Thumbs or pinch

[FailureToFly]

I've thumbed since I started in Mar '12 and it hasn't caused me a single issue. I couldn't imagine that pinching would have improved my flying so I stuck with thumbs and mode 1 too. Just fly what you are comfortable with IMHO.

I did try pinch for a couple of nights after I'd flown for 6 months and whilst it worked, it was like using a mouse with the wrong hand...I knew there was a period (prob 3 months) where I would get properly used it but that was 3 months I could be progressing as a thumber so I never kept at it (I didn't particularly like it anyway).

IMHO don't go from thumbs to pinch thinking it'll somehow make you fly better. Stick time is what makes the difference; there are plenty of awesome thumb flyers. Either method will get you to where you want if you put the work in.

[ArchmageAU]

Originally Posted by FailureToFly

I've thumbed since I started in Mar '12 and it hasn't caused me a single issue. I couldn't imagine that pinching would have improved my flying so I stuck with thumbs and mode 1 too. Just fly what you are comfortable with IMHO.

I did try pinch for a couple of nights after I'd flown for 6 months and whilst it worked, it was like using a mouse with the wrong hand...I knew there was a period (prob 3 months) where I would get properly used it but that was 3 months I could be progressing as a thumber so I never kept at it (I didn't particularly like it anyway).

IMHO don't go from thumbs to pinch thinking it'll somehow make you fly better. Stick time is what makes the difference; there are plenty of awesome thumb flyers. Either method will get you to where you want if you put the work in.

All true. Stick time is really the key.

One post by Tow Pilot (from memory), was that when using thumbs (like he does), expo is your friend. Thumbs are great a fast throws to extremes, but bad at really ultra fine resolution. This is where expo is your friend, helps keep the middles accurate, but keeps the outside throws.

Although pinch helps me, for a lot of flyers, thumbs is the way to go. Experiment and find out what is best for your flying style.

Tareq is all thumbs, where Nick Maxwell is pinch (I like how Nick can also do super accurate slow stuff like F3C, where Tareq's 3D is at times insane is tight places).

[Pharaoh]

After a few hours of trying out pinching, I think it's mostly down to resolution (pinching) vs range of motion (thumbing) and that's only for starting out. With proper practice and formation of muscle memory, most of this is a moot point. That being said, there is little, if any, scientific/solid conclusions to be drawn. Just go with what you like!

[sniffpetrol]

I used thumbs on rc cars for at least 10 years (I'm from the UK where we use the two sticks controller for cars instead of the trigger and wheel), and then when I got a twitchy heli with a non-programmable transmitter (no expo!) I used the pinch method because I felt it improved my precision. And that's how I've been doing it since then.

[dsharp32]

I started on thumbs flying coaxial helix, but when i brought a 450 I changed to pinch and noticed a big improvement in my hovering and flew more precisely - it did feel weird for the first few flights though. Now its automatic

[heliclo67]

I started with thumbs , but since i have tried sim , sitting on a chair at the desk , my position was natural to use 4 fingers and i tried it in real flies.
The first times were a little hard , but now i really prefer pinch , precision and i can rest my hands during flying

[Innovine]

i would expect that a lot of xbox or playstation leads to thumbing the sticks. I bet no avid console gamer is pinching...

[HeliHamish]

Originally Posted by Innovine

i would expect that a lot of xbox or playstation leads to thumbing the sticks. I bet no avid console gamer is pinching...

I'm an xboxer... And I pinch

[ArchmageAU]

Originally Posted by Innovine

i would expect that a lot of xbox or playstation leads to thumbing the sticks. I bet no avid console gamer is pinching...

Pincher and Xbox gamer score of 21803.

[bchrny]

I learned from a heavy equipment operator. Do you think they use thumbs? He said " thumbs are for gamers flying a heli is not a game"!

[neverland]

it depends on the person. i dont feel precision lacking when using thumbs. if ive learnt a manuever well, i can do it. flying an rc heli is all in the brain, not what digit you use

i suspect those who say they do better changing to pinching have not been flying all that long, and it may well be the case that pinching is more precise to those people. but long time thumbers (ie 4 years or more) will likely have developed much finer precision than relative newcomers to the hobby, so that moving to pinching won't help them very much, or at all, even if they could do it...and would be disastrous in the short term. plus it hasnt been proven that pinching IS more precise (some people say it isn't), as you are introducing more complexity into the system than the 'pure' biomechanics of thumb on top of stick.

it could be argued that an experienced thumb user will end up with the precision of a pincher AND much faster speed.

but i suspect the speed of pinching will improve with practice too, and both methods end up as good as each other in the long term.

[Heli.Maniac]

I changed to pinching after 2 years of flying and have found many advantages apart from precision. For one, my sticks stopped slipping off my thumbs. Even with the most sharp sticks I couldnt remedy this issue until I switched to pinching. Secondly, it feels a lot better for MY hands. I feel more comfortable with pinching than thumbing maybe because I dont have big thumbs.
As a bonus, I can now fly with both thumbs and pinch so I can go back to thumbing whenever I want without setting back my progression .
I have also progressed a lot more in half a year of pinching than I did with 2 years of thumbing because of the fear I used to have that the thumb will slip off and crash and because I feel a lot more precise than before. That is just me though, pinching is not for everyone from what I understand. Lets not forget there are many awesome pilots that are thumbers and equally many great pilots that are pinchers.

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[ArchmageAU]

The style of pinching tended to be talked about is more thumbs with assistance than like drawing with pencils.

I find thumb assist pinching helps me be more precise (and hands always in the same spot), but if thumbs is your thing, nothing wrong with that either. A lot of really good 3D pilots are thumbers.

In both cases adjust expo to taste so you get a nice mix between throw and precision.

[faqcya]

Its best to fly the way that feels most comfortable to you. You can overanalyze this all you want. But if your trying to fly in a way that is not comfortable to you you'll always be fighting one thing that you don't need to. And they both work well with slight differences slight pros and con's in each. The single thing that has the biggest impact is are you comfortable flying this way.

[gitbse]

Honestly this is the same argument as overlap vs interlock in the golf world. Tiger and Jack and Arnie interlock, but some of the other greats like Hogan overlapped. To each their own

[24sevenslacker]

After posting this months ago. Iv now got much better at flying and my thumbs are now more precise and a lot faster reacting thumbs for me


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[Kap'n Krunch]

let it speak for it self

2012 Thailand heli blowout Tareq Alsaadi cam on the stick (2 min 31 sec)

[jmtyndall]

I wonder how much expo he runs. Szabo runs between 0 and 10% from what I've seen

[TTMR]

I flew thumbs until my fixed wing instructor recommended going to pinch to remedy an issue I was having with over correcting the plane, took a couple flights to get used to it but now I am a dedicated pincher (and it did fix my over controlling)

[Kap'n Krunch]

Originally Posted by TTMR

I flew thumbs until my fixed wing instructor recommended going to pinch to remedy an issue I was having with over correcting the plane, took a couple flights to get used to it but now I am a dedicated pincher (and it did fix my over controlling)

for me the "over controlling" I encountered with thumbs had some to do with improving on orientations, collective management, stick tension, and adjusting travel rates and use just enough of expo