Anyone use scaling on the roll axis?

[Kazaa]

For 6 years I've never used any scaling what so ever on my roll axis. I'm going to give it a whirl.

Good idea, bad idea?

[Ghastly]

I do.  Although less critical than the other two axys, I feel as though it gives me a bit more control around center.

<S>

[VonMessa]

Maxed, all the way   

[Ghosth]

How precise do you need a roll to be?
With pitch a degree or too too much will result in a stall, and a lost fight.

Roll is simply not as stall critical, as a result joystick inputs can be much more emphatic.
Reducing the time it takes to go from straight and level flight to a full roll.

So if not maxed out across the boards at least much more aggressive than pitch.
I'm sure rolex will chip in shortly as this is one of his favorite subjects.

[Ghastly]

How precise do you need a roll to be?

It's not that a roll itself needs to be precise.

What I find that its easier to "balance" out the trim state for a specific rate of climb or for level flight if I have some scaling on the roll axis as well.  Most of the time, the trim state I want is somewhere in between the "clicks" that trim allows, and the aircraft wants to roll off just slightly to one side or the other as I climb out or fly level. I find it's easier to hold the tiny bit of aileron input to balance against the trim state if I use some scaling.   

I suppose I could just grit my teeth and use the autolevel and speed climb more and then it wouldn't matter as much, but I've always liked keeping the aircraft trimmed out for the speed and attitude I want - it just feels more "natural".  And besides my preference to fly the aircraft in trim, I've found that the AP settings (and combat trim) don't mesh well with using analog controls for trim. As soon as you turn the "trim mode" off, your trim inputs returns pretty rapidly to whatever the control is set to on the sliders (not a complaint, I don't know how else they'd do it...).  But what this means is that if you were trimmed (via sliders) for an auto-climb at 150 and then use the auto-level to accelerate to 250, as soon as you move the controls and the autolevel turns off, it's like you suddenly have a handful of angry cat.

And since when I want to roll in a fight, I'm usually approaching full deflection with the roll, the little bit of scaling at the middle doesn't seem to make any difference.   Or if it does, I'm not a good enough pilot to make use of it - I've got much bigger issues in the fight.

All IMHO, of course. 

<S>

[Rolex]

In a turn fight, the aircraft with the faster roll will have an advantage, so I can't think of any reason not to have the controls set as aggressive as possible. Roll acceleration is considered a good metric for the "agility" of an aircraft.

I doesn't hurt to set your aileron sliders all the way to the top and try it for a while.

[Dawger]

Scaling is dependent on your particular technique while flying.

Personally, I don't use scaling on any axis but that requires a light touch on the stick.

If you have a tight grip and like to horse the stick around scaling is helpful to prevent over-control problems.

That being said I don't see any reason to scale the roll axis but a heavy hand might get some benefit.

It really boils down to each individual and his particular hardware.

What works best for you is the best setting.

But I would suggest working to develop the lightest touch possible on the stick and work towards no scaling on any axis.

I was taught this by a fantastic furballer with real world jet fighter experience and it is the method taught in real fighter aircraft (no scaling possible there and a heavy hand leads to bad results)

The method I was taught to break a heavy hand online was to lace a pencil between your fingers so the only fingers that touch the stick are the thumb and middle and fly that way until the habit of a tight grip was broken. It doesn't take long as a tight grip will result in pain.

Of course, this requires hardware that doesn't require a lot of force to move around and not everyone likes to fly this way.

NOTE: this does not translate directly to real airplanes as most require a fair amount of force to move controls but even in the heaviest controls smooth and precise control is required. This is why balance is such an important characteristic in aircraft controls. Aircraft that require large differences in applied force for different axis in the controls don't make the best situation for the pilot.

[Soulyss]

I used a scaled setting on all axis for a few years, I recently went to a straight/non-scaled aileron axis.  It was actually a tough transition for me to make but now that I'm used to it I think I prefer it this way.

[Ack-Ack]

I only scale the pitch movement.


ack-ack

[Badboy]

For 6 years I've never used any scaling what so ever on my roll axis. I'm going to give it a whirl.

Good idea, bad idea?

As Rolex has already suggested, put your sliders all the way to the top for the best response to your roll commands.

In combat, the difference between winning and losing can be a tiny fraction of a second. You don't want that difference to be determined by your controls, particularly in roll. However, depending on the aircraft you fly there are various other techniques that I have employed with success, but it is very dependant on aircraft type. For example, with aircraft that already have good roll acceleration and a high roll rate combined with the tendency to snap roll close to the edge, I find that having all the sliders at the top, but using a small amount of roll damping gives more precise roll control, and softens the stall slightly. You do lose a little in your OODA cycle, but it can be worth it... It has to come down to personal preference.

For aircraft that have poor roll response, slow roll acceleration and roll rate, such as the P-38s for example, I use modified calibration technique, that reduces the distance I have to move the stick to achieve full roll commands. I only do this when I know I will be flying a certain aircraft for some time, and that of course is the best way to learn an aircraft. What I do is this... During the stick calibration procedure, when requested to move the stick fully to the left/right I limit the stick movement to the left and right by inserting the end of a pencil into the mechanism, which reduces lateral movement by about 1/4". That way I probably shave a couple of tenths of a second off the time it takes to go from full left to full right roll, as might be required in a scissors maneuver. It really does make the aircraft feel more responsive. It also works nicely with other aircraft, except those that allready roll well, like the Spit16 and Fw190 both of which can get away from you. You will need to experiment in order to optimize it for your own equipment and control technique, but it is well worth spending the time. It can take a while to get used to it, but anything that gives you even the smallest fraction of a second advantage, will at some point translate directly to kills.

Hope that helps.

Badboy

[L0nGb0w]

I only scale the pitch movement.


ack-ack

Ditto.