Trimming the Lancair

[skkuda]

Is there any formal procedure to trim the lancair?

I mean is there any procedure on how to trim well this plane?

My method is as follow (Saitek x36- button up trim up/ button down trim down)

For example whe the nose starts to raise up I keep this button pressed down untill the up effect dissapear.....

and in oppossite effect oppossite procedure.

Is that way correct?

Or when the nose satrts to raise up should I level with the stick to counter act and once leveled should I apply trim?

Another one....is there any reset trim function?

Thanks in advance!

[Ross Casey]

I was always taught (real life) to set your attitude them trim to release pressure on yoke/ joystick. So yes set your level first then trim. not sure on trim reset - don't think so.

[skkuda]

Ok Ross so I f dont misunderstand you Its my second option......

Well Im going to revert my habits and start feeling how it works in that way and start to get used to it.

[John Dow]

Trim in FSX is not realistic.  In the real world, trim is only used to reduce pressure from the aerodynamic surfaces.  The full deflection of control surfaces is always available, though the pressure required to reach the end of the control column movement can be quite high.

In FSX, the trim only moves the centre point of the control movement forward or back.  Stick fully back but need more elevator?  Trim up and you'll get more elevator even though your stick is fully back already.

So in that respect the FSX trim is at best a poor representation of the real world, at worst a counterproductive tool that can teach bad habits.

As far as trimming for climb etc in the Lancair goes, it is useful to relieve your joystick or yoke pressure, however as you trim back you will be making a similar forward easing of the stick, whereas in real life the stick position remains the same, only the force required to hold it there reduces as you trim.

It is the holy grail of flightsimmers for someone to design and release a realistically trimming set of controls, something that would require a minicomputer to be built into your control to compensate for the erroneous FSX output.

[CoolP]

If you use force feedback together with FSForce, you will feel that pressure and the relief of it when you set your trim right.

A nice experience but sadly very expensive if you look for a FF yoke around while good joysticks are priced normally.

One shouldn't make the mistake to fly the plane with the trim (which would be a bad habit). If the nose raises, you move your yoke or joystick until it stops and then you trim the pressure out. You don't counteract the nose movement with the trim alone. That's a small but important difference.

[Maurice_King]

Yes and No IRL it the difference is slight you would tweak the trim wheel a touch and not even bother with the yoke, since the trim (assuming flying trim) will move the control surface anyway simply as a function of aerodynamics. Spring balance trim is a little different but the effect is almost the same.

You want force feedback yoke buy an old FF Wheel from ebay and build that into the yoke.

[Ross Casey]

Although John is correct in his description of trim in FSX I find using my Cirrus PFD Yoke that out of trim forces are quite high (high spring loading) & trimming becomes a necessity. And although you in the sim release pressure on the yoke & it returns to a central position unlike a real aircraft, it still achieves the same purpose.

I find that once used to this it's not all that different in sensation as I remember it when I used to fly regularily. The procedure is still the same in all regimes of flight, set power, set attitude, then trim. I then use trim inputs for minor adjustments the same as I found in real life.

Remember also that every time you adjust power (which will change your airspeed) you will need to re trim. It's not a set & forget situation & many an instructor I had would always re inforce in me about having the aircraft in trim. This is particularily important when doing real VFR navs & you are working on ground speed or track drift corrections. The last thing you want is the aircraft going into a climb or dive whilst you are head down & fiddling with charts & protractors. Although the TB20 I used to fly had an ancient by todays standards GPS I still used to keep the nav skills up by doing it manually.

[jadeguy]

I agree that force feedback (with the program FS Force) is the most real feeling stick, trimming included. The default force feedback with FSX is really weird and I had given up on it. Really did boost the realism a lot for me and now I can't fly without it.

[Kwiss]

Also to a large extent trim sets and controls the speed of the AC, if you trim you AC to hold 100 KIAS in level flight and don't touch the elevator or trim on put the power up you will climb at 100 KIAS as taking the power off will will make you descend at 100 KIAS, although this is more apparent on AC with no manifold control it still applies to most aircraft, the problem with FSX is that trim is controlled through the movement of the elevator and not trim in the true sense, a bit like how Concorde was flown as this had no trim surfaces, trim was controlled through the elevator (the control column would move back and forth with the trim wheel) so when you throw this into the mix also the drag induced on the FSX AC because the elevator is a larger surface area than a trim surface you are actually burning more fuel in level flight, it's one of those things that wasn't implemented right in the FSX engine, you may as well have a yoke that doesn't spring back to it's center point and lets you adjust the trim by leaving the yoke in a position that gives you level flight  \