Hitecs have a deadband that is set to not center as accurately as JR and Futaba servos. I've been told that this is done on purpose for surfaces that require two servos, so the servos are not fighting each other over a center position. This is adjustable with a servo programmer. Hitec doesn't make a 'bad' servo, but the experienced pattern guys I've been working with say there's a noticeable difference between the brands, and most of them won't use Hitec servos on competitive planes. The Yak's not a pattern ship but I figured I'd still be working on precision with it.

I guess I could decide to just set it up completely different and not worry too much about it.

Clint: Excellent point. The large servo arms and horns definitely amplify the amount of torque needed. The test was done on a pattern ship, and usually they've got the control rods mounted as close to the servo as possible to reduce slop and increase accuracy.