How to get a clean lift-off?

NOOB Heli Pilot

I am flying the vSkyLabs Cabri-G2 in X-Plane11. The Cabri-G2 Flight Manual suggests a take-off profile:

  • Stabilize Hover at 2 feet
  • Trim Cyclic
  • Transition forward in level flight
  • “rotate” at 45KIAS
  • Climb at 50 KIAS

When I advance the collective slowly, I first have to cancel yaw - no problem yet.

As I advance the collective more, I may have to cancel roll,

  • in which case I lower the collective to get back on the ground, then
  • add a little reverse roll trim
  • repeat until I lift off with no roll

Next I start again - advance collective BUT now I start going backwards.

Should I have the cyclic forward slightly for lift-off or should I try to trim out this backward tendency?

If I try to convert a backward lift-off into a hover, it does not end well at this point, so my take-off profile is much steeper than the flight manual specifies.

Once I am flying, I do wonderful at controlling air speed, altitude, and vertical speed.

I land using the whole airplane runway, (and let the virtual CFI that isn’t with me shuttle to parking spot by quitting while still on the runway.)

IRL you add a little forward right stick.

It sounds like you should check the weights and balances you have applied (one or two pilots?) if you’re having to add heavier forward cyclic to maintain static hover.

Also, wind speed will obviously require cyclic to maintain static hover.

There’s no problem using the whole runway, but most of us use the grass to the side of it simply because we can in helos, and get out of the way for faster moving aircraft. Especially the low wings that might not see us easily at busy aerodromes.
If you want to transition what you are practising here to real life, practise your descent to a specific spot without a ground effect run into that spot.

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