Radio Programming Primer

How to set up your transmitter to maximize your flying enjoyment

- John Reid

There are some basic radio programming features that all pilots should know to improve their airplane’s performance, and they can be used on any airplane to make flying more enjoyable. When these features are used and programmed correctly, you will experience a faster rate of learning and better results. These programming features are used by the pros for their competition aircraft, but they will also aid pilots of every level and make just about any airplane easier to fly. The key three features that we are going to discuss are dual rates, exponential, and program mixing.

Dual Rates

One of the key programming components that allows a pilot to perform 3D aerobatics is dual rates. To perform any type of 3D maneuver, the plane needs to have very large control-surface movement, but this will not allow the pilot to fly the plane smoothly during normal flight. The dual-rate switch is a way to move between high and low throws so that the pilot can use extreme movement when needed for 3D and then reduce them when flying with precision. But dual rates can also be used on other type of aircraft; for example, on a scale bird, you might need a little more control when slowing the plane down for landing—using a higher rate for that could help.