Improved Manual Trimming Procedure for AH

[artik]

It frequently needed to "retrim" the plane, especially during the fight when the speed changes dramatically or during the landing when you extend the flaps - note the Combat Trim does not answer to all the problem - different loads/engine performance/using flaps.

How trimming is done in real world:

1. Stabilize the aircraft holding the stick in position needed to keep the plane steady
2. Move your trim wheel/press the trim hat/switch/button until there is no pressure on the hand

What happens? The elevator stays in the same position, stick remains in the same position - the 0 of the stick is moved - i.e. force on stick reduced but the plane position does not change +/-, stick position does not change - i.e. in the cockpit the stick does not move.


Trimming a plane in AH (without combat trim/auto-trim modes)

1. You hold a stick
2. You press trim button the nose of the plane goes up/down
3. You adjust the stick position with less pressure until the plane is steady
4. If the correction wasn't full you go to step 2 again until plane flies the way you need without touching the stick

What happens:

One the button is pressed the nose drops/rises and you correct it with adjustment of the stick, once again, press the button correct the nose. i.e. during the trimming procedure the stick and the plane moves in small steps all the time: trimming accurately is very hard.


Proposal

Trimming procedure for AH:

- You have a pressure on the stick
- You put a finger on  the manual trim button and hold it
- Once the button is pressed the "real stick in cockpit" is frozen
- You release the pressure on the game stick but "not holding it" - the input of the game stick is ignored
- You see the "trim wheel" or trim indicators moving - util there is 0 pressure on "the real stick in cockpit" - lets say it takes a second or two depending on how much correction required
- You release the automatic trim button keeping the stick centered and - you get the new 0 - your plane is trimmed to the position of the stick you wanted


Advantages:

- Allows manual fine tuning of the trim - with much greater precision than
- The procedure is much closer to the real trimming procedure


One More...

We need a reset to default trim button on landing for the rearm pad - the trim is different from takeoff settings - so on the takeoff the plane wouldn't be trimmed right

[colmbo]

What happens? The elevator stays in the same position, stick remains in the same position - the 0 of the stick is moved - i.e. force on stick reduced but the plane position does not change +/-, stick position does not change - i.e. in the cockpit the stick does not move.

The elevator does move (unless it's a trimming stab) and the stick center position changes, but the movement/change is much much smaller than what we see in AH.

Trim in sims just isn't like real world. 

[pembquist]

Ms sidewinder FFB stick works more like real trim. I like the described trimming method. I always wondered what a mechanical system built into the sim flight controls would be like, something purpose built to simulate trim adjustment by moving the spring center.

[FLS]

If manual trim is too time consuming you can set and reset your trim with one button using an autopilot mode. There is also the trim set command. 

[Wiley]

If manual trim is too time consuming you can set and reset your trim with one button using an autopilot mode. There is also the trim set command. 

When I'm in a dive in one of the planes that tends not to combat trim politely at certain speeds, like the typhoon, I'll use auto trim on angle, which winds up working pretty close to how you the OP wants it.  The wings go level and it trims you out with your nose pointed at the angle you hit the button at exactly for the condition of the plane as-is, flaps, ord, droptanks don't matter, it trims it out.

Not great for quick changes as you're maneuvering, but IMO a quick blip of combat trim is what you should use at that point anyways.

Wiley.

[LCADolby]

I love manually trimming the rudder, only for it to automatically slide back into neutral... what gives? 

[Randy1]

I am fortunate enough to have a thrustmaster throttle.  It has a perfect elevator slider, next to the throttle for the manual analog trim.  It might be possible to make your own analog trim tab  Might even make one out of an old joystick.

[danny76]

I love manually trimming the rudder, only for it to automatically slide back into neutral... what gives? 

I used to have a car that did that, have you checked your dogs and selector fork?

[LCADolby]

No, but I replaced the headlight fluid 

[danny76]

No, but I replaced the headlight fluid 

It'll be your gangle pin then