FS2020: Dune Ornithopter First Impressions & My Controls Bindings!

[@pinkfloyd7572]

I love this thing! Great for exploring and fun to fly.

[@Huddison]

Yes it's good for a quick change to the norm.

[@starroger]

I’ve finally had some time to play with the Ornithopter on Xbox X. It’s a hoot to fly and a bugger to land. That takes some getting used to if you are not experienced with helicopters. The 'thopter is a VTOL aircraft. You can approach a runway in the usual manner, but the final touch down is going to be vertical. Alternatively, once you reach the approach end of the runway, you can hover down the runway then over to your landing pad to touch down. Learning to hover on the ground with the ‘thopter is the real challenge. The MSFS tutorial for the Ornithopter does have a landing module. It focuses on landing on a landing pad. Master this skill and you will be able to land on any flat surface in MSFS that has enough area to accommodate the ‘thopter wings and tail. Flying the Ornithopter did resurrect my Thrustmaster T.Flight HOTAS from my simmer old equipment box. Here are my bindings: Joystick • HAT Switch set up with Huddison’s KZbin recommendations for GA aircraft. • F1 (1) Trigger Set Wing Brakes • F2 (2): ⁃ Reset Internal View ⁃ Reset External Vi\ew • B1 (3) Toggle Internal View/External View • B2 (4) Toggle Landing Light • B2 (4) + B5 (15) Toggle Flashlight Xbox Deck • ⧉ Help Menu (Activates //42 Flow) • X (Xbox Button) • Hamberger icon Pause • Hamberger icon + B5 (15) Active Pause Throttle Body • X (5) View Checklist (Helpful for learning the location of ‘thopter instruments, buttons and switches) • X (5) + B5 (15) View Map (Helpful for finding your way if not familiar with local landmarks) • A (6) View ATC (’Nearest Airport’ is a real help) • B (7) AfterBurner • Y (8) Toggle Landing Gear • L Axis 5: ⁃ L Axis 5 - Dive Mode ON ⁃ L Axis 5 + Dive Mode OFF (These can be toggled onto a single button) • B3 (9) GlIde Mode ON • B4 (10) Glide Mode OFF (These can be toggled onto a single button) Throttle Body Deck • B5 (15) Function Button (Combines with other buttons a la Huddison) • Prev (13) Wings Fold OFF • Next (14) Wings Fold ON • Prev (13) + B5 (15) Start Engine • Next (14) + B5 (15) Stop Engine (Engine can also be stopped by turning off the fuel valve in the cockpit--2x4 red box array) Since there are no autopilot functions in the Ornithopter (yet), I deleted all my autopilot bindings with the exception of Heading Bug on Axis 5. This will move a heading bug in the ‘thopter’s heading indicator, but the heading bug dose not work at this time. Changing the ‘thopter’s heading will not change the heading bug orientation on the instrument. Perhaps a future update will include the basic autopilot functions of heading hold and altitude hold. These can be added later using A (6) + B5 (15) for altitude, and B (7) + B5 (15) for heading. Sensitivities • Roll Axis -35% for both positive and negative. • Pitch and Yaw Axes unchanged from Huddison’s YT recommendation for GA aircraft. (I might decrease Yaw Axis sensitivity a bit further in the future) Assistance Options • Failure Damage: ⁃ Crash Damage Enabled ⁃ Aircraft Stress Damage Disabled (This is a robust aircraft. The MSFS setting for this is too delicate, so OFF for me) ⁃ Engine Stress Damage Disabled (This is a robust aircraft. The MSFS setting for this is too delicate, so OFF for me) ⁃ Icing On (LOL. Not really concerned with icing on Arrakis) • Notifications Medium (For now) • Piloting: ⁃ Auto Rudder OFF (You want to be able to turn in the yaw axis while hovering without introducing a bank in the roll axis) ⁃ AI Radio Comm ON ⁃ Assisted Control Sensitivity ON ⁃ Turbulence Realistic ON (Those Corriolis winds on Arrakis can be murderous) ⁃ Ornithopter Auto Power Wing Braking ON (Simplifies landing. Closest thing to autopilot on the Ornithopter) ⁃ Ornithopter Ground Collision Avoidance ON (Helps while hovering. Next closest thing to autopilot on the Ornithopter) • User Experience: ⁃ ATC Voices ON ⁃ AI Pilot in Cursor Mode ON ⁃ Instrument HUD Internal Medium ⁃ G Effects JET (Had it on GA. Experienced too many Red Outs in dives and Black Outs in tight turns and dive recoveries) ⁃ G Suit ON (Let’s face it. This is a military style aircraft. We’re flying as Paul Atreides, not George Jetson) Flying the Ornithopter is definitely a seat-of-your-pants flying experience. Good training for developing hand/eye coordination in the flight sim. The T.Flight HOTAS with these bindings and settings makes flying the Ornithopter much more intuitive and immersive. It’s almost like becoming a Cymek without having to undergo the painful surgery. But that’s another story isn’t it?

[@Huddison]

Excellent post: it strangely got sent to my comment spam folder - glad I spotted it 👍

[@CRAZYHORSE19682003]

How could it not be fun flying a mechanical dragonfly.

[@Huddison]

Absolutely

[@vangoghoff5521]

Wow I love it in VR, great speed and views! You can also do skating donuts on the ground with the afterburner, if U see someone doing 8's on Manston airport,Kent ,it's me! ;)

[@Huddison]

I'll keep an eye out for you 😀

[@jhm66]

If you zoom out On the world there should be a small planet called Dune 😊 where we could go fly some sci-fi

[@Huddison]

Sounds like a must! ;)

[@jpmonti85]

I don't see it???

[@scottishboi3095]

Where is it?

[@starroger]

Perhaps the next group flight can be with Ornithopters in the Sahara or Gobi.

[@Huddison]

Maybe ;)

[@starroger]

@on 2:30 The reason for the sparse instrument package has probably to do with the setting and culture of the 'Dune' universe. "Thou shalt not make a machine in the likeness of a human mind", 'Orange Catholic Bible'.

[@SoupGuyy]

Interesting, missions won’t work for me atm but flying it is fun and new. When the missions work for me it’ll be even more fun. None the less pretty neet update!

[@Huddison]

What happens when you try to go into the missions?

[@SoupGuyy]

The blue bar will load all until the very end until it’s full and just stay on that, left it for 30 mins and still the same. Restarted several times and still the same lol. But yeah that’s pretty much it, all I can do is fly the plane in the world map

[@Huddison]

@@SoupGuyy😒

[@alancleveland7715]

That looks like a group flight after a few weeks around the Grand Canyon! lol

[@Huddison]

It might well happen Alan ;)

[@starroger]

I was thinking the Andes. Imagine taking off from Cuzco, flying through the Urubamba River canyon, landing on the football pitch in Agua Caliente, then climbing up above the canyon to land on the field in Machu Picchu. Maybe soaring on Andean thermals like condors.

[@botchi1]

After I installed it, all standard keybord commands dissapeard. All new keabord commands. Before , Ctrl + e, fast start. After install, Ctrl + Enter, and every thing else have changed. And for all other aircrafts

[@Huddison]

That's not great.

[@rymdskrotet]

I've read on some other pages that this update did ruin the settings for some people (or for all?). Not sure. Should I wait to install it? =P

[@Huddison]

It generally sets up a new controller binding for you; you just need to go into control options and change that setting to your usual one.

[@brucer.7885]

Have you experienced any issues with corruption of you control profiles? I've lost the ability to fly any aircraft other than the Ornicopter even after correcting the bindings that were altered in the download. Any thoughts?

[@Huddison]

I've not encountered corrupted bindings, but I've heard that others (like yourself) unfortunately have :(

[@alexisdeuropa]

Hello help! I have a problem when I activate the boost I do not see the flame coming out and I also do not see the effects on the ground during takeoff/landing or at ground level (dust and drag), where this could come from the bug ? I uninstalled the extension and then reinstalled it. Thanks in advance

[@Huddison]

This aircraft has it's own bespoke bindings for afterburner etc; see the appropriate part in this video. Not sure why you can't see the grounds effects.

[@alexisdeuropa]

@@Huddison However, I have seen on videos either on PC or on PC, that the device had many afterburners and only effects on the ground

[@djpenda6683]

Anybody have problem with ground texture blurry?