Radio commands can't be used while maneuvering?

Before the recent updates, I was always able to use the radio commands while maneuvering my aircraft. This was essential for times when I had an enemy on my tail and needed to ask for help. But now some genius decided it would be a good idea to change the radio commands so that when you use them, it disables the mouse as a joystick. Now I can’t use the radio commands to ask for help without making myself an extremely easy target for a few seconds, which causes me to die much easily than before. Does anyone know if there is a setting to change this? I’ve looked but didn’t find anything. Also, what kind of moron would make the decision to change something like that? In the heat of battle, being able to communicate with your team while simultaneously maneuvering your vehicle is essential to survival. Just what the hell is Gaijin thinking?

I hadn’t discovered this yet but, if true, this is a major interface goof.