mccorml

My Feedback: (1)

I'm switching from a Hi-Tech 3 channel radio (with 1 stick) to a JR 6 channel for my slowstick and was wondering which control stick to have the rudder. On a plane such as the slowstick, where you only have throtle/rudder/elevator, and a regular radio, do you treat the rudder as a rudder or as ailerons, in other words, do you have the rudder on the left stick or the right.

Matt Kirsch

My Feedback: (21)

Which stick are you used to having the rudder on? That's the one you'd use, at least until you get a plane with ailerons. It makes no sense to crash your plane because you drastically changed the control configuration.

aeajr

My Feedback: (2)

This can be confusing if you started on two and three channel planes on a single stick radio
and are moving to planes with more surfaces and radios with more channels and
more controls.

I have participated in many on-line forum threads where we debate as to which
surface gets assigned to which stick. It is usually the rudder that is the
surface in question, but not always. Let's clear up the confusion.

For a two stick radio, used in mode two format, the standard format in North
America, pitch and roll are on the right stick with roll ALWAYS being your
primary turning control. Yaw and primary speed control are on the left stick.
Other functions are assigned to switches, buttons, dials, sliders or levers,
if you have them.

If you have a motor, that is your primary speed control. If you are flying an
unpowered glider, spoilers and flaps take on the role of speed control so they
are typically placed in the speed control position, commonly referred to as
the "throttle" stick. If you buy a radio that has a sailplane section, it
might refer to the throttle stick as the airbrake control.

Depending on the design of your plane, the rudder can play different roles so
its placement can change. On dihedral or polyhedral winged planes with no
ailerons, the rudder is your primary turning surface. It provides both roll
and yaw control so it goes on the right stick with pitch/elevator.

If you think of it in this manner, there is no confusion moving back and forth
between single stick and dual stick radios. On a single stick radio, pitch
and roll are on the single stick, which usually happens to be oriented to the
right side of the radio. If there is a third channel it is usually on a
slider or a switch which operates the primary speed control; throttle, flaps
or spoilers.

I have two single stick radios and two dual stick radios. The singles are used
for R/E/T for two parkflyers. The rudders on these planes provide roll
control and are the primary turning surface.

My dual sticks, both computer radios, are used for parkflyers, TD Sailplanes
and slope gliders. The surface layouts of my planes span R/E, A/E,
R/E/spoilers, R/E/throttle, R/E/A and R/E/A/flaps.

Again, for unpowered sailplanes, think of spoilers and flaps playing the part
of speed control. During normal, "speed" flight the stick is all the way
forward, flaps or spoilers are fully retracted. When I come in for a landing
and want to slow the plane, the stick comes back toward me, just as it would
with a throttle, and the flaps or spoilers deploy according to stick position.
This increases drag and helps to slow the plane, just as would happen with
reduced throttle.

Now, you might ask, if you have a powered plane that has flaps, where do the
flaps go? On a plane with a motor, the flaps are no longer the primary speed
control and are normally moved off the sticks to a switch, a dial or a lever.

Think of your controls this way and there is never a doubt what goes where.