does anybody know how to make the camera simulate being on a helicopter? i know you can animate the pathways like a helicopter but are their any ways to make a scene that looks like your filming the terrain while flying inside a helicopter? 

If you can find a heli model with a decent cockpit/cabin and movable main and tail rotors (dunno if tail will be necessary if you're not able to see it), then YES, definitely. If your camera will be turning around, but else staying in place (not moving around the chopper), simply place your camera where you want it inside the heli and LINK the camera to the helicopter via the Main Camera's animation panel. If you now animate the heli's flight path, the camera will stay inside the heli, while you can still rotate it, thus simulate turbulence, banking etc.

Also, I sugggest that you right click Main Camera, choose Edit Object and decrease the Motion Blur Length - depending on how blurry you want moving objects to be, or how much sense of speed you want. If you're flying low and fast over the Vietnamese jungle in a Huey, you'll want quite a bit of blur, whereas a peaceful sightseeing flight above New York will seem even more peaceful and quiet if you decrease the motion blur length.

I hope this answers your question. Feel free to ask here or PM me if there's anymore you need to know.

Cheers,

Thomas /  A-Spot

 thanks a lot!
would you know of any websites with good helicopter models like you described? 

I like Mesh Factory.

Attached Link: http://www.vanishingpoint.biz

VanishingPoint have several helicopters (AFAICT they're all available in both Poser and Vue format).

Some (if not all) of the Vue versions are also available via Cornucopia3D.

 thanks