ORIGINAL: jeffsend
I fly pinch but have tried both. Pinch is more comfortable for me and I like that I rarely lose the stick and make that ''doioing'' sound that I hate. I was surprised that for the most part,I could fly just as well either way with a little practice,but thumbs still feels sloppier to me.
I don't see using expo as a crutch or a way to cover up poor technique unless perhaps it is being used on a trainer. It seems to me that we typically set up our planes these days with way more throw than they really need to achieve the ability to do radical maneuvers. Imagine if you set your car up so a quarter turn of the steering wheel would make the wheels go 90 degrees. Then you'd probably NEED expo just to be able to drive normal. I see expo as a way to have high and low rates available to you,without having to stop and flip a switch.
Edit:
Ooops....When I posted this,I didn't realize It was in the pattern forum. So some of my comments were made with sport and 3d flying in mind.
jeffsend, Ooops you did ask for it!!
Do not underestimate the human body
I do drive a recumbent clone like this "Flevo Racer", look also for "Flevo Bike"
See the example:
http://members.chello.nl/d.diederik/...lans/index.htm
It is a bycicle with “thrust direction control”.
Propulsion is with the legs with the frontwheel and steering is with the legs with the frontwheel (LOL).
So I have to use my legs “high torque” for propulsion and “low torque” for steering.
I can ride that bycicle with my eyes closed or reading a roadmap and for the same reason I do not need any expo for my tumbs to fly any plane, not even a little bit, it would disturb my control when I have to combine the inputs because with expo the ratio/gains are ganging.
Another profit is, I do not have to adjust and not to learn, my body does.
Learning drive that recumbent is a little bit more complicated as normal, but when known you can have attention for more important cases. (that map). The position of my legs do not have any relationshop with any "neutral" position in there movement. here are some rubber bands to neutralize the weight of the drive train, that's all. I normally can maintain a speed of about 6 - 25 km/h without using my hands also not in the city. To start I do not need my hands and the torque of my legs is much too high to use my hands, so they are only to activate the brakes.
Cycling is as thumbing only for that I do not need my eyes just as not for flying a real glider.
(Of course you have to observate not to hit anything and keep neutral)
Cees