Hope I don't get "flamed," but it would be nice if some of the newly designed choppers had some sort of "leveler" (like an auto-pilot) that would enable extended flying without the constant attention to altitude,speed, etc.

It would be fun to tour one end of the state to the other in a chopper and just be able to rubberneck, PLUS have the versitility to land darn near anywhere (as opposed to a fixed wing craft).

I realize it's not realistic to have an AP on a whirly-bird and purests will take issue, but then again, purests don't have to use it. But it would be a fun thing to play around with. (It is a sim after all).  

Are there any developer issues that would prohibit something like this being incorporated?

I guess I don't understand the context of your speech. 

I was just saying (regardless of sim OR game) that it would be nice to be able to "lock" a chopper to a specific height/speed while flying to go sight-seeing over long distances. It gets kind of fatiguing to control a whirly-bird for long periods without constantly correcting for up/dn/overspeed/slowing down, etc.

I only have FSX (no acceleration/SP1 or SP2). That's all. 

You may want to ask in the forums at www.hovercontrol.com. There ARE a couple of realistic helicopter autopilots in existence for FS, but they can give you the details on where to get it, how it works, etc.

And just so you know....many helicopters in real life DO have autopilots installed. It is not just a fixed-wing toy.  

Yep, for example, my father flys Eurocopter AS365 "Dauphin" helicopters for a living, and they have autopilots on them.
Other examples off the top of my head include most other Eurocopter helicopters, such as the EC-135 and 145, as well as the Sikorsky S-76.

Mick:

As an avid sim helicopter pilot; I can sympathise with your position - the default 206 is pretty twitchy and it takes a lot of practice to get used to. There are however ways to make it more enjoyable for a non- RL pilot. Follow Sean's advice and go to Hovercontrol - they've got a section that'll tell you how to adjust FS9 to make the Jetranger much more accurate to real life. The short, short version is this: in Settings, go to Aircraft/Realism and reduce the 'General' slider to about 90% That'll reduce the twitchiness to manageable levels.

Keep in mind though that if you want to enjoy the wonders of helicopter flight; your best tool in the sim is the same as in real-life: experience. It takes a lot of practice to control a chopper well; but the hours of practice are well worth the effort. Helicopters are unstable - especially at low speeds - and once you learn to deal with it, it becomes second nature and no longer a problem. After a while, you won't want an AP.

Touring in a Jetranger is certainly possible and enjoyable - if you want a peek, check out a little vid I made: Autumn in Oregon

Jeez, I'm such an attention hound.

Very Nice video, BTW, Dave!

As of today, I am now up to SP 2.