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Helicopter Controls

Helicopter controls come down to three inputs: a cyclic in one hand, a collective in the other and anti torque pedals under your feet. Gamer Gear Direct stocks the gear in Australia that covers all three, with local warranty support and advice before you buy.

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The Three Controls

The cyclic tilts the rotor disc and sits between your knees. The collective changes the pitch of every blade at once and is a lever at your left hand that stays where you put it. The pedals drive the tail rotor and hold the nose straight.

Fixed wing gear maps onto all three, but not equally well. The cyclic wants a centre stick rather than a side stick or a yoke, and the collective wants a lever that holds position rather than one that springs back. The wider range it all comes from is in Flight Simulator Controls.

Force feedback flight stick base with the grip removed showing the drive shaft

Choosing a Cyclic

A centre mounted stick is the closest match, because a helicopter is flown with the stick between your knees and small inputs made from the wrist. It needs somewhere to live that is not the desk, so a floor mount or a centre bracket in a frame is part of the decision.

Spring centred sticks work and are where most people start. A force feedback base changes the picture, and the wider stick range is in Joysticks.

Force feedback base paired with a stick grip on a mounting plate

What Works as a Collective

Dedicated collectives are built for specific airframes, and a throttle lever is the long standing alternative. Either way the one thing that matters is that it holds its position, because a collective is set and left rather than sprung back to a centre.

Quadrant style units do this well and give you a long travel that suits fine power changes. The full throttle range is in Flight Sim Throttles, and purpose built collectives are in Max Flight Stick.

Throttle quadrant with multiple levers and a friction lock for holding position

Anti Torque Pedals

The pedals are the same hardware you would use for a rudder. What changes is how hard they work: in a helicopter you are on them constantly rather than occasionally, so a set that slides around or has a vague centre will show itself quickly.

Look for something that stays put and has enough travel for your legs. The pedal range is in Rudder Pedals.

Why Force Feedback Suits Helicopters

A helicopter is never trimmed and left alone. The cyclic loads up and moves as the aircraft changes state, and a spring centred stick cannot show you any of that because it pulls back to centre with the same force every time.

On a force feedback base the motor holds the stick where the aircraft would, so the weight in your hand changes as the machine does. In a helicopter that is most of the information you fly on, and the MOZA flight range is in MOZA Flight Simulation.

Mounting a Helicopter Setup

A centre stick needs a floor mount or a bracket, the collective needs somewhere solid at your left hand, and the pedals need to be held at a fixed distance. That is three mounting problems a desk does not solve well.

Brackets and clamps are in Flight Simulator Accessories, and frames built to take a centre stick are in Flight Simulator Cockpits.

Helicopter Control FAQs

What are the three helicopter controls?

The cyclic, which tilts the rotor disc, the collective, which changes the pitch of all blades together, and the anti torque pedals, which control the tail rotor. Throttle is usually managed with the collective.

Do I need a dedicated cyclic?

Not to start with. A centre mounted flight stick does the same job, and a force feedback base makes it behave far more like the real control than a spring centred stick will. Replica cyclics shaped for one airframe are the step beyond that.

What do I use for the collective?

A throttle lever is the common answer, and it needs to hold its position rather than spring back, which is why a quadrant style lever works better than a self centring axis. Dedicated collectives are also made if you fly one type regularly.

Are the pedals different from fixed wing pedals?

The hardware is the same. In a helicopter they control the tail rotor rather than a rudder, so the input is constant rather than occasional.

Can I fly helicopters with a yoke?

Not well. A yoke is built for the pitch and roll inputs of fixed wing flying and does not give you the centre stick movement a helicopter needs.

Does force feedback actually matter for helicopters?

It matters more here than anywhere else in flight simulation, because the cyclic is loaded differently in every phase of flight. It is still an upgrade rather than a starting point.

Will helicopter controls work on Xbox?

Only where the individual unit is licensed for console, and most force feedback gear is not. Read the product page before ordering if you fly on console.

Can I use my existing flight sim gear?

Usually yes. A centre stick, a quadrant lever and a set of pedals will fly a helicopter, and each is read as its own USB device, so nothing has to match brands.

Buying Helicopter Controls from Gamer Gear Direct

We are an authorised dealer for the brands we stock, so all helicopter controls are genuine, covered by their manufacturer warranty, and supported locally rather than through an overseas returns process. Our stock is held and dispatched from our Adelaide warehouse or through trusted brand partners.

Helicopter setups are the ones most worth talking through before you buy, and you are welcome to try the gear in our Dandenong South showroom in Melbourne. Call us on (03) 9961 0240, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

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