Helicopter testimonial from an LAUSA member:

I have been addicted to Microsoft Flight Sim since the first one back in the late 80′s. Those of you who are old enough might remember the checkerd grid with the river that divided the flying area in half with 2 dimensional mountains on 2 sides. I remember the first thought that crossed my mind when I loaded FS for the first time and it was, “where’s the helicopter?”  I guess you can say that my love for helicopters goes way back to my childhood; when other kids wanted to be fireman and doctors, I wanted to be a helicopter pilot.

I had been flying in gamespy, randomly, and without a true sense of purpose for many years. I had thought about joining a few virtual airlines but I didnt want to get trapped in a fix-wing. I had been jumping from room to room hoping to find others that share my passion for helicopters and being a pain in  the butt to many a FSX ATC. The fact is most people who jump in the tower dont know how to handle helicopter traffic, so as a helicopter enthusiast, life can be pretty lonely. I got involved in a competitors VA and I was flying along (fixed-wing) turning on and off the autopilot and vectoring for final.  I was miserable…. Then I met dan and he told me that LAUSA has a VA that had helicopter med flights using callsign ‘Lifeguard’. I couldnt believe it! Exactly what I had been looking for all these years. I picked my jaw up off the floor and signed up immediately. I was so excited that I went out and bought a new helicopter (Cera Bell 212) (you gotta check it out). It still amazes me how few helicopter pilots there are in the flight sim community, but maybe, there are more than we know about and they are just like I was; lost, looking for a home….

Maybe you have been thinking about helicopters but are intimidated by their slow speed and constant need for attention…. Let face it, learning all the physics a helicopter takes some time. Well dont be. Helicopter flying is exciting, empowering, and purposeful. Come join us and see. If you need instruction, you’ll get it.  www.lausa.co.uk