Flap to Elevator Compensation in ETHOS

The Flap to Elevator compensation mix causes a lot of grief in ETHOS, for one simple reason.

If you use the Flaps control as your source and you apply any sort of slow up/down on the flaps, your compensation reacts faster than your flaps do and you cannot apply a matches slow in the compensation mix.

The solution is equally easy thankfully.

Don't use the Flaps control (switch/analog input), use the flaps channel as your source.

Then the compensation mix will follow what is being sent by the Flaps mix. It will also follow any other mixing you do to flaps though, so be sure to disable the compensation mix in any situation where full-span ailerons are active.


One caveat here, DON'T set your flap endpoints in the Flaps mix, set them in Outputs. Using Outputs gives you a few things.

1. It's much easier to balance multiple channels by using a 3-point curve on your reference channel (the one with the more limited physical throw if such exists) and either a 3 point or a 5 point curve on the other channel(s). Use a 3 point for the matched channels if using a 3-pos, a 5 point if using an analog input (like spoiler stick for a sailplane).

2. This lets you have a normal set of flaps settings, then an 'over flap' if you have an aircraft which has tons of flap throw, but doesn't normally need this. I will be using this on my Valiant 10cc, which has ~80 degrees of flap throw but doesn't need more than 60 degrees when landing, the extra throw will be tied to an Airbrake mode for controlling speed when diving.