and profile checklist before creating bindings.
- Create a helicopter-specific profile. Duplicate a working Bravo preset or start with a clean one, then give it an unmistakable helicopter name. Do the same for the Alpha if it will act as the cyclic. MSFS stores presets per device, so changing only the Bravo profile does not change the Alpha profile; our Alpha and Bravo configuration guide explains that device-by-device arrangement.
- Find the collective command. Show all available controls and search for
collective. Assign the chosen lever to the command labelled as the collective axis. Avoid incremental commands such as increase or decrease collective, which are intended for buttons and keyboards. - Remove competing assignments. Search by input or move the lever to reveal everything bound to it. Delete aeroplane throttle, propeller, mixture and any second collective-axis assignment from that same physical lever. A mistake we see constantly is leaving the default throttle binding active beneath the new collective binding.
- Set the direction. Move the Bravo lever while watching the cockpit collective. Many simmers prefer pulling the desktop lever aft to raise collective, but either direction works if it feels natural. Use the axis-reverse option if the cockpit lever moves opposite to the chosen physical movement.
- Start with a linear response. Keep sensitivity close to linear and use only enough dead zone to stop genuine input jitter. Check that the cockpit collective reaches both limits; if it does not, inspect hardware calibration and endpoint settings rather than hiding the problem with a steep sensitivity curve.
- Test in a running helicopter. Begin with the collective fully lowered and raise it slowly. The cockpit lever and torque or power indication should increase smoothly. Save and select the profile before changing aircraft.
The procedure is the same in MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024, although their control-profile screens are arranged differently. On a console, these steps apply only if that exact Honeycomb model and connection arrangement are recognised as a supported input device.
Why does the collective move incorrectly or jump?
Incorrect movement usually comes from a reversed axis, a digital command or two devices controlling the same function.
- The collective moves backwards: reverse the collective axis, then test both endpoints again.
- It jumps directly towards minimum or maximum: replace increase/decrease bindings with the continuous collective-axis command.
- The cockpit lever flickers or returns by itself: search every connected controller for another collective assignment and disable any assistance option that can command collective.
- Engine RPM changes but blade pitch does not: the Bravo lever is bound to helicopter throttle rather than collective.
- Only part of the cockpit travel is available: recalibrate the Bravo, check its full input range and remove excessive endpoint or extremity dead zones.
- One helicopter ignores an otherwise working axis: that aircraft may use a custom control implementation. Confirm that the same profile works in a default helicopter before changing the hardware calibration.
Should helicopter throttle use the same Bravo lever?
No. Collective changes rotor blade pitch, while helicopter throttle controls engine power; assigning both to one lever produces incorrect behaviour.
In a governor-equipped helicopter, the throttle may be set for flight and then managed automatically, leaving the Bravo lever to control collective alone. If the aircraft requires manual throttle, assign it to a second analogue lever and keep the two axes separate.
Can the Honeycomb Alpha and Bravo form a complete helicopter setup?
The combination is usable: the Alpha can provide cyclic pitch and roll, the Bravo can provide collective, and separate pedals can provide anti-torque control. The Alpha's wide yoke movement and self-centring spring are less natural than a helicopter cyclic, but they do not prevent accurate axis input.
Create matching helicopter profiles for every connected unit and remove fixed-wing bindings that conflict with them. For the remaining cyclic, pedal, trim and assistance choices, follow our complete MSFS helicopter control setup.