When I learned to fly in 1972, my father learned with me and our instructor flew mode 1. His sons placed first and second at the masters in expert flying Bridi UFO's on mode 1 back in the day. My understanding the majority in Europe and Australia fly mode 1 and it's the favorite of pattern flyers. Why? They contend having aileron separate from elevator allows them to fly more smoothly. Accidents happen, I mean not crashing but a minor jiggle on the stick costs points. If you have the major flight functions on the same stick, yaw and roll can both be effected. If they're separated it allows smother flying.

The other point is transmitters ship typically mode 2. We always converted to mode 1 by moving the throttle ratchet from the left stick to the right stick. It was simple but people don't like doing it. I've sold transmitters on eBay and list them as mode 1. You'd be surprised how many mode 1 flyers there are. But many more mode 2 in the US. Therefore, I'll convert them back to mode 2 based on the buyer's request.