I had major struggles getting helos to work as AI (actually only after getting some help from Rollerball did they start showing up). Even at that, none of them actually perform VTOL. They still taxi to the active and do a conventional TO or landing, albeit short. Apparently, conventional aircraft flight profiles are the only ones supported as AI, and helo's (much as your craft would do) need to use a highly modified aircraft air.file to work. You could use AirEd (download it free) to adjust the air.files, just make a backup copy first! Probably not what you wanted to hear, but if you find a way around this, please share it with us.

Nice project BTW.

VTOL aircraft, such as the V-22 or F-35, don't work as AI very well.  It isn't so much the difference between being a helicopter or being a fixed-wing.  The thing that makes VTOL aircraft not work is that almost all of them use the flaps to give them lots of lift and a large amount of drag.  This means that the AI engine, when its trying to come in for a landing, lowers the flaps and can't come in on a normal glide.  It jumps up in the air, trying to adjust its power settings and nosing down a bit.  Problems arise, and it either performs a go-around or crashes.

That has been my experience with it.  But if you do find a way around this, by all means, let us know!

Well, I'm not sure if they'll START on a helipad (I would assume not, since there isn't a selection for that in the AI system) but even if they did, they would still just taxi like CAFedm was describing.

FSGT Gabe wrote on Dec 14^th, 2006 at 2:42pm:

No Kevin. Unless they changed it in FSX, helicopters don't work as AI. I assume this also applies to VTOL aircraft. The AI traffic is set up for conventional fixed-wing types.

Well, for what you're trying to do, it can be possible!  After all, all the Star Wars vehicles only need a short runup for takeoff (around 200 ft) so they would get off the ground just fine.  They would even launch from a building top if you could get it to somewhat the right length.  You can also make invisible runways, which would mean you wouldn't be able to see the actual runway, but they would still take off from it.  The only problem would be landing, which they would have a severe problem with.  But try it.  After all, it can't hurt!

As an adendum, someone (no idea who!) could make some very low poly models for mass traffic in the skies in that region, which would enable you to have an approximation of the type of traffic seen in all the Star Wars movies.  For that matter, you could have mobile scenery (now possible in both FS9 and FSX) which would be really cool.  No more traffic hazzards like going around, just stuff constantly flying through the air.