H5487

I always thought that single-stick transmitters were more natural for controlling airplanes than the more common dual-stick units; however, they're almost nonexistant nowadays. Nonetheless, they were somewhat popular in the early days of digital proportional (1970s) as practically every major manufacturer offered both single and dual-stick versions of their systems. What happened?

Harvey

iflyj3

My Feedback: (7)

In my opinion, cost of manufacturing the single stick versas two cheap sticks.

RFJ

I guess they just didn't sell enough of them to justify the manufacturing cost. Personally I use Mode 1 the most unnatural, and best, way to fly model airplanes. ( Take cover )

Ray

squeakalong

My Feedback: (8)

Harvey: I had a Kraft single stick 5-chan radio some time ago and I really liked the way it operated. Even though I am left-handed, I found controlling the stick with my right hand was not a problem. I, too, wonder why the design was dropped. Should be interesting to hear from some of the radio guru types on this question.

Soft landings.

Joe

Scar

My Feedback: (3)

I understand some guys like the Mode 1 better than Mode 2 specifically because with Mode 1 you can't inadvertently add elevator when applying aileron control (or vice versa.)

I saw Ed Cregger respond to this type inquiry once. He said with aileron, rudder & elevator all on the same stick, you had the same thing multiplied - that is, move the ailerons, and you might input unwanted elevator AND rudder. This was very important to the guys flying precision aerobatics, and they chose the Mode 1 or Mode 2 units.

I get by just fine on Mode 2, but I have tried a 3-function stick - I do, in fact, put in unwanted control moving the triple function stick. I certainly wouldn't pay extra for one.

Best wishes,
Dave Olson

bizwebpage

My Feedback: (1)

Some years back I wrote a published definitive article answering all the below questions (and debunking a lot of false claims) about single stick radios. You may review it at:
http://www.bizwebpage.com/SingleStick/ss.html

RFJ

Interesting article Bill. The bit about converting from reeds to proportional is why I fly mode 1. Not sure if it was a "tragedy" though

Ray

landeck

My Feedback: (1)

From 1973 until the beginning of this year I flew only single stick. I still fly with a Kraft 7 channel BiCentenial series '76 system and an Ace MP8K system. The Ace transmitter I bought in 1990 and it was, I believe, the first true computer radio on the market with the programing features of today's radios and a ten model memory. It has a great all metal gimbal that has never given me a bit of trouble. I found it a very natural way to fly with the Tx firmly grasped in the crook of the left arm, and the right hand controling the primary flight controls with left index finger on the throttle. But I wanted to go to 2.4ghz and the only way to do that with my current Ace Tx was to buy a Futaba module and send the whole thing off to Radio South for a conversion. That would be costly and I was ready for some of the advanced features of today's radios. So I bought a Futaba 7C Fasst system and use a Tx tray. After a summer of flying I am still adapting to the rudder on the same stick as the throttle but have made much progress and have yet to crash. On the Fasst system I am currently flying a Pulse XT 60, a GP Piper Cherokee, a GP Escaped, and a Sig Kadet Senior.

Now why did they go away? First, they were always a small minority as far as users were concerned. In the thirty six years of flying RC I have only been out at a field when another SS user was there maybe 3 or 4 times and none since the late 80's.

Second, I never met an instructor who flew SS, always dual stick and mode 2 almost all of the time. It is natural for an instructor to teach what he knows. Back in '73 I basiclly learned to fly on my own with minimal instructor help other than verbal comments. In the beginning I crashed alot.

Third is a matter of ecnomics. While mode 1 and 2 tx are basically the same layout and packaging, SS requires a totally different layout and packaging. This would drive manufacturing and development costs up. They would sell 10-15% of their total sales in SS and could not raise the price on the SS systems since this would further drive down sales. Also since SS systems were almost exclusively a North American product, the radio manufactures gave up on them.

Well, that is my take on what happened to SS systems.

Bruce

HighPlains

My Feedback: (1)

I flew SS Kraft from 1970 to the mid-80's. I instructed a lot of the time, but never had a student with a SS radio, so flying mode 2 was just as natural. If I were learn all over, I would go with mode 1. Mode 1 allows the most natural control of the tail which is important for most 3D flight, since rolling manouvers are just stirring the stick.

iflyj3

My Feedback: (7)

FYI,

I sell a conversion kit for the MP8K to allow you to plug in any Futaba 9C format RF deck. The kit is plug and play except for cutting a rectangular hole in the back.

I have the rights to the MP8K code and have introduced two upgrades and the current level released is 6.00.06. Many features have been added to the software. For more information join the MP8K support group at http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/mp8k or email me as below.

Thanks,

foo

I am still flying with 2 Ace ss xmitters.To me it is natural,2 stick is unnatral.

Thomas B

My Feedback: (4)

I flew a good bit of single stick, back in the day. It was OK, but why try to control three things with one hand, when it is easier and more precise to do control two things with one hand?... The ergonomics of twisting the stick for yaw, in addition to normal stick movement for pitch and roll, just never made any sense to me.

All the different modes prove that it is possible to learn to fly well using just about any system one can think of.

Ended up a very hapy Mode II flyer.

planebuilder66

My Feedback: (8)

From what I understand about the single stick systems is they are better in many ways over 2 stick systems, but to build a high quality gimbal that has the right feel and input is too expensive to justify. Plus look at most people out there, they are taught to use the right stick in mode 2 and leave the left alone while learning to fly. Yank and Bank theroy is too common now-a-days, so for the mass public to try and get use to single stick 4 channel systems isn't mainstream marketing. I suspect that most manufactures would find a way to make a good high quality single stick system that could work nicely, but the public would be confused on how to work it. It's just my 2 cents. Oh and BTW, it's much easier to cradle the remote in one hand and work the other stick with the other hand, just like the old days of single stick.

jaymen

The demise of the single stick is largely related to the demise of the USA R/C industry.
Although Futaba and JR(stands for Junk Radio!) did make a few single sticks, they were special order and not readily availlable at your hobby shop. Eventually, with so little orders for them, they were dropped.

Now, looking back, long before digital proportional we have the original premier 4 channel full house proportional system, the Space Control. This was a single stick, as were it's imitators like Sampey, and ACL. So all 4 function analog sets were initially single stick. Even Kaegle and Larson's prototype of what was to eventually become the Bonner Digimite had a single stick, which Howard did not like.

As mentioned before, two sticks, like individual telephone toggle switches used in multi-channel reed sets, gave the pilot the ability to send seperate comands at the same time with no interaction. Because so many of the top competition flyers were using reeds, it was only natural that the independant 2-stick configuration was populat. Initially Mode 1 was quite poular as it imitated the layout of reed transmitters.