Lesson #2...

On Sep 17, 9:00 pm, Richard Carpenter wrote:
...is in the books.

http://richcarpenter.blogspot.com/

Any comments or feedback is appreciated.

Trimming is a problem with simulators because the feedback is
either nonexistent or unrealistic. In flight, there are fixed
sequences that should be followed, or you'll end up with altitude
excursions.
Trim is for removing control pressures, not for flying the
airplane. Lots of pilots fall into that trap and the nose bobs up and
down as they try to find level flight. Use the elevator control for
flying, *not* the trim. When levelling off after a climb, leave the
power on and push the nose down until the climb stops, wait for the
target airspeed to show up on the ASI, set the power, and only then do
you touch that trim wheel. Trim out the pressure but relax the push on
the yoke or stick at the same time so that the nose does not move.
Trim it so that no pressure is required to hold the nose in that
position. If it's a heavier airplane, you might have to use the trim
while accelerating to keep the yoke manageable, but leave something to
push against until it's time for final trim. With students who develop
bad habits, or bring them along when they come, I put lots of trim
against them and run through this sequence many times to show them
that trim is for removing pressure, not for establishing an attitude.
If you don't do it this way (altitude-power-trim, in that
order, after a climb) but do the more common thing I see in so many
pilots, you'll have trouble. They tend to reduce power as they are
lowering the nose to level off, trim right away, and as the airplane
slowly accelerates from climbs speed to cruise (slowly because the
power has been reduced), the nose rises as the stabilizer's downforce
increases with speed, and they have to trim some more. And then some
more. And more. And now the altitude is too high and they'll trim down
to correct that, and get too much speed and the nose wants to rise so
they add more down trim and when they reach target altitude they trim
the nose level and the speed decays and the nose drops and they trim
up. And a little more up. And so it goes. Back and forth. Up and down.
If they're on a cross-country they lose track of where they are
because they're messing with the trim and get lost.
APT for levelling off after a climb, PAT (power-altitude-trim) when
levelling off after a descent.

Dan

On Sep 21, 11:45 am, wrote:

APT for levelling off after a climb, PAT (power-altitude-trim) when
levelling off after a descent.

Dan

Got a word wrong. Should be "Attitude-power-trim," not
"altitude-power-trim." Get the attitude, wait for the speed, set the
power to hold that speed while maintaining that attitude with elevator
pressure, then set trim to eliminate the pressure.

Dan