Mode 4 vs Mode 2; make the switch or not?

[eajohnson]

Hey guys, I'm just finishing up my first season of IMAC Basic and am definitely hooked -- I've acquired a H9 35% Extra 260 that I'm going to set up as an electric and use next year in Sportsman.

The question of the day is, I'm considering whether I should switch to mode 4 (I currently fly mode 2). I switched from flying thumbs to thumbs and index finger (pinch) with a tray last year and am glad I did, but could I expect as big a difference with the switch from mode 2 to mode 4?

Maybe those of you who have made the switch could comment on how it went, and those of you that are still flying mode 2 -- if you were at the beginning of your IMAC 'career', would you have made the switch? I've heard from some people that it hasn't made much difference in the scores of some people that have made the switch.

I don't mind taking a couple steps backwards if it's going to help me down the road in the more advanced classes, but if it's going to make no difference there's not much point in doing it because there are definite downsides as well just because not many people fly mode 4. Just because the definition always seems to present some confusion, by mode 4 I mean left stick is throttle and aileron, right stick is elevator and rudder.

[Wild Thang]

No way dude, why put the extra stress on yourself, Just fly . Pinching or flying mode 4 isnt going to make you a better pilot...

[propchief]

No matter what mode you are going to have to mix the controls on both sticks. I never tried mode 4 but tried mode 1 and almost crashed a fairly stable slower aircraft. I decided the best way to get better is to burn gas and log time on the sim.

[Black Sheep]

Excuse my ignorance, but what is mode 4?
I usually fly mode 2 and have done a lot of flying on mode 1 but I've never heard of mode 4

[harv]

i thought that stick combo was mode 3? throttle aileron left stick, elevator rudder right stick. im not sure it will make you a better pilot. the transition into that would be like learning to fly all over again.

[Black Sheep]

Geez, that sounds like a crash about to happen
What are the benefits of that mode?

[harv]

it supposed to help when doing rollers from what i hear. it supposed to help keep constant aileron rates, and it will reduce any elevator input at all when doing just aileron rolls. i think

[bodywerks]

Mode 4 is ail/throt left, rudd/elev right. It does do the great job of isolating the aileron from the elevator, and it puts both directional control surfaces on the same stick, so rollers are basically just a stir of the stick. I learned to fly on my own and mode 4 is how I ended up. I like it, but I don't think it made me a better pilot. There are the majority of world-class flyers out there that fly mode 2. If mode 4 would mek them a better pilot I think the would have switched by now.
I know of a guy that switched from Mode 2 to 4, recently, and he flies the advanced class with me in IMAC. Don't know how well he flew before so I don't know if it made him a better pilot or not(he did make the shootout though).

[Mithrandir]

IMHO, fly the mode most of your friends fly....

I have not been able to verify it, but I think the majority of the top 10 FAI Pattern guys were mode 1....

But if you have been doing it for a while... stay mode 2 if that is what your friends fly...

[eajohnson]

	Quote: Originally Posted by Wild Thang
	No way dude, why put the extra stress on yourself, Just fly . Pinching or flying mode 4 isnt going to make you a better pilot...

LOL. What, you mean I need to fly to be good at this?

[eajohnson]

	Quote: Originally Posted by Mithrandir
	IMHO, fly the mode most of your friends fly.... I have not been able to verify it, but I think the majority of the top 10 FAI Pattern guys were mode 1.... But if you have been doing it for a while... stay mode 2 if that is what your friends fly...

There's been plenty of rumor of top people flying mode 1 and mode 4; from what I'd heard mode 1 is better suited to left handers and mode 4 better suited to right. But again, if it's so good then where are all the pilots who fly this mode (other than Ivan Kristensen who is a longtime proponent). It sounds _great_ in theory -- keeping your roll rate steady on the left stick while all the corrections are happening on the right, particularly in rollers. Sadly I think there may be too few people that have gone this route to really form a significant sample. Has anyone tried it and gone back to mode 2?

[Edge 540]

If you were just learning maybe, but in your case I can't see many people suggesting you completely re-learn a mode. Why change now? Just keep practicing.

Besides,... if your plane's set up all funky/european style your buddy's cant fly!

[Patrick H]

I fly mode 1 and once tried to fly mode 2. It was the scariest flight ever and I never tried again. That was before sims so I would definitely recommend a sim first.

[sweetpea]

Yes, fly a mode that no one is comfortable with. That way when you get sand in your eyes at the Shootout or bit by one of the tarantulas and have to hand your radio off that person will surely crash.

Stick with Mode 2. 95% of the pilots fly it. That way when you need help flying a plane for any reason or you want a more experienced pilot to fly it and help you fine tune the trimming etc etc.....there will always be someone to help.


I mean really.......how can I borrow your plane and beat you with it in sportsman if you're flying Mode 4. Geez....Stop thinking of just yourself and think of others.

[Mithrandir]

Curtis Youngblood flies single stick right?