FSX doesn't only allow users to fly fixed-wing aircraft; they can also download and install helicopter and rotorcraft expansions too. Most people buy Microsoft Flight Simulator X in order to pilot large, commercial aircraft and civil jets, however there is also a market and niche group for helicopter add-ons.
Image shows a Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft in FSX. While not technically a "helicopter", this does fall under the rotorcraft section.
In this section, there are many well known and popular helicopters from manufacturers such as Bell, Eurocopter, Hughes and Boeing. Featured in this section are a range of civilian passenger helicopters, as well as military and combat choppers such as the well known Apache attack helicopter which has been used in many desert combat operations around the world.
There are also many helicopter missions available to compliment the add-on packages, which are viewable here.
Installing these downloads is just as easy as any of the other aircraft or packages on the website and most of the files come with detailed installation instructions and "readme" documents inside. If you are having a hard time, there are many tutorials on our forum which will explain in detail the procedure - users can also create a new topic specific to their own problem.
Helicopters are much harder to fly in any flight simulator package, and in real life for that matter - there is a lot more going on in the cockpit of a helicopter compared to that of a fixed wing aircraft. As well as controlling pitch, rotor angle and engine speed - pilots also have to control many of the other systems that go with it.
Many users complain that "helicopters are impossible to fly in FSX", but they really haven't given them a chance. Users must be patient, persistent and once they get used to the different method of flying, they are usually very happy and include rotorcraft flight into their daily "flight simmin'" routine.
An AH-1S Cobra helicopter configuration includes a minigun effect and lacks a virtual cockpit. Wayne Farrell composes the work, updating Kim 'Zeki' BoHyun's original version, and cobra.gif is shown…
Over twelve Huey models and six finishes populate the lineup, derived from Jordan Moore's original model today. Wayne Farrell assembles them, aligning the designs with the source and preserving the…
Base ModelTwo U.S. Army CH-47D Chinooks bear markings of the 1st Cavalry Division, 2nd Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, while U.S. Marine Corps variants reflect details from the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. …
Base ModelTolga Piskin creates the helicopter model, while Eric Buchmann provides adaptation, and the project centers on a Huey lineage design for reference. A bell_h1.gif image accompanies the work, offerin…
Base ModelTwo variants exist, German Rescue and Space Ship, for the EC-135. Heiko Richter provides the original model, while Samy Fay and Jason Sparkes handle surface work, reflecting collaboration among cre…
Base ModelThe Bell 214, a medium-lift helicopter derived from the UH-1 Huey, appears with Iran Army markings. Developer Mohammad Faali delivers a complete model that includes the aircraft itself, aligning th…
Base ModelThe EC145 REGA variant features a 3D model, a virtual cockpit, and a flight model credited to Laurent Hadorn, with sound by Christian Spaltenstein and a 2D panel and instruments by Franz Haider. Th…
Base ModelTwo named variants, Medivac and NY Police Dept., accompany multiple finishes. The cockpit features a Virtual Cockpit and a 2D panel, with external views included, and original contributors include …
Base ModelAS332L2 offers moving parts, a virtual cockpit, and new gauges. Rain and ice effects accompany realistic night lighting, and Dirk Fassbender and Hauke Keitel contribute the model that supports a va…
Base ModelPiasecki H-21C, nicknamed Flying Banana, adds a virtual cockpit and custom gauges, plus new flight dynamics and audio, along with checklist procedures from pre-flight to shutdown, while introducing…
Base ModelAlan Devins crafts the A109A helicopter, shaping models, textures and flight dynamics, while Tonni Jorgensen handles panel views and Steve Hanley tunes engine gauges. Danny Garnier adds a thumbnail…
Payware RepaintGerman Army search and rescue helicopter UH-1D SAR 71 operates around Hamburg and is based at the Hamburg-Wandsbek military hospital. Its historical window runs from 1973 to 2006, and the aircraft …
North-Cal Prop Club handles the work for the Ecureuil variant helicopter, credited to Daniel McCarthy, with model work by Tamas Nemeth and Peter Nemeth and repaints by Batki Zoltan, plus a 2D panel…
Two variants are included, MD500E and MD500D, with MD500D identified as OH-6A, and three original paint options accompany the offering along with a stock sound file and new .air and .cfg files. Mod…
Base ModelUKMIL presents the Gazelle AH1 under the UKMIL label, and a detailed README.PDF is available for full details. A cover image accompanies the Gazelle AH1, referencing the same README.PDF for full de…
Base ModelGauge replacements populate the 2D and virtual cockpit panels with An-12Bk and An-26 gauges, and both panels are included. Two variants cover Russian AF (VVS, flight 22253) and Ukrainian AF (VPS, f…
Base ModelThe Mi-6 Hook adopts a Zibom MI6 2D cockpit panel with gauges from An-12Bk and An-26, and Kazunori Ito's MI-12 Homer sound set replaces the original audio, by Michael E. Roberts. No VC panel appear…
Base ModelThe Hellenic Navy operates 11 Sea Hawks, known as Aegean Hawks, after ordering five S-70B-6 aircraft in July 1991 for the Idra Class frigates and adding three more in 2000 with advanced electronics…
Base ModelBell 430 variant carries a 1968 marking, with flight model credited to Alan Devins and contributions by David Grindele. It remains virus and malware free and shows no known issues, reflecting stabl…
By Bruce Fitzgerald, this Hughes 269C variant delivers forgiving and stable yet nimble flight dynamics, with an animated pilot, moving pedals, sticks, and doors, and a dynamic cockpit view. It offe…