Help! Programming, DR/Expo, Maiden Tips (especially for custom scratch builds)

[Vimana89]

How do I best set up my planes before maiden flight, and how do I get the best results when I maiden? I will have three planes ready to fly soon on a new transmitter, and my skills are still pretty newb level. One is a mini scout, two are custom. For those not following the build-ruary challenge, I'll include pictures and brief descriptions of the scratch planes. One is a four channel twin boom trainer with elevator and ailerons. The second plane is a high alpha park jet/fun flyer of slender delta configuration, three channel,elevons. I'm still figuring out the best way to mix the trainer. The delta mix is a preset but I am very concerned about how much expo I will want on this one, because the design has a very sensitive roll axis. I flew this design great forward and up on a transmitter with no expo, except I could not turn without rolling into the dirt. My transmitter can also do dual rates. Will I want to use that function?

 

[Hai-Lee]

How do I best set up my planes before maiden flight, and how do I get the best results when I maiden? I will have three planes ready to fly soon on a new transmitter, and my skills are still pretty newb level. One is a mini scout, two are custom. For those not following the build-ruary challenge, I'll include pictures and brief descriptions of the scratch planes. One is a four channel twin boom trainer with elevator and ailerons. The second plane is a high alpha park jet/fun flyer of slender delta configuration, three channel,elevons. I'm still figuring out the best way to mix the trainer. The delta mix is a preset but I am very concerned about how much expo I will want on this one, because the design has a very sensitive roll axis. I flew this design great forward and up on a transmitter with no expo, except I could not turn without rolling into the dirt. My transmitter can also do dual rates. Will I want to use that function?

Find attached a document I raised a few years ago to help those new members and builders to have successful maidens first time! It may help and at worst it can't hurt.

Have fun!

 

[Hai-Lee]

A second and more tailored response to your post1
For your expo question in relation to the park jet. If you were able to control it straight then I would use between 20 and 30% expo and keep the surface deflections on high rate the same and make low rate around 80%.

As for the roll/aileron input you will really need to turn it down to around 50% at high rate and even lower for low rate, say 35%. Expo I would raise to around 40%. Do not go much higher in Expo as the stick will start to feel like it operates as a switch and the sticks can become somewhat unresponsive in normal flight.

At least that is where i would start!

Have fun!

 

[Bricks]

When setting up a new plane first thing I do hook my servos up to a receiver, then go into my transmitter and set all my servo`s to max throws,( increase throws until I can just hear the servo make noise then back off a few points in each direction ) . When I get ready to install servos into the plane I will try and maximize the resolution of the servo by having the servo travel as far as it can with the correct deflection of the control surface. So I will try and use the outer most hole of the servo arm and the closest hole to the control surface to give me the desired control surface movement. Doing it this way your stick movements will closely mirror your servo movements. What you find is everything is more proportional expo, stick movement how the plane reacts, feels more all together and more connected to the movement of the sticks.