"Mortimer Schnerd, RN" mschnerdatcarolina.rr.com wrote in message
...
Tom Young wrote:
Second that. The C150 I fly requires a lot less trim than the C172, to
the
point that I forget to use it sometimes. The 172 really doesn't let me
forget.


I ferried a C-172 with a coworker up to an engine shop a few years ago as
one of a flight of two. When we got there, I got into the back of the
other C-172. After we took off, I carefully noted when the pilot trimmed
the aircraft, then leaned forward to engage the guys in the front in
conversation. The pilot would fly along for a minute or two, then retrim.
I'd lean back and wait a few minutes until he retrimmed yet again. Then I
leaned forward to talk to the guys up front again.... making cracks about
his apparent inability to hold altitude.

Heh heh... I must have done it four or five times before the pilot caught
on. G Lucky for me, there was no ejection seat in the C-172.
--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN
mschnerdatcarolina.rr.com

About 3 months after I got my private certificate, I decided to go back for
a little XC with the CFI who had actually been my CFI at the time of my
checkride in order to just make sure I hadn't started to develop any early
bad habits.

As we were headed southeast from Phoenix, ATC called traffic overtaking us
from our six o'clock and co-alt (ATC was not talking to that traffic...)
Try as we might, we couldn't pick him up and eventually ATC suggests we
descend. Right before I reach to retard the throttle and before I can push
the nose down, my good old CFI racks the passenger seat back to the rear
stop and just flops the seat flat trying to look up through the rear
windows. We immediately gain about 150 feet which probably was not a good
thing since we were pretty sure the conflicting traffic was above and behind
us.

Scared the hell out of me and I didn't let him hear the end of it all the
way to our destination (and part of the way back, too...)

Jay B