ORIGINAL: former spad
When I moved up from the Hitec Flash 5 to the Hitec Eclipse 7, I had to spend MANY HOURS, not only trying to figure out the radio programing, but also which premix was needed to counteract the unwanted aerodynamic tendencies. I have said this in other threads, get a aerodynamic / acrobatic flight trimming chart (NSRCA Trimming Chart) and learn to recognize what the plane is doing in the air, THEN figure out what you need to do with the radio. One serious disadvantage of a radio with 7 switches is that if you accidently hit the wrong switch ........ I was doing a low inverted pass and accidently hit the flap switch.... you can guess the result.
Never heard of the NSRCA or the trimming chart. Where would one get something like this?
As for all the controls, with control comes responsability and the opportunity to make mistakes. There is a lot to be said for a R/E sailplane and a two channel standard radio. Doesn't do much, but you can always be confident of what it will do.
