Helm SOPs

General

Zoom out the scanner zoom slider to maximize field of view; zoom in when needed, e.g. during close quarters combat
An exclamation point on the console indicates the current mission target, which may be in another impulse or warp location
When entering a new area, consider plotting an impulse course that will be the "escape route," and take note of the heading. If an urgent impulse escape is later necessary, helm will already know which heading to turn the ship towards while the computer plots the impulse course again, which can save several crucial seconds during the escape attempt. An impulse course escape is preferred to a warp course escape because impulse engines can be engaged faster and with less power than warp engines, but a warp course escape may be required when impulse is not an option.

Communicate significant changes in heading and/or speed, so everyone knows where the ship is going and why (e.g., "turning to avoid asteroid," "maintaining distance from anomaly")
Announce new contacts and any significant movements of other ships/objects (e.g., ship approaching, mine ahead, enemy fleeing helm is the primary set of eyes on the scanners; other stations may be occupied elsewhere, but helm is almost always "looking out the window"

The ship can be flown from external view (using keyboard or VR controller). This is useful to avoid collisions in crowded environments (e.g. asteroid fields), and during close ship-to-ship combat ("dogfights"). Occasionally, external view controls will not respond; if this happens, exit external view and re-enter external view; the controls should return.
Mind the momentum of the ship on turns and stops; it takes time for the ship to get up to speed and slow to a stop
Engine power determines maximum engine speed as well as turn speed; if you need to turn faster, ask engineering for more engine power
In Aegis, the green circle is the detection range. With shields and torpedoes off, the detection range will remain at 10km as long as the speed is 4,000 or below; if the speed increases to 5,000, the detection range will increase to 20km; if the speed increases beyond 5,000, the detection range will not increase further. Obscuring anomalies reduce the detection range.

Phasers only fire forward; in combat, you will usually want to stay behind the enemy while keeping the enemy in front of you; if there are multiple enemies, you usually want to stay behind as many as possible, while keeping as many as possible in front of you
Keep line of sight in mind, especially in combat: your ship will need line of sight to fire at the enemy, and the enemy will need line of sight to fire at you. Large objects obscuring line of sight may provide an advantage (cover) to you, or to other ships. The scanners may not display objects that interfere with line of sight, so use visual (viewscreen, external view) to confirm line of sight between you and the enemy, especially in crowded situations, such as combat in asteroid fields. If the ship is about to collide with an object, it will appear as a flashing red dot near the center of helm's scanner display.
In close quarters ship-to-ship combat, reversing engines while turning around can keep the enemy ship in the firing range longer