what is standard start off settings you guys use with your remotes? just looking for some general starting setup...

Depends on the plane. I have 40% expo dialed on for my ailerons on the Decathlon, same for elevator and 30 % on the rudder. I try to read up on the planes flght characteristics as much as I can before set up. If a few reviews say that it's a "twitchy" flyer, then I'll dial in more expo. Most of the guys at the field will start at 30% expo across the board and adjust accordingly after the first couple of flights. There are those that say, expo is the easy way out, but it's a good feature and I will use it to my advantage to assist with keeping gravity at bay

Yep, it really depends on the airplane. If it is something like a sport plane, warbird, etc. I generally start with no expo on low rates and minimal or none on high rates. I only add expo if I think it will help after flying the airplane. Sometimes on those kinds of planes, just taking out some throw will eliminate the need for expo too.

If the plane is a fun fly or 3D type with monster control surfaces and extreme throws though, I try to start out with around 30% on low rate and as much as 50% on high rate. It can always be changed from there.

Using expo really isn't cheating. It's a smart tool to use.

If you've never used it (as it sounds) then don't just slap a number in and mush on. It's really most useful on the elevator. Small, accurate use of the elevator matters on landing and you'll have the best chance to see what it does for you there. Pick a number like 20 or 30 and fly it until you're comfortable and have actually felt what it's doing for you. Until then, leave it off your ailerons and rudder. When you've got a handle on it, try it on your ailerons and you'll have a better chance of setting it where you need it.

I love using expo but wish to caution you in this respect. Ordinarily expo is used to reduce the sensitivity around center stick. The higher the no.% is the more reduction. This is my caution Jr and Futaba for some reason use theirs opposite to each other. For Jr you want to use the + amount of Expo and for Futaba use the - amount. You will immeditaly know it if enter wrong since it will become very very touchy.

ok so I probably should have told you guys then the airplane and remote... I am gonna use a DX7SE with a AR7600 receiver... the airplane is a GP Revolver... 46size aircraft... its a sport plane yes... I am using a Rossi R65 2stroke engine... its gonna be fast so I don´t want the response to be great... just thought there is like a general amount to start off with...

Regardless of the airplane, in my opinion, expo is a good thing. I usually start out at 20% and go from there. But, as mentioned, make sure you go in the direction that softens the initial throw. On some it's "negative" expo, and on others, it's "positive" expo. On those that have graphs, it should look like the below. This is just an example, but shows what expo, or exponential, looks like. In this case, I would call this "negative" exponential, however some may call it positive. Half empty.. half full... whatever.

CGr.

I on the other hand use very little expo. I probably will use more on my first pattern plane to help smooth it out. I do use dual rate a lot.

It takes about 20 to 25 percent expo to make the control response linear as a round servo output has the opposite built in, that is, you're automatically more sensitive at center than at the extremes.

An advantage of expo over dual rates is that the center is softer, while still retaining full throw if you get into trouble.

The Revolver is probably a perfect example of a plane that will benefit from expo on elevator and ailerons. Expo on rudder helps with take offs and landings on planes with a big rudder or a lot of throw to keep things under control.

On the DX7 you want positive+ expo to soften center.

Good luck, thats a fun plane.

thanks Barracuda for your input... also I have no understanding of dual rates... what does it do?

Reduces total control throw at the flip of a switch. Achieves the same thing, less sensitive controls. Expo does it by using less throw at center with full control at the extremes, dual rates just dials down your overall throw.

On most of my stuff I use a combination of both but thats getting advanced.

On that Revolver, the throws listed in the manual may seem small and it is tempting to increase them. Don't. What they give is plenty. I'd definitely use 35-405 expo on high rates and maybe as much as 20% on low rates.

Yeah I also thought I would use a lot of expo for the revolver... I bought a tuned Rossi pipe that ranges 13K-17K RPM for my engine which has loads of HP also... so I definitely will need less responsiveness... I thinks its gonna be fast, have not had it in air yet... still putting it together...

The Revolver is fast with an ordinary .46 and Pitts muffler. Your combo will likely be ballistic. Nothing wrong with that.

But you are forgetting that our control surfaces move around a hinge line in an arc, thus compensating for the non-linear movement at the servo. Arc servo wheel movement, translated to linear movement of the pushrod, translated to non-linear movement at the control surface. Bottom line: Control surfaces move linear with TX stick movement - maybe not 1:1, but linear and proportional. 15% generates 15%, until you add your own expo.

Kurt

thanks guys, all info was helpful...

do you switch from HIGH rates, as in throws, to LOW rates with the dual rate flip switch for say for approaching landings or so?

Thats exactly one use for it.

In my case I have a triple rate set up on my Yak so that I have a low rate for takeoffs and landings. A middle of the road rate for smooth IMAC style aerobatics, and a wild rate with bevel to bevel throw for tumbles and hovering and the like. Each has its own expo setup as well. In this case they are set up on whats called a "Flight Mode" switch. All three rates are tied to a single switch and the rates and expo and even mixing can be set up for each flying condition.

On my helicopters I just throw about 25 percent expo and enough throw not to stall the blades and have at it. So it depends what you're flying, and what you want to accomplish.