DCS - Things that I wish I knew about the Mi 8 MTV-2 HIP before I bought it

Sometimes there isn't enough answers to the questions that I want to know about a thing before I slap down a fistful of dollars for said thing. There are a lot of good videos, articles, and other sources of information out there... but the questions that I have are often so obscure and specific that even some of the best sources don't satisfy me. To fight this, I have made a video linking bits of information that I think is relevant - and then glossing over or omitting entirely the information commonly available everywhere else. Grab some popcorn and sit comfortably - here comes all the information that you didn't know about, or possibly even didn't want to know, the DCS Mi 8 MTV-2 HIP.

[@RoamingAdhocrat]

"soap bubble propelled by a bumblebee" captures how this feels perfectly. except when landing when it becomes "flimsy plastic carrier bag full of rubble"

[@oneill6291]

Great video! If you give yourself some more time with the MI-8 it really is an amazing helicopter to work with once you get used to it. It's fantastic for doing utility. It's very fast, can haul a lot and can take a decent beating as well as defend itself. And as for VRS, you'll get to a point where it just doesn't bother you anymore. The thing is very powerful and with the right manoeuvring can get out of some pretty sticky situations. Anyways thanks for the content. Looking forward to more videos!

[@dewfiend]

Thank you for the encouragement. I will. This won’t be the last video that I do of the mighty Mi 8

[@theflyingfool]

@@dewfiend I agree with Ian, it is very versatile, but quirky (Russian). I love flying it...

[@asmith1496]

LOL "this is why you dont drop bombs in helicopters kids" Wasnt expecting that.. Im dying laughing!!

[@scarecrow6288]

The Mi-8 is my 'go to' helicopter. The Russian choppers are a bit more difficult to learn to fly, hover and land. But after I learned, it's was surprisingly fast and agile for it's size. The Hind IMHO is the hardest. The Mi-8 packs respectable firepower for a utility chopper.

[@dewfiend]

It does! It can pack 6x rocket packs and really lay out the pain across areas the size of a sports field, has firepower that the huey can only dream of, and can really move. You are totally correct, and I agree with you.

[@erikmartin4877]

Thankyou for your videos about the C-101. I love It when I see pepole making videos about that & with that bird ,specially when they also talk well of It & also show its capabilities.

[@murdoch9106]

I added a curve to the collective and that help with the VRS problem a lot, VRS in the simulators is a fair bit exaggerated, not just in this but in simulators in general. The rest is just a matter of being smooth and gentle on the controls. I normally avoid curves, I want as direct input as I can get. The Mi8 has larger or longer blades than the Hind and no wings and less tail stabilizing so its a bit more sporty, but I find it extremely stable and I can not get enough of it. Its by far my favorite helicopter. All of them are pretty good tho... you just have to know what you aim to do in DCS and choose accordingly. KA50 is the one I have the most problems with, but thats mainly on me, not the helicopter, I just dont enjoy how it flies.

[@CAL1MBO]

Exaggerated in ARMA but not DCS.

[@twitchprime8522]

I had no idea the mi-8 was so similar to the hind! Intro was awesome and funny. Get more altitude before dropping bombs, but blowing yourself up, I'm impressed with the graphics!

[@dewfiend]

Blowing myself up was intentional… my videos tend to not have enough explosions and dropping bombs from the Mi 8 is ridiculous enough- dropping bombs from a hover is just poor sportsmanship- and there is no other useful way to demonstrate that clockwork wonder from the intro because it drops rocketpods and gunpods just the same as bombs. Addionally the clockwork wonder drops things as you manually select the knob… so it is a huge liability. As for the Mi 8 family, it is the most widely produced helicopter in the world, second place goes to the huey. The Mi 17 is the current production version, and there used to be a difference between the two, but they have blended so much that there really isn’t anymore. There was a Mi 14 that was a sea-helicopter. The analog in the western world is the uh-1 and the ah-1. They have the same engine/transmission as well as the same electronic package and hydraulic controls. Then the NATO allies continued to develop the platform instead of buying new helicopters from different manufacturers (actually the US Marines have done exactly that). There are limits to that arrangement of parts, when the uh-1 and ah-1 went with twin engines, the engines had to be de-rated to remain within the power limits of the transmission. I am glad you enjoyed the video! I put a bit of work and planning into my videos to make them interesting and fun. I am still looking for my audience by making a diverse set of videos based on different modules trying to find what modules attract attention - views. Any particular modules that you would like to see more of?

[@AVlad-eg3ds]

@@dewfiend Mi-17 is an export version or rather even the export name of Mi-8MT. Mi-17 with additional numbers and digits are export versions/names of Mi-8 with addtional numbers and digits. For example, export version of Mi-8MTV-1 is called Mi-17-1V and export version of Mi8-MTV-5 is called Mi-17MD and Mi-8MTV-3 has Mi-172 as a counterpart. There is no special export version/name of/for Mi-8MTV-2 though. So basically Mi-17 - name/variants for export purposes (but happened also to be sold internally as well with civil variants), Mi-8 for internal use (but were also sold abroad as well under this designation especially for early versions and those that have been sold as used after USSR collapse). They are both in production now. P.S. If you find that confusing, remember that traditionally export version of Mi-24 were called Mi-35. But now Russian Air Forces use this export name internally as well for Mi-35M (instead of internal Mi-24VM).

[@jeepinbanditrider]

After I got the MI-8 on the recent 2fer sale (with the KA50, the KA50 was a benefit I wanted the MI8) it has quickly become my primary rotary wing asset on the Hoggit servers. I usually fly it slick with maybe the door gunners, I still love the Huey, and it's door gunners are far better IMO the MI-8's gunners seem to have a very narrow field of view, but the MI8 will get in and out of areas faster and smoother it feels like. Yeah, it's a big target compared to the HUEY, but it's also got 40-50 knots on it in speed and handles better loaded down with a complement of troops and something like a TOW HMMWV. I still love flying both though the Huey is hard to beat for that nostalgia feel and sound. :D And multicrew.

[@jamesmontgomery9464]

bought it when it first came out and still my favorite helicopter in game, VRS is overdone in the HIP... my opinion, it is what it is. try using the controls indicator, and trim, trim, trim and then trim again. after awhile it just becomes second nature and you're landing on rooftops. I fly it on Enigma's cold war server. Now its multi-crew. I found transitioning over to the Mi-24 was easier because the are so similar, a lot of the controls are the same.

[@yappydawg8985]

I don't own the Mi-8 but if I had more time to learn the modules properly I would pick it up. With the Huey taking care of my logisitics flying and the Hind taking care of my Boom-Boom it just doesn't have a spot in my hangar right now. By all accounts it is a great module and if someone has a particular connection with Mi-8's or wants the big helicopter feel with a more utility / light gunship role it would be a great module to devote your time into. I am not sure about the statistics but I believe the Mi-8 is one of the most produced military utilitary helicopters in the world and deserves some of the spotlight. I love the sense of humor in this video. There were a few times where I had to ask myself "What am I watching?... oh yeah, that makes sense now " :)

[@MrWiggo91]

It is indeed the most produced helicopter in the world

[@knightsofrreee7961]

It's the craptastic tech on the old Russian helos that make me love them. Mi8 is my goto.

[@richardhockey8442]

I like the steampunk F-16

[@Baltic_Dude]

That it still doesn't have multicrew

[@dewfiend]

I know right! that part got left on the editing room floor... this module would benefit from a good pilot and copilot team.

[@oisinkenny1]

Great video, thanks.

[@dewfiend]

Glad you liked it!

[@dishdoggiegaming7254]

This is honestly where I feel like I am a very closed minded Person. I Own the Mi 8 and I was in it Maybe 4 times. To me it is a Turd (My closed mind in charge) It is nothing worth me spending so much of my time to learn to fly the Turd beater with the 1940's Arizona colored desert Dinner looking cockpit Turd bucket. Closed Mind In Charge. lol Sorry about your Rudder Peddles and If I may recommend MY brand they are the MFG Crosswind with the Damper addon. I was torn between them and the Virpil Rudders. I own all Virpil flight gear. but after looking at the MFG's I kind of just fell for them. The Big Problem (CON) with them is they will tip side to side when you put your feet on them because the top is wider then the bottom. FIX is to mount them to a wider flat board. CRAZY right? So I have a floor that has a concrete slab. Carpet on top of it. All Peddles will slide away from you when used over time from normal use. So I just killed 2 birds with the flat base from the wall to the back of the peddles as the "stop sliding preventer" then sat my peddles in front of the board on the carpet and screwed the Provided MFG mount to the board. It stopped both tip and slide. Good Luck and If you Go Virpil Do a review I want to know more about them. I got scared when a few people on DCS Forum had them go bad on them after just 1 year. I highly LOVE and recommend the MFG Crosswinds With the Damper addon. Only way to fly. I HAD the Logitech peddles and I was WOW so much more precision in my peddle. I here the same about Virpil too. People Love them. GOD I love my Virpil Gear.

[@dewfiend]

Yea good recommendation on the pedals. My pedals are the Logitech ones, and only about a month old too... It should be something that I can pull apart and fix (I was a US Navy electronics technician) but I am feeling lazy today and I was planning on recording a video on combined arms today, so no rudder pedals needed. I seem to be really passionate about unpopular DCS modules :)

[@Zetler]

This helicopter is almost entirely used to launch unguided rockets into the sky in real life rendering its in game capabilities pointless.

[@dewfiend]

I have seen (a lot of) combat footage of Mi 8 / Mi-17 in Ukraine flying low and fast and pitching up and launching rockets, usually s-5’s. My guess is that they are launching at a fixed point, with a known speed, at a predetermined altitude, and an exact pitch- because they are trying to be an artillery piece. What I also see elsewhere (particularly in the former Soviet and Chinese regions) is the Mi 8 / Mi 17 helicopters used in nearly every rescue op, relief op, cargo and troop transport operation. The difference is that when you want actual “combat” helicopter footage (for the news ratings probably) this limited type of use certainly looks cool but is the least useful thing for the Mi 8 to do. Being a vertically gifted bus isn’t going to get ratings on shitty news programs. This is: kzbin.info/www/bejne/sHq2hnunlJtradE

[@csh5414]

I love the Mi-8, I have more hours in this than any other Helicopter. Yes it’s quite difficult to fly. It’s not an Aircraft you can just jump straight into and be reasonably proficient. Takes practice and to a lot of ppl they just can’t afford the time. Fwiw here is a bit of advice, plan your moves..3-4 km out, it’s a bus that needs to be coaxed. Fly it like a fixed wing, land it like a fixed wing until you can improve. Don’t try to be a ‘Nam Huey pilot it won’t work. Set up some easy take off and landing circuits in the ME, No one’s watching so crash as much as you want. It took me ages to get completely comfortable in it and I still overcook it now and then. It’s a great challenge. Enjoy it and don’t let it fly you..