Well, the SHP finally had it's maiden flight on Wednesday. It survived the flight, but it was certainly a challenge to get it back down safely. I thought I had it all setup perfectly, according to the infamous Extra SHP Sport Setup, with greatly reduced control throws compared to the hardcore 3D setup and all. But...

I forgot to consider mechanics. :D See, I used the 3DHS 3D control arms, since I will eventually progress to flying 3D maneuvers and will then need the full 3D control throws. But right now, I'm just flying on "sport" throws which are very small compared to 3D. So, ok, I needed a lot less throw, so I dialed it down using end points and dual rates in the radio setup. Some of my rates were as small as 17%. Everything's fine right? Just get the throw you want, using any means you can, right? No. I was wasting around 80% of the servo's resolution, completely losing all mechanical advantage, and making the plane fly a little weird.

But, I got it in the air, flew it around, and landed it. And it's in one piece, looking good as new. After checking with RCGroups people, I realized where I'd gone wrong, and so I took off the 3D control arms, and installed the standard Hitec arms. Boom, proper sport throws @ 100% endpoints/rates. It should fly a ton better now. :)

I also just upgraded my transmitter, from a Spektrum DX7 to a JR 9303. 2 extra channels, a lot more programming features, and a much higher build quality. Gimbal and case quality is much higher. It's likely the last transmitter I'll ever need, unless I become very wealthy and get into turbine-powered jets and need 12 or 14 channels.