Need help with GTA4, copter piloting

[TheHarlequin]

I am playing GTA 4 Ballad of Gay Tony expansion. I am doing the mission where I need to steal the attack copter and I totally suck at piloting it. Any one give me some pointers? Mainly navigating it effectively I can't seem to get the hang. And I am using the PC version. Thanks for any help!

[Drowsy Emperor]

The mouse and numpad controls are mutually exclusive. The mouse is too fickle and imprecise, use the numpad almost entirely, don't rush and don't hold pitch down (8 I think, helicopter equivalent of forward) because you'll gain too much speed too quickly and crash.

 

Tap the keys or hold them only for a split second. Use the tail rotors (I believe they're 1 and 3 on the numpad) for left/right navigation instead of banking left and right (4 and 6 I think) because that's too slow and the angle isn't sharp enough. Remember that the mouse orients the chopper so don't give any commands while you're fixing the camera angle with it.

 

Hold down the altitude increase key most of the time ( I think its W) because choppers automatically lose altitude without it. Don't hold it down while you're turning though.

 

The key thing to balance is altitude increase - W and pitch down - 8, then when you want to turn, release both and orient the tail rotor - then resume what you were doing. It must be sufficient for a decent speed yet not too much of either. I usually tap-hold-release each key repeatedly.

 

Everything else is practice. Its a juggling act, but there's no hurry as long as you hold down W most of the time and are on a reasonable altitude..

[Walsingham]

from memory, because of the time delay in pushing a control and anything happening, you haveto get an instinctive feel for what you are doing. I put on classical music for flying choppers. Bach, or Strauss.

[TheHarlequin]

Thanks you guys so much, quite helpful!