Combat Trim again.. more help please :)

[RedBrn]

I know there is another post on this over in the General Questions area, but I wanted to post it here to get a few more specific opinions. It appears that most people DON'T use CT because it reduces the ability to push the aircraft to the limit during combat..Is this true? I've used it only because it was on by default and I was always worried that I wasn't trimmed correctly in the earlier versions. My thinking was that this would help because I can be assured I'm at least CLOSE to being in Trim.. I do notice though, that I can't recover from a spin..like I used to be able to do.. Could this be caused by CT being on?
I read somewhere about turning CT off, then using ALT-X and setting a speed that you feel would be optimum for that aircraft in a dogfight, allowing it to trim.. then turning ALT-X off to keep those trim settings.
Can some of you tell me what specificaly you do to trim your airplane, say , just before a dogfight.. What do you trim? How do you know it's in Trim,
After a dogfight or during when you've lost speed, do you retrim? How do you do it during a fight?
I would like to turn it off, but I'm hesitant.
Thanks alot for the help

RedBrn

[flakbait]

Combat Trim will limit your ability to fly to the maximum slightly. Instead of being an auto-trim, and compensating for everything you and the aircraft are doing, it "basically" trims the plane. Turning it off simply means you have to trim by hand, which I do. By watching the G indicator,, you can tell if the aircraft is out of trim pitch wise. If it shows higher than 1 G, trim down, lower than 1G, trim up.

Roll trim is easy to spot, just look to see if the horizon is tilting to one side. Rudder trim is also easy to spot by looking at the skid ball. Some guys here have pitch trim mapped to their joystick hat so all they have to do is hit it when pulling up. It gives you a little extra when pulling up.

I use auto-level [Alt-X] to fly in before getting into a fight. I usually don't take off from the front line, so it gives me some time to grab altitude and speed. Once I'm in a fight I rarely trim the aircraft. Then again, I fly with one hand on the trim keys. If the aircraft needs trimming, sometimes I do it without noticing. Then I'll get out of a fight and really trim the aircraft so it'll fly straight.

Trim is really personal preference. Spins require no trimming, so having CT on is a surefire way of getting into trouble. In combat, trim is up to you. Some guys will constantly trim the aircraft, others won't touch it until they're safe.




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Flakbait
Delta 6's Flight School
"My art is the wings of an aircraft through the skies, my music the deep hum of a prop as it slices the air, my thrill the thunder of guns tearing asunder an enemy plane."
Flakbait
19 September 2000

[easymo]

 RED. Set auto climb for 100 ias. Then make a note of where the the trim indicator is at. Then set auto climb for 400 ias. check indicator again.

 This will give you a good idea of where to trim to, for turn fighting, in the first case. And running, in the second

[NHMadmax]

is there any thing i read up on how to trim as i have not got a clue how or what its all about

[Mark Luper]

I never used trim in combat before CT came out and don't now. I leave CT on. I can get out of a spin just as easily with it on or off. Havn't seen any difference there. RedBrn, you are right in assuming it, CT, trims the plane approximately.

Before CT I used to go into auto level before a fight for a short period, just enough to get everything basically centered. I never have been one to manipulate the trim keys other than occasionaly the elevator trim while in combat. Maybe I should. I know it would increase the workload in an already intense situation so I never bothered with it.

Madmax, the trim they are refering to uses the j,k,l,m,"," and i keys. I and K trim the elevator, J and L trim the rudder, M and "," keys trim the ailerons. The object of these trim keys is to adjust the control surfaces to reduce stick pressure in each of their respective planes. If you are trimmed nose down, for example, you would be holding stick back pressure to compensate. CT, Combat Trim, does this automaticaly for you but it won't trim it perfect, it only trims it "close". Some people are of the mind set that if you use CT you don't have hair on your chest. I use it, CT, because I really don't want to have to fool with trim while I am in combat. I do use elevator trim a lot when landing and taking off though. Hope this explains it for you.

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MarkAT

"It is not the critic who counts,
it is the man in the arena..."
Teddy Roosevelt

[This message has been edited by Mark Luper (edited 10-28-2000).]

[NHMadmax]

Cheers for that still dont know how to use it so i will stick to CT or none Thanks for the help.

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NIGHTHAWKS "WE BAD"

[This message has been edited by NHMadmax (edited 10-28-2000).]

[Lephturn]

I wrote a little artilce on auto-trim modes, and what you can use them for.  You may want to give that a read.
 http://users.andara.com/~sconrad/trim.htm



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Lephturn - Chief Trainer
A member of The Flying Pigs  http://www.flyingpigs.com


"My P-47 is a pretty good ship, she took a round coming 'cross the Channel last trip.
Just thinking 'bout my baby and lettin' her rip, always got me through so far."
 - Steve Earl

[eye]

Use auto trim to get plane level before a fight.this will trim out your rudder and alerons.

If you are diveing speed increases press the i key. The faster you go the lower you should press it. Hint there is travel even after it bottoms out. The only time you would go that low would be at 450 mph +.


Each plane has a good fighting speed For me its about 200mph. So when a fight gets slow you trim only the elevator for the speed you are fighting at. This seems to be slightly below center on most planes.

If you are trimed for a turn fight at 200 and a guy dives away just tap the i key to keep the nose down. the speed increases rember so the elevator needs to be in the lower 35% of its range.

With practice you can feel when the nose of the plane is moveing dwn or up.
Then you trim the elv up or dwn to correct.

Use x shift x or alt x to get rudder or alerons right then trim elevator to the speed you are fighting at.

The slick way to set it up is to program trim on your stick.


EYE

[Rickenbacker]

Also, when you're firing and/or dropping bombs you have to be trimmed out. If you're out of trim, _especially_ on the rudder, your shot/drop will be off. Not by much, perhaps, but probably enough to miss that pesky flakpanzer from 2000 ft.

It's also much easier to pull the nose into a firing position than to push it, so trimming a little nose heavy can be an advantage in a turning fight, giving you steadier aim.

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        Rickenbacker (Ricken)

                -ISAF-
the Independent Swedish Air Force