How to Practice Flying Helicopters and Jets in Battlefield 6
Flying helicopters and jets is one of the great joys of the Battlefield series, and it’s back with a vengeance in Battlefield 6. That doesn’t mean it’s easy. You’ll need lots of practice to be anywhere approaching good, but there are more ways than ever to practice piloting helicopters and jets in BF6.
Ways to Practice Flying Helicopters and Jets
There are two main ways to practice with helicopters and jets in BF6, but I only recommend one of them if you want to maximize your learning time.
1. Play in a Dedicated Air Vehicle Practice Server
The overhauled Portal system in Battlefield 6 allows for immense server customization. You can create or join servers dedicated specifically to practicing with air vehicles.
As of launch day, there are several dozen such servers to choose from, but there are a few important things to keep in mind:
- You need to join a server with a low play count to ensure you can actually get into the jet or helicopter.
- The server needs to be on a map that includes jets and/or helicopters.
- The server should be properly configured. Ideally, join a 64-player server with just one or two human players. If configured correctly, the rest of the match will backfill with bots.
From there, it’s a simple matter of picking your class and the vehicle you want to practice.
The server should also have fast vehicle respawn active, if available, so even if you crash your jet into the side of a mountain (which is easy to do), you can quickly get back in the air.
2. Pilot Jets and Helicopters in an Actual Match
I do **not** recommend this route if you’ve never flown a vehicle before, because you will quickly become burning scrap on the ground. You will also probably send at least a few other players back to the respawn screen, none of whom will be too happy with you.
However, if you have a teammate who knows how to pilot, you can take the pilot seat and have them guide you from the gunner seat (in a helicopter). While this can help you reach competency, keep in mind that a dominant pilot can significantly affect the match’s outcome, and inexperienced piloting might frustrate your team.
That said, there is one thing you can only practice in a live match: **flare usage**.
Engineers on the enemy team with lock-on launchers will likely target you relentlessly. Learning the timing of when to pop your flares to throw their missiles off your trail can only be achieved in a live environment.
How to Learn to Fly Helicopters and Jets
Before you start practicing, take some time to read and understand the keybinds and controls associated with flying. Knowing which buttons do what will save you frustration and speed up your learning curve.
Here’s a strategy to get the most out of your practice sessions:
- Start with the basics: Focus on ascending and descending while holding the vehicle steady. Helicopters move vertically by pressing the Space button (or bumpers/R1 and L1 on controllers). To move forward, pitch the heli forward to gain momentum.
- Jets: Raise the nose with the right stick to ascend and lower it to descend.
- Practice lateral movement: Use WASD or the left stick to move left and right. Gradually add vertical movement as you become more comfortable.
Spend a few minutes just acclimating to basic traversal — it’s normal to crash into mountains or the ground often while learning. Even experienced pilots still do it!
The final step is to work on **pitching and rolling**, which means rotating your vehicle along its axes. These controls might feel awkward at first, but mastering them is essential for evasion and dogfighting. Don’t neglect this part of your training.
You will also need live match experience to shake off “pilot jitters” and figure out when and how to effectively use flares. While practice servers might occasionally have bots or players shooting locked rockets at you, expect to put in more work to evade a full team of human opponents.
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With patience and consistent practice using these methods, you’ll find yourself soaring through the skies of Battlefield 6 with confidence in no time. Happy flying!
https://www.shacknews.com/article/146330/how-do-to-practice-with-heliocopters-and-jets-in-battlefield-6