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Wardogs helicopter controls

Four controls fly the helicopter, and all four are in use all the time. The device you fly them with is personal; the setups below are what the best pilots actually use.

Updated 2026-09-28

The four controls

ControlWhat it doesIn the settings as
CollectiveLift. Up to climb, down to sink or to shed speed.Collective raise / lower
Cyclic pitchTilts the rotor disc nose up or down. Rate-based: it keeps tilting until you centre it.Cyclic X (increase = nose down)
Cyclic rollTilts the disc left or right. The main turning control.Cyclic Y (increase = roll right)
Yaw (pedals)Points the nose. Weak at speed, where the airflow straightens you out.Yaw left / right

The settings names confuse people: LewF20 notes that the “increase/decrease cyclic” binds are pitch and roll by another name.

Default keyboard binds

Out of the box the helicopter flies entirely on the keyboard, and mouse flight is off. Six written guides agree on these defaults:

FunctionDefault key
Collective raise / lowerLeft Shift / Left Ctrl
Pitch nose down / up (cyclic X)W / S
Roll left / right (cyclic Y)A / D
Yaw left / rightQ / E
Free look (hold)Left Alt
First / third personC
Board, interact, engine menuF
FlaresV
Lock / unlock seatsL

Many experienced pilots rebind to the “Battlefield” layout instead (collective on W/S, yaw on A/D, the mouse on roll and pitch). The binds live in Settings → Controls → Keybindings, in the Rotary Vehicle section near the bottom; mouse flight and sensitivities are under Settings → Controls → Settings.

Pick your device

Keyboard & mouseDefault vs rifle aim, and the binds of Hieb, Silk, ProLosco and more. HOTAS & joystickRate-based sticks, deadzones, curves and free look. ControllerThe fixed layout, the fire-button problem, and the vJoy workaround.

Flight assists

AssistWhat it doesWhat pilots say
Stability assistLevels the aircraft when you centre the cyclic.Good for learning. Pulls you back to level when you try to hold an offset aim (LewF20).
Auto-hoverHolds a hover when you centre the collective.Silk keeps it on for low infantry farming. Hieb: hides your true collective. LewF20: never with stability assist on.
Envelope limitsStops extreme pitch and collective.Off for experienced pilots; it blocks advanced manoeuvres.
Turn coordinationAdds yaw into a roll automatically.IceManIsaac suggests it for beginners; most experienced pilots turn it off.

The pattern: learn with stability assist (or auto-hover, not both), then turn assists off one at a time. Hieb, ProLosco, GhostGaming and IceManIsaac fly with none; ProLosco adds that it is personal preference rather than a big advantage.

Keys everyone needs

Sources