Chapter 1: Introduction to X-Plane Helicopter

X-Plane Helicopter one of the spin-off applications from X-Plane 9 for the iPhone and iPod Touch. It is the only X-Plane iPhone/iPod app in which helicopter flight is modeled. Flying a helicopter is radically different from flying an airplane, so it is more crucial than ever that users of X-Plane Helicopter read the flight instructions included here.

The X-Plane simulators for the iPhone and iPod Touch are each little “slices” of the X-Plane desktop flight simulator that are just the right size to run on Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch.

The iPhone/iPod versions have a flight model that is about 95% as accurate as that of the desktop simulator—that is, 95% as accurate as the simulator currently being used by companies like Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Carter Aviation, and NASA. Each of the $10 “slices” comes with four to six aircraft that can be used to explore the virtual skies of four to six regions of the globe, spanning from America’s West Coast to the capital of Nepal. The latest release, Space Shuttle, comes with only one aircraft (the shuttle Orbiter) and one region (Edwards Air Force Base), but its five mission segments are enough to challenge users for a long time.

At the time of this writing, the iPhone and iPod Touch apps have just gone through their eleventh free update, and more are planned! A number of spinoff versions have also been released, covering racing craft, helicopters, airliners, the Space Shuttle, combat planes, and more extreme aircraft. As the graphics, flight model, and interface technology are improved, all the iPhone/iPod versions will be updated, so much, much more is still in the wings!

The goal of the X-Plane apps for the iPhone and iPod Touch is to have most of the fun and power of the full desktop version available in a portable form. Due to these devices’ limited RAM and screen area, this will be broken into a number of little “pieces” of the desktop simulator. By pricing at only $10, though, we can offer a pretty amazing value for each of these pieces of the X-Plane desktop simulator.

If you've enjoyed piloting the craft in the X-Plane flight simulators, why not try commanding a Giant Fighting Robot, too? There's even a free Giant Fighting Robots Trainer! These apps, made by the same people who write X-Plane, are some of the most fun (and challenging) games available for the iPhone and iPod Touch.