I disagree with Stormavic,

In fact, I disagree with most of the above statements. The co-pilot won't correct mistakes for you. What it will do, however, is return you to a level position when you let go of the cyclic stick.

I have trained numerous pilots using the CP, and the results are far more impressive than those that use a sim.

A sim doesn't give you a good appreciation of the actual feel of the helicopter. You also can't see the heli in 3 dimensions with a sim, which affects your depth perception, and your ability to judge orientation.

Most of the people that have a negative opinion of the Co-Pilot haven't tried it... What I found was that people with one are getting actual stick time. Knowing that there is a device on board that will save their ***** if they get confused, most will have less stress and worry about crashing, therefore freeing them up to concentrate on learning.

I've seen a remarkable difference in those that learn with a co-pilot, and those that learn with a sim. There's no comparison. The comment that I hear most often about the sims is that "it doesn't feel the same" or that "it feels too artificial". With the CP, students are actually flying the heli, and not sitting around a computer.

It's interesting to note that the military, and private flight schools are now using more onboard based computers on actual aircraft versus simulators. It probably has something to do with the "hands-on" aspect of learning.


And, with the co-pilot being half the price of a good sim, what's worth more to you? Being able to rescue your heli IF and WHEN you do get disoriented or confused, or playing a game on a PC that WON'T save you if you get disoriented...

In short, don't knock it until you've tried it.