Some points to ponder.

Unless your doing fast piro's the power robbed by the tail isn't very signifigant. Same with your landing sequence. Your right though, I read that backwards. So its not a bad idea but at hover and around it you won't get much mixing going on.

Also your rudder servo is hooked to the gyro and the gyro to the reciever no matter what mode your in, hh or rate so a gyro failure is going to be the same either way. Trust me, when it happens it will be over before you realize it.

Flicking more switches than you need during flight is a bad idea.

I've never flown a gas heli, just nitro, electric and full scale.