Combat Trim

[Dobs]

Is this an auto trim feature? Is it good? is it bad?

Does it limit your aircraft in anyway?

Just curious....

[8thJinx]

When you have it enabled, whatever plane you're in is trimmed automatically for combat flying.  A lot of times if I want to push the plane into areas of the flight envelope where it shouldn't be, I turn CT off. You can do some strange things with CT off, if you know your aircraft.  Also, if I'm chasing a con in any sort of dive, I turn it off because I get better air speed.   

[ImADot]

Combat trim is basically an automatic general trim based on current throttle and airspeed, which tries to keep the plane stable. It relieves the pilot of having to constantly adjust trim every time the throttle position is changed (like during combat). You can get better performance by manually trimming in certain situations, but for most people the combat trim works good enough. If you get too slow and/or drop flaps, combat trim should be turned off as it tends to trim you very nose high and will stall you quickly.

[Dobs]

And thank you all!

Explains my early stall outs when chasing those experten BnZ'rs!

[The Fugitive]

The 38 will get stuck in the air nose up and slow with it on. With it off you can zoom to under 50 mph and still have some control of the plane.

[Wiley]

Basically, what it does is it first of all assumes full throttle (no WEP) and a clean airframe.  It then sets the trims according to your speed.

Any variation such as reduced throttle/WEP, ordnance, drop tanks, flaps, gear or missing parts will not be accounted for.

My personal feeling on it, if I'm BnZing, I leave it on.  If I'm turnfighting once things get around 200mph I turn it off.  It can really mess with your mojo in a stallfight because as you're riding the edge and slowing down it continues making adjustments to your trim which can make a difference and cause you to lose the edge.  Also, it really doesn't work well once flaps come out.  YMMV.

Wiley.

[Randy1]

I use only manual trim but it does take awhile to make trimming a second sense.  CT to me makes the simulated plane be just a bit stiff.

Bottom line manual trim offers some advantages but not at the game changing level. 

Oddly enough the P-47N seems to suffer the most from CT.  Especially in a dive bombing attack where N goes to the target like an arrow.

My guess is, a higher percentage  P-38 players prefer manual trim over CT than any  other plane.  It is a WAG so don't put a lot of stock in that.

[DmonSlyr]

I use combat trim for every plane and every sortie. The Trim going out of balance just gets tiring to fix. I'm sure there are some advantages to taking it off, but for the most part, it doesn't make life changing differences. In turn fights, if your plane is out of Trim, by using manual Trim, it can make your plane actually turn worse, and make shooting harder, if you don't know exactly what you are doing. If you are just getting started in the game, or aren't very experienced in the game. I'd leave it on all the time, so that you can learn how the plane feels at first. Sometimes I think beginners who tweak Trim, actually do themselves a disfavor, rather than making them turn a tiny or slightly bit better.

[Oldman731]

I use combat trim for every plane and every sortie. The Trim going out of balance just gets tiring to fix. I'm sure there are some advantages to taking it off, but for the most part, it doesn't make life changing differences. In turn fights, if your plane is out of Trim, by using manual Trim, it can make your plane actually turn worse, and make shooting harder, if you don't know exactly what you are doing. If you are just getting started in the game, or aren't very experienced in the game. I'd leave it on all the time, so that you can learn how the plane feels at first.

Agreed.  There are some very rare instances where turning CT off helps - Ki-84 in a dive, f'rinstance - otherwise all CT does (as ImaDot says) is relieve the control pressures.  Years ago someone said that the 38 benefits from turning CT off, and since the 38 doesn't need any aileron or rudder trim I've just turned CT off on faith.  Pretty sure that the good pilots in this game have generally said they leave CT on all the time, as vis Violator here (Shane also comes to mind, and I think Ack-Ack, too).

- oldman

[katanaso]

It depends how you fly, and your style.  Some great players leave it enabled, and some great players manually trim their planes.

For me, if I get into knife-fights with CT on, I'll stall a wing.  Nearly 100% of the time.   If I'm in a nose-down turning fight, and I suddenly spin, I often find that I left CT on.

I also trim different planes at different speeds, and trim the 38 differently than the rest.

Some people will flip CT on and off multiple times, much like a light switch.  I guess that method works for them.

[Wiley]

Some people will flip CT on and off multiple times, much like a light switch.  I guess that method works for them.

That basically sets the trim to whatever speed your plane's at when you blip it off.  So if I happened to have manual trim in a dive, then it transitions to a stall fight, I may just blip CT on and off as I pass 200, so it sets it for around 200 as I am decelerating.

Wiley.

[katanaso]

That basically sets the trim to whatever speed your plane's at when you blip it off.  So if I happened to have manual trim in a dive, then it transitions to a stall fight, I may just blip CT on and off as I pass 200, so it sets it for around 200 as I am decelerating.

Wiley.

Yeah, I do that for some planes too, but I didn't mean it like that.  I meant they consistently flip it on and off, like a child playing with the light switch.  on/off/on/off/on/off/on/off ... ad nauseam to see in a film. 

[Ack-Ack]

Agreed.  There are some very rare instances where turning CT off helps - Ki-84 in a dive, f'rinstance - otherwise all CT does (as ImaDot says) is relieve the control pressures.  Years ago someone said that the 38 benefits from turning CT off, and since the 38 doesn't need any aileron or rudder trim I've just turned CT off on faith.  Pretty sure that the good pilots in this game have generally said they leave CT on all the time, as vis Violator here (Shane also comes to mind, and I think Ack-Ack, too).

- oldman

I never use CT, I always manually trim since I fly a flap dependent plane like the P-38 and CT only hinders when I get into low speeds and/or deploy flaps.  It boils down to personal preference but I've always recommended that at least in the P-38, only use manual trim.

[Drano]

I use it to quickly toggle to correct the trim at a given speed. Flying the 38 CT doesn't get it for me. It seems to like to keep the nose too heavy in dives and too light in turn fights. I manually trim a bit nose low when turning as it's natural to pull through a turn than push the nose back down. Same for dives where I'll trim up to maintain better control. Either way, once I've turned it off I'm adjusting manually until I'm cruising somewhere again.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

[morfiend]

CT works off a set of tables,X speed = Y setting.

  For most of the flight it works fairly well,what it doesnt do is take in consideration is a change in the planes configuration such as flaps and/or gear. Once you drop flaps CT will dial in full up elevator and this is what causes some players issues. At high speeds it tries to keep the plane level and thus it dials in some negative trim to keep the plane from climbing,this is what gives many planes that "nose" heavy condition.


  Then there are a few planes that CT seems to be off on,Ki84 and Tu2 come to mind. While CT isnt perfect it does reduce pilot load and I use it about 90% of the time,simply because I'm lazy.......

 Oh and trimming wont make a plane turn any better full elevator deflection is full deflection regardless of the trim setting,where it can help is in A/C that stiffen the controls at speed.The 109K4 at full speed can barely pull 3.5 G with CT on,turn it off and you can blackout!

 Hope that  helps!