The very first time I flew a Minicopter I immediately crashed and exploded. These small helicopters are definitely harder to fly than they look.
However, there is a way to learn how to control these things, and soon you'll master them enough to quickly go wherever you need to. Here is everything you'll ever need to know about flying the Minicopter.
Fueling
Before you fly anything, you need to first add some Low Grade Fuel to the engine. You can access the storage by pressing the engine behind the pilot's seat, and then you drag the Low Grade Fuel into the slot.
Minicopters consume 60 fuel per minute, which is kind of expensive, especially early game. Be sure to use the Mini sparingly, or else you may quickly run out of fuel.
Driving the Mini
The Minicopter can be driven around on the ground to better position you for flight. To do this, hold the CTRL key while using your movement keys.
This will allow you to get out of the way of trees or any other structures you might crash into.
Taking Off
To take off with the Mini, simply hold W and keep your mouse steady. If you move your mouse at all, it'll change the direction you're moving, and it could be deadly if you aren't sure what you're doing.
Changing Pitch and Angle
The most complicated part of flying a Minicopter is definitely maneuvering it. The A and D keys control the direction you face, while the mouse controls the pitch.
When you move the mouse forward, it will move the Minicopter forward as well. Only make small movements with the mouse, or else you might spin out of control and crash.
If you find yourself moving too quickly, move the mouse slightly backwards so that you can slow down.
Landing
Landing the Mini is the part that most people crash from. Their problem is that they don't steady out the pitch before landing, and they also land too quickly.
Pick a nice flat area of land and slow down by letting go of the W key and slightly pitching backwards. When you stop moving forward, angle the minicopter straight so that you aren’t moving in any direction, and it’ll slowly descend to the ground.
Holding S will make you fall faster, but you need to be very careful not to fall too quickly. Look around by holding ALT to make sure you’re landing where you want to. Once you’ve landed, you can hold CTRL again to drive it where you need to.
Practice, Practice, Practice
You won't get good at flying it unless you practice it a bit. I recommend playing on a server like CrazyCopters so that you can easily practice flying without worrying about fuel.
Once you feel like you've mastered the Mini on a modded server, then you're finally ready to use it in normal Rust.
