Mode1 or Mode2 what would be best?

atomicmak · Apr 7, 2014

Hi

I am planning to get Phantom soon may be recent one or just phantom2 not decided yet.
Question is Which Mode should be choose as best usable with right handed person ?
Mode1 Or Mode2 TX ?

rilot · Apr 7, 2014

Get whatever you are used to. Most people in the western world like mode 2.

Mode 1:
Left stick - Elevator (forwards / back), Rudder
Right stick - Throttle (up / down), Aileron (left / right)

Mode 2:
Left stick - Throttle (up / down), Rudder
Right stick - Elevator (forwards / back), Aileron (left / right)

Arvada · Aug 12, 2014

Consideration for Modes

Remember with practice your brain develops motor memory. I have found most hobbyists like Mode 2 as a default. They are used to it. If this is you, go with it. However some aircraft pilots might prefer Mode 1 as there is a legitimate rationale for this stick pattern. As an instrument rated pilot, you are sometimes taught what is called the "three finger flying approach." It means you hold the yoke with only three fingers. The reason for this is that you are not gripping the yoke and over controlling the aircraft. Which hand? Left. Right hand is for power. Almost every general aviation aircraft and commercial aircraft place the throttle for right handed control (if you are sitting left seat and I realize some branches of military reverse this). So many trained pilots control the yoke with their left hand. This translates to pitch and roll. In the phantom this would be forward / back and left / right. Mode 1 transfers those controls to the left stick. Right stick, power and yaw which to a pilot makes sense. Power (in an aircraft) controls altitude "in level flight" and yaw is controlled by the pilot's feet. Yaw would be most closely related to the phantom rotating right and left. This control is then assigned to the right stick.

Make sense? Anyway I wouldn't get too bound up over modes. What is key is to remember to practice what you are comfortable with. I time your brain will memorize it. It is nice there are two mode settings but I wanted to present a logical case for Mode 1 flying for those who may not have thought about the controller layout. To a pilot....it makes logical intuitive sense.

discv · Aug 12, 2014

Excluding the earlier SJ6 Phantom 1 Tx, are they all not switch-able using the RC assistant?

If I am right then the OP can decide after purchase.

HarryT · Aug 12, 2014

Certainly in all the years I've been flying RC helicopters in the UK, I've not come across anyone who doesn't use Mode 2.

ElGuano · Aug 12, 2014

I faced the same decision when starting the fly. I LIKE mode 1 better, since it squared more with an FPS-gaming paradigm. But the problem with that is, no matter how well it works for you, if you want to fly someone else's plane, or let someone fly yours, you're up a creek without a paddle, cause you won't be able to do so. That alone was enough for me to learn Mode 2 and stick with it.

OI Photography · Aug 12, 2014

ElGuano said:
I faced the same decision when starting the fly. I LIKE mode 1 better, since it squared more with an FPS-gaming paradigm.

:lol: Ok good so I'm not the only one who has to switch from FPS to FPV mode in my brain all the time

I went back and forth between Mode 1 and Mode 2 for the exact same reason, and settled on the latter.

Arvada · Aug 12, 2014

ElGuano says it well, although I think flight mode in a cockpit differently than if I am on the ground, I think M2 will be a better convention. But I have to admit, maybe that's why pilots tend to crash their RCs so much...grin Never crashed an airplane but man I've run plenty of RC into the ground probably because I am newer to this and I keep getting my Yaw, Pitch, and roll translated wrong.

OI Photography · Aug 12, 2014

Arvada said:
ElGuano says it well, although I think flight mode in a cockpit differently than if I am on the ground, I think M2 will be a better convention. But I have to admit, maybe that's why pilots tend to crash their RCs so much...grin Never crashed an airplane but man I've run plenty of RC into the ground probably because I am newer to this and I keep getting my Yaw, Pitch, and roll translated wrong.

Exactly, and I've found that thinking in terms of (full-size) heli controls as opposed to fixed wing helps make the transition smoother. But far fewer people are familiar with that way of controlling flight.

BigDun · Jun 2, 2016

I just got my P3P on Monday and have switched to Mode 1 for several reasons. Please see if my logic holds up or if I'm making a big mistake.

1) I was a pilot of a weight shift aircraft (trike ultralight). Weight shift aircraft have no skew capability but the power (i.e. altitude) control was on the right hand side.
2) I fly space sims (my favorite right now is Elite: Dangerous) and the skew right/left and vertical ascend/descend are controlled from a hat switch under my right thumb.
3) When I try to switch to Mode 2, it is like rubbing my belly and scratching my head at the same time. Having one hand control directional and the other forward reverse is very unintuitive. Ask anyone who plays video games with an xbox style controller. One joystick is the accelerator/turn, the other typically controls POV. Having the left joystick control forward/back and turn is much more intuitive to someone who has played any driving game with an xbox controller.
4) Almost no one knows skewing unless you are a 3 axis pilot or have played FPS games. Having it be on the stick that controls altitude as an "oh yes, if you want to skew left/right, the altitude stick does that too" seems much more intuitive.
5) Lastly, I know that Mode 1 is much less adopted and handing over my drone to someone who has only worked in Mode 2 is almost guaranteed to crash. Fortunately, it only takes about 3 seconds to switch modes. As long as I ask beforehand how they like their controls (and then switch back), I don't see having Mode 1 as my default a major concern.

Any feedback would be appreciated.
-Don