is it ok for a begginer to have some exponential setup?

Don't think it's needed in a trainer. (you are just learning, right?) Any plane that would require it will probably be to advanced for a beginner. Just my opinon though.
venom [8D]

yup still training with a nexstar. i tend to overcorrect on the sticks specially on strong winds... so any tips on how to avoid over correcting/reacting with the sticks?

Expo: I would trow some in with the rudder this will help keep it on track for take off.. and landing

Now you mentionened expo so... you must have a programmable remtote.... if this si right and you always overr corrrct then eather use a high low rates switch (D/R) and this will help you should keep the high rates as they are now so that if when you get in trouble it will be possible tosave yourself. BUt with it in low rats you should set it up exactly how you like to fly and slowly make the sticks more sesitif with time. (it wont make a difference now but its good to get used tto have secitiv sticks when you go to other models...)

Steven

All the more important to learn the right feel so you do not overcorrect. Most (all?) new flyers tend to overcorrect and it is important to learn to anticipate the plane's reaction so your inputs are just what is needed. Expo is helpful for planes that have extremely large control surfaces. If you don't learn to fly more conventional set ups without expo, you won't have much chance to succeed with more advanced designs even with expo.

So, expo can be a tool or a crutch. It's your decision.

If by overcorrection you mean that you bang the sticks, then expo won't do you a bit of good, you still get full control surface throw.
The only use a beginner would have for expo would be if you are flying an electric plane. In that case "reverse expo" or logarithmic throttle makes an electric plane's throttle feel a lot more linear. Some ESC's have built in reverse expo.

Fayrwerks,
I don't mean to sound harsh, but exponential is over rated. I would make everyone learn to fly on a flight sim, then on a non-computer radio if I had my way. Please allow me to explain. The RUDDER is used to turn the aircraft, while the AILERONS set the angle of bank and the ELEVATOR maintains the altitude. The engine speed also helps out. You don't have to fly at full throttle. On a simulator, (I have the Great Planes G2, now replaced by G3) you can have a "Behind the Aircraft" view that allows you to see how this aerial ballet is performed. It's really not that difficult. Only small movements of the control sticks are required to maneuver the aircraft. While watching your aircraft in flight, you should be thinking two moves ahead, (just like Chess) of your aircraft for a smooth transitional flight. Before taking off next time, go through a short flight in your mind. Invision a perfect take off, roll out to down leg, base to final approach, nice pass down the center of the runway, another go around, then a perfect down the center of the runway landing. Now, GO DO IT! Good Luck and Happy Landings.

Not to pile on here, but the others above have hit the nail on the head. Leave the expo alone for now (actually, leave all the advanced functions of a computer radio alone). As was said above, it's a crutch. If you use expo to "soften" up the throws of the plane then you will never learn to fly the plane properly. You will learn bad habits that will follow you to every plane you try to fly in this hobby, and in fact can make it almost impossible to fly some of the more advanced planes out there. About the only way to learn to not over-control is lots and lots of practice. This would be a great place for a simulator. I use this all the time for my students that have problems such as this. It allows them to get lots of practice in a short amount of time. If you don't have a simulator consider buying one, or at the very least see if you can borrow one.

Hope this helps

Ken

One more for leaving the expo out. IF the Nexstar is still on the original factory setting you should pick it up soon. If someone tinkered with the pushrods and made any of the controls more responsive thinking to improve performance, then that is your problem. An "out of the box" Nexstar is enough for a beginner. It can be souped up later when you are ready.

I dissagree strongly on whether or not expo helps a beginner, I think it helps a great deal, especially on rudder. I have instructed quite a few newbies and all benefited from exponential, especially for taxi practice on a tail dragger and for smoothing out landing approaches.

Trainers are already sloppy enough. You really don't need it for a trainer. To give you an idea of what expo does. A few years back a bunch of us had those Sig Fazers. I didn't have any expo in my tx. One of the guys wanted me to test his fazer but forgot to tell me he had something like 30-40%expo. I took off in an uncontrollable first few laps. I was all over the place. I was ready to stuff it so I wouldn't kill someone when he told me about the expo. So I fought it all the way back to the ground in one piece.

I use around 10-15% on most of my fleet simply because they are a speed type plane. To get an idea what excessive expo is like. Picture yourself driving down the road and you want to make a simple right turn onto another street. Your turning the wheel but the car is not turning, you keep the steering wheel turning and turning and start to panic when all of a sudden,wham! the car makes the turn and scares the crap out of you.

The same process happens on your sticks onthe transmitter. Too much expo can yiel the same results in a plane

10 or 15% expo and you will hardly notice that it is there. Expo feels like play in a car's steering wheel if it's overdone. BTW, a lot of modern cars do have variable ratio steering, soft in the middle so you don't change lanes on the freeway everytime you sneeze, and high on the endpoints so you don't have to turn the wheel a half dozen times to parallel park.

Fayrwerks,
Like I said, get a flight sim. There is no added cost if you crash on the sim. You are going to get do's and dont's about expo. I fly Warbirds, P-51's Corsairs. Spitfires, etc... I want my aircraft to do exactly what I tell it to do when I tell it to. Try landing a Warbird with a bunch of Expo in the elevator or rudder and take a sweat check as the beads roll off your face. No thanks.

So what about D/R then, much more benign that expo IMHO. Allows learners to fly, amongst other things funfly aircraft, with some degree of "normalness" until they get to understand the specific dynamics of such craft. Low rates on my trainer means that my playstation generation youngster can fly without rolling everytime he wants to turn left LOL.

BUT, as Ken mentioned, simulator is a great way to learn all about this stuff...

Regards,
Andy

Thanks for the advice. i have the futaba 9CAP and i have the G3 sim and spending a lot of time with it. problem is i can only go to the field once a week due to work requirements. whenever I'm in the field and flying the nexstar panic sets in even with the instructor on buddy box, on windless day T/off, turns and landings are OK but when its windy the plane reacts more even on small movements on the stick.
btw... next weekend shall be my 3rd day on the field. need a lot of things to learn....

the biggest mistake with the NEXTAR is to over control the plane is a bit of a kite and will nearly fly its self think guide the plane not control it, aim and steer forget expo high/low rates, all that you can have for more advanced planes when you do not need to constantly focus on flying, it takes time. a trick or technique I use before take off take a couple of deep breaths relax and visualize a couple of possible moves, then let the plane fly, it barely needs any help at all, the main thing is get in the air and keep your speed up and get high enough so if you do make a mistake there is time to correct it the more air flowing past your control surfaces the more control you will have and the less input on the sticks you need. point it down the runway once its up to flying speed the rudder will steer it,when I was flying my nextar I wouldn't fly in winds over 15kt winds the plane will float too much for learning and bounces all over the place. never heard of the state of nil,AA is the state of AA pretty windy

btw, another aspect I didn't see mentioned yet was flying on a buddy box. I don't know what your setup is, but setting expo on the master TX doesn't give expo on a regular buddy box. Same with dual rates.

Now, if the instructor holds a basic 4-channel radio, and the student is holding a computer radio, then you can dial down the students control rates with end point, d/r or expo, and the instructor can maintain a higher control rate to help with "saves". If both student and instructor have computer radios, then setup is even easier. But most times the student winds up with what amounts to a basic 4-channel box with 100% throw and nothing on any channel.

(more than once I've had to "unprogram" a new student's computer radio because he'd done all the centering and control throw settings in the computer radio. The buddy box does not have those settings, so it can actually be impossible to trim the plane out if subtrim was over-used).

You definitely dont need exponential for a trainer. You really dont need it for a second plane that has the control surface throws set correctly.


You dont necessarily need it for warbirds that are typically setup with relatively low control surface throws. Warbirds, although somewhat fast are generally pretty tame except landings due to excessively high wing loadings.

But once/if you move on to airplanes that require precise control like pattern , IMAC and 3D planes ESPECIALLY 3D planes, exponential becomes an invaluable tool. I have tried about everything, and I will tell you right now, the more throw you are using and the more smoothly you want to fly the more valuable expo will become.

Also something else that figures into the mix, generally speaking people who fly pinch use a lot less expo than people who fly thumbs.

Here is how expo is supposed to be used.
1. Setup the plane for the maximum throw that you will NEED for your most demanding maneuver on the lowest rate.
2. Fly the plane, if you find that it feels like the slightest correction causes the plane to move more than you want it to you ease in a little expo at a time until you get the desired feel for your tastes.
3. Now switch to high rate, and dial in expo until the plane responds the same right around the center. That is when trying to fly normally, but on the higher rate, the plane is not overly sensitive. If you go too far it will feel mushy, if you dont use enough expo, even the gentlest touch will overcorrect.


Again, you dont need it for a trainer nor do you need it on most FF planes or warbirds. You should not really need it until you start trying to fly really smoothly or start using significantly different dual/triple rate setups.

Trouble is that makes the plane fly better, but doesn't teach the pilot how to fly it better. I think the more "manual" a trainer the better. They should learn the reactions to control movements straight before attempting to bend them. Learning the "feel" and educating your thumbs to tiny movements is part of the training process.

There are three or four holes in most control horns and servo arms. You can change them to moderate control responses without having to involve the more complex (and screwupable) computer functions.