Helicopters in SU5: What’s Better, What’s Worse, and What’s Just Strange

With Sim Update 5 landing in MSFS 2024 last week, I jumped back into the default helicopter fleet to see what’s changed — for better or worse. SU5 is one of the most significant updates we’ve had in a long time, especially for rotorheads. It finally tackles one of the most frustrating issues in the sim: the abrupt, unrealistic surge of ground effect when approaching elevated platforms.

As we saw in the recent Developer Livestream, Sébastien Wloch showcased meaningful improvements to the helicopter Computational Fluid Dynamics model. There’s no doubt Asobo has been investing real effort into the fundamentals.

So what does SU5 actually do for the default helicopters? Let’s take a closer look.

The Nemeth 407 — one of the original two helicopters introduced back in MSFS 2020 — has been completely replaced. The new model comes from iniBuilds, and unfortunately, the results are… disappointing.

The first impression is visual: bright yellow rivets splashed across every livery. The rotor spins, but the labels on the blades remain frozen. Many cockpit buttons are non-functional. And if your mouse wheel so much as brushes the collective, it rockets straight to 100%.

But the biggest issue is the flight model.

Bank the helicopter, and it stubbornly holds its heading. Push harder, and you can slide the 407 sideways at 80 knots — behaviour that I imagine would tear the rotor system apart in real life! Release the anti-torque pedals, and the helicopter snaps back instantly with no inertia. It feels eerily similar to the drone‑like handling of the KwikFlight Striker.

The original Nemeth 407 had its flaws, but it was a plausible foundation. This new version is a step backwards, and helicopter simmers deserve better. I hope we’ll see improvements soon!

The R66 has always been a pleasant, if unspectacular, default helicopter. Good visibility, clean modelling, and predictable handling. SU5 hasn’t dramatically changed that — but I do notice a surprising startup issue.

Unless you have a control bound to toggle the (fictional!) governor, the engine simply won’t start. You can follow the checklist perfectly and still sit there with a dead turbine. Thanks to YouTube viewer mrthundermaker5606 for helping me better understand this quirk.

Once airborne, the R66 still flies reasonably well. Crosswind performance might need another look, and translating tendency doesn’t feel fully represented. The yaw string also behaves inconsistently and doesn’t always match the balance ball — a long‑standing MSFS quirk.

Still, compared to the 407, the R66 remains one of the more reliable defaults.

When the EC135 arrived in City Update 12: Germany, it looked fantastic but flew… strangely. Many simmers noted the odd cross‑coupling between controls, where fore and aft cyclic would mysteriously influence yaw.

The good news: SU5 has improved things. The core controls now behave more sensibly, and the helicopter feels more coherent in flight.

The less good news: it’s extremely sensitive around centre inputs, suggesting the sensitivity curve may need tuning. Engine‑out performance still appears unsupported, and you can fly around far too long with both engine switches set to idle.

It’s progress — but not yet polish.

Across the fleet, SU5 brings subtle but noticeable changes to handling. You may find yourself adjusting your muscle memory as you revisit each machine. The big win is unquestionably the fix to ground effect on elevated platforms — a huge quality‑of‑life improvement for anyone practising rooftop landings or offshore ops.

But the update also highlights inconsistencies in the default fleet, and in some cases, clear regressions.

If something feels off, I strongly encourage you to log or upvote bug reports on the official MSFS Forums. That’s the most direct way to get issues in front of the people who can actually fix them.

Despite the bumps, I remain optimistic. Between SU5’s CFD improvements and exciting additions like World Update 21: Australia, it’s clear we’re living in a golden age of simulation. There’s always more to wish for — but there’s also much to celebrate.

See you in the virtual skies soon!

My first Test Pilot Tuesday livestream was a hoot! I kicked things off with a solo test session across the default fleet, but before long more and more virtual pilots began dropping into one of my favourite proving grounds: Mt Beauty, Australia. It turned into exactly the kind of session I love — a relaxed, safe, and encouraging space to experiment, compare notes, and push our helicopters in ways we might not try alone.

I’m now dual‑streaming on both YouTube and Twitch, which I hope will make it even easier for people to join in and help grow our community.

Over on YouTube, you might also notice a refreshed focus on helping helicopter beginners get off the ground with confidence. The new 🔰 New to MSFS Helicopters? section at the top of my channel page is the start of a clearer, more structured pathway for newcomers. My goal is simple: build confidence, build mastery, and build fun — and in doing so, help grow the community and maybe even expand the market for high‑quality helicopter add‑ons.

Digital Aeronautics launched its Mi-2 ‘Hoplite’ helicopter with support for MSFS 2020 only. I’ll look forward to doing a full review when the team is ready to show a 2024 product.

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