Have you ever seen a helicopter fly overhead in Rust? If so, your first thought might be about how to pilot one yourself. Fortunately, it’s a simple process. This guide provides all the information you need about how to fly a helicopter in Rust in one convenient place.

As its name suggests, the Mini-Copter is a small helicopter constructed from scrap metal, ideal for a player and a friend to swiftly navigate the map. This guide will provide instructions on how to operate a Mini-Copter and offer general information on locating and utilizing one in Rust. In addition to the minicopter, this guide also works for the scrap helicopter. We will discuss some of the differences between the two helicopters later in this article.

How to Get a Helicopter in Rust

In Rust, there are two methods to get a helicopter:

  • Method 1: Finding a Helicopter: For this method, you will need to be extremely lucky on a wipe. Look around roads, near monuments, and in low population areas. You might just get lucky.
  • Method 2: Buying a Helicopter: You can buy both the minicopter and the scrap helicopter from the Aircraft vendor located at Bandit Camp. Look for the helipad when you arrive at the monument.

A minicopter can be bought for 750 scrap, while a scrap helicopter can be bought for 1250 scrap. Generally, it's a good idea to get a minicopter if you plan to only have 1 or 2 people with you for the wipe. If you are planning on basing with a larger group, go with the scrap helicopter. There is extra room in the back of the scrap helicopter for you and your team to sit.

How to Spawn a Minicopter

If you are an admin trying to spawn in a minicopter on your own, you can use the spawn minicopter.entity command to spawn a minicopter on your server. Note that you will need administrator permissions for this command to work.

How to Spawn a Scrap Helicopter

If you are an admin trying to spawn in a scrap helicopter, you can use the spawn scraptransporthelicopter command to spawn a scrap helicopter on your server. Like the command above, you will need administrator permissions again for this command to work.

Rust Mini Helicopter Controls

While flying a helicopter in Rust is hard, it isn't impossible. Here are the controls and some instructions on how to fly a helicopter in Rust:

Basic Controls

  • W: Ascend
  • S: Descend
  • A: Rotate Left
  • D: Rotate Right
  • Mouse: Control pitch and roll (tilt forward/backward and side to side)

Steps to Fly

  1. Enter the Helicopter: Press E to enter.
  2. Fuel Up: Ensure you have Low Grade Fuel in your inventory. Press ALT to access the fuel tank and add fuel.
  3. Take Off: Hold W to ascend.
  4. Steer: Use A and D to rotate. Use the mouse to control the tilt for direction.
  5. Hovering: Balance the mouse movements to hover in place.
  6. Landing: Gradually descend by holding S and leveling the helicopter with the mouse.

Taking Care of Your Helicopter

Once you learn how to fly, you're going to need to learn maintanence. Taking care of a helicopter in Rust is an important responsibility. If you don't you just wasted multiple scrap runs on a piece of junk that doesn't even work. There are a few things you can do to ensure that you don't lose your helicopter in Rust:

Keep Your Helicopter Fueled

The minicopter uses 30 low grade fuel per minute of flight, so keep close track of your fuel usage. You can track your fuel usage in flight while you are in the minicopter by holding ALT to free look, and interacting with the fuel tank in the back by pressing E.

Like the minicopter, the scrap helicopter uses 30 low grade fuel per minute of flight, making it an appealing option if you like to fly something bigger, even if you aren't with multiple people in a group.

Repair Your Helicopter When It Breaks

It's inevitable, you are going to make mistakes while you are flying your helicopter. Unless you can fly a helicopter in real life, there's a very solid chance that you are going to cause durability damage to your helicopter in Rust.

To repair a helicopter in Rust:

  1. Assess the Damage:
    • Check the helicopter's health bar.
  2. Gather Resources:
    • Metal Fragments
    • High-Quality Metal
  3. Use the Hammer:
    • Equip the hammer.
    • Approach the helicopter.
    • Right-click on the helicopter to open the repair menu.
    • Use Metal Fragments and High-Quality Metal to repair the helicopter's health.

Rust Helicopter Practice Servers

Like anything in life, flying a helicopter in Rust is a skill that can be improved with consistent practice. Here are a few servers you can check out to fly your own helicopter on a server where you don't need to worry about losing up to 1250 scrap:

Server Name Features
KoalaKopters - Minicopter/Helicopter Training Custom map, various courses, no fuel required
A-42 Heli/Minicopter Training Individual ramps, multiple race tracks, high-performance server
Salty Zombies RUST Minicopter Training Unlimited fuel, damage-free vehicles, combat minis, biplanes
RustAgainAviators - Minicopter/Helicopter Training Dedicated server, high uptime, specific courses
BXR Minicopter Training Course Spawn minicopters with no cooldown, battlefield-themed environment

Before spending your precious scrap on a helicopter just to crash it, take the time to practice on a helicopter server to ensure that your scrap investment doesn't go to waste.

Conclusion

Mastering the art of flying a helicopter in Rust requires a combination of practice, knowledge, and patience. By familiarizing yourself with the helicopter's controls, understanding the physics of flight, and following the outlined steps for takeoff, flight, and landing, you can enhance your piloting skills significantly. Remember to start with small, controlled flights on practice servers to build confidence. Take on more challenging flights as your proficiency increases. With dedication and consistent practice, you'll become adept at navigating the skies.