You pretty much can't do anything in a chopper without a 3 axis joystick in Desert Combat. The 3rd axis is for the pedals -- yaw axis rotation. I use a MS Sidewinder where the 3rd axis is changed by rotating the handle.

After quite a bit of practice, I've become a pretty decent DC chopper pilot. I can put the blackhawk pretty much wherever it needs to be for the door guner. Hover, backwards, sideways, target orbit, whatever. I'm working on doing decent pirouettes.

Flying the helicopters in DC is the best part of the game, in my opinion. My favorite map is Lost City with the "no parachutes" modification. The US forces need to attack a city via helicopter infantry. Usually, people can jump out of the helicopters and parachute. In this version of the map, the pilots need to land, or at least get very low. My favorite thing to do is to hover the BH about 2 feet above the roof of one of the buildings to let out the infantry, or to just land the little AH6 on one of the rooftops.

Great game. Actually worth running Windoze for. I just ordered the new GTR racing simulator. Can't wait.

Jim