ORIGINAL: LDM
Yes as crazy as it seems I never set up expo on any of my warbirds . After reading a magazine article recently I think I am really missing a great radio asset .
On the Spectrum 7 I know the + means less sensitivity , my question is , is there a right formula for warbirds ? Will expo be differant on one flight surface vs another ?
Thanks
Hi,
I use expo on my warbirds and find it very useful. Unfortunately, there is no particular amount of expo that will work for all planes and all control surfaces, so it's going to take some experimentation to find the amount of expo that works for you and your planes. It is very much a matter of personal taste. When you begin your experimenting, using 20% expo (-20% on Futaba radios) as a starting point will be enough to feel how the expo works, without causing any problems. I am assuming that the linkage and servo geometry is all correct.
Like Ron101 said below, on my large warbirds, I generally use dual rates, high rates for take off and landing and low rates for flying. Both the travel and expo are higher on the high rates than on the low rates. Once airborne, this helps me fly smooth on low rates, but provides more control surface throw during take off and landings when my planes are in a low energy state. Some of my large scale WWII planes have relatively small control surfaces and narrow landing gear, so it is helpful to have more control surface throw (and expo) during takeoff and landing. But, there are exceptions! For example, on my 1/4 scale bf 109 (102"; 35lbs), on high rates (for take off and landing) I have full travel but
no expo on the rudder. Why? Because the bf109 has narrow landing gear and a relatively small rudder and it tends to yaw hard left on takeoff, so it is helpful to have a large amount of rudder throw without any expo to provide the quickest response possible. This helps me keep the plane straight during the takeoff roll. Once this plane is airborne, I switch to low rates, which has a small amount of rudder travel and some expo so that I can fly smooth turns using rudder, elevator and ailerons. So, as you can see, every plane is different.
Good luck and have fun with it! You may find it to be a valuable tool for you and your planes. If you would like more information, please feel free to PM me and this weekend I can look at my settings for one of my planes and give you some specific numbers that I use.
-Ed B.