This was actually posted in another forum, but I thought it might make for interesting conversation over her, too.

OK ... I'll start the debate.

I learned to fly Mode 1 because my dad flew in the Reed radio days (actually before then ... have a newspaper clipping of him with a transmitter base sitting on the ground it was so huge).

Then I learned to fly full scale while I was not flying R/C. After getting used to having the ailerons/elevator on one hand, it is hard to get used to mode 1 again. When I restarted R/C I got RealFlight on Mode 2. This felt good. Then I converted the controller to Mode 1 for my dad, he could fly it, but it was still difficult for me.

In a general aviation plane with a yoke, you fly with your left hand for elevator/aileron with the throttle on the right hand. You don't fly with both hands on the yoke. I can fly this mode (is it 3 or 4?) better than I can fly mode 1. In a stick equiped plane, pitch/roll is in the your right hand, and throttle is in your left hand (mode 2).

I have found one major advantage to mode 1 since getting back into racing. When you fly a knife edge all the way around the course, mode 1 actually works pretty well, because you only have to change the orientation of the left stick for the majority of the control. IOW, aileron/roll stays on the right hand. I don't fly the high alpha stuff yet, but I can imagine that the rudder/pitch control on one hand and roll on the other could be quite useful.

Don,

On the Nelson or Jett powered Quickees or Quarter 40s the only time you should need to touch the rudder is on takeoff and landing. If you need to use rudder to hold a perfect knife edge, you plane is improperly set up. The C.G. should be adjusted, rather than the use of rudder movement or rudder trim.

As to Mode 1 vs Mode 2 I have no opinion. I learned Mode 2, and that is all I have ever flown.

The natural drift, turns, etc are going to cause some altitude change. Do you use aileron to achieve that altitude change? I know some people (maybe most) use this method.

On the multiplayer machine I've watched some people that use the rudder for altitude adjustment. You have to make sure that any roll coupling is mixed out though, or the aileron duties are much more onerous

I've practiced both ways, on the sim, and with a real plane, and find pros and cons with both.

One of my concerns with the Predator was increased roll coupling because of the 95-100 degree tail versus the usual 110 degrees. A Predator flyer has confirmed that there is indeed more roll coupling than usual. Of course, you can mix it out, but then that's more drag and on a V-tail adds a dimension of trim variables.

If you ever want to try out Mode 1 or Mode 3 (or 4), but don't want to open up the transmitter, you can do it easily with the RealFlight controller on the sim, or with a ducky antenna on a real plane.

Just turn the transmitter upside down and reverse the servos as necessary. This puts the ratcheted (or untensioned) gimbal on the right. The only downside is that the horizontal trims are now on top of the gimbal. On RealFlight, you also have to change the Tx mode. In a plane, you have to switch the aileron and rudder servos at the receiver.

I can fly 3 of the modes. I do it just to see how fast I get my brain to switch modes. And it seems to sharpen my "thinking inside the plane" process. I don't have to turn the Tx upside down because I bought a Futaba Skysport 4 Tx for $20 and converted it, and my 6XAS is on Mode 1 because a friend and better pilot than I'll ever be flys mode 1 and it makes it easy for him to fly my planes.

If you hook a Mode 1 Futaba computer Tx up to another one in Mode 2, you can let the Mode 1 flyer fly your plane without any programming or hardware changes.

Don,

On G2 I have no issue with using rudder trim for the perfect knifeedge, but on a real plane your just adding drag.

As to altitude changes on the race course, the trick is to not have any .

If I come out of turn one and my plane climbs I may need to add weight to my left wingtip. If it comes out high because I did not bank enough before pulling elevator, I will hold that higher altitude. By correcting your altitude you are once again slowing your plane down.

I think most people have a line around the course that they prefer. For me, its about 5 feet above the pins. However, that seems to be where most others like to fly also and in heavy traffic you are only looking for a midair. Get use to flying the course at all altitudes, because you never know when you have to avoid traffic.

If I want to change my altitude I tend to do it on the turns by either overbanking or underbanking before pulling elevator. Be carefull on the overbanking one if your low

How 'bout this. I flew with a single stick radio for 20 years.
Finally, I wanted to convert to a computer programmable radio and update all my equipment. There were no single stick radios with the features and functionality of today's two-stick radios available.

I was forced to learn to fly two-stick (mode 2) while still trying to compete in race meets. This was a challenge !!! let me tell you. It was like learning to fly all over again. Trial by fire.

I "trained" myself with several flights on a Sig Kavalier with a hot .40 in it. I then had to jump into Quickies and Formula 1's using my new two-stick. This was not easy. It significantly affected my performance in the local standings for a couple of years. I'm now used to mode 2 two-stick but it is still not as natural as the old single stick.


Randy Smith

Back in the fall, a buddy(mode 2 guy) came out to the field with a small fun fly type airplane of his own design. He asked me to fly it on its maiden flight, but I declined. Finally after the other 'test pilots' had all declined, I agreed to go ahead and fly it. I flew that little plane about 15 times that day.
On the third flight or so, another buddy walked up to myself and the plane's owner and asked me as I was flying, "Hey aren't you a mode1 pilot?" To the utter shock of the plane's owner, I of course replied "Yes". He then asked me if I had ever flown mode 2 before. I replied "not before today"

After flying Mode 1 for 17yrs, I don't think I intend to change. Many at my club have asked me to, and I admit that I would prefer to not need to 'work' on a transmitter before using it, but I did not feel enough of an advantage was possible by changing to Mode 2.

With all that said, if I was a pilot starting out today, I would go with Mode 2 simply because radios come that way and 'everyone else is doin' it'.