Combat Trim?

[MK-84]

I understand the basics on this, but would someone explain why I would pick one or the other given a flying situation.
I'm asking in terms of a typical MA pilot.

I always fly with it on, but am I missing something interesting?

Krusty? AKAK?

[Buckaroo]

In a fight, you can maneuver better.  It causes drag situations, as the automatic-ness is constantly maintaining what it is trying to achieve when set on.

Turned off, then, you will need to manually trim it out, which changes due to altitude, speed, etc.

I have my Combat Trim as a button mapped as an on/off toggle.

There is write-up somewhere in the training section, and probably in the wiki.

I think CT is Aces High way of dealing with a PC simulation's characteristics mimicing real life.

I usually have it on, but then as needed.

I remember a guy wrote up a sortie taking out his P-47 and how he used combat trim as needed and why.

Do a search here to AH Forums.

[FLS]

Combat trim simulates a pilot manually trimming his aircraft. It works fine at most speeds but can cause issues when you're too fast or very slow because combat trim assumes you want to fly straight at your current speed.

[hitech]

I understand the basics on this, but would someone explain why I would pick one or the other given a flying situation.
I'm asking in terms of a typical MA pilot.

I always fly with it on, but am I missing something interesting?

Krusty? AKAK?

In almost all cases having it on is easier. Even if it is on , you simply press any trim key and it is off.

In dives with planes like the 109,if the plane is trimmed for high speed of the dive, pulling out will be difficult vs trimming for a slower speed and holding the stick forward in the dive, then more elevator is available for the pull out. But this can be accomplish by trimming before the dive or pull out with combat trim on. But it can also be simpler to simply have the trim set at say 300, then not having to move it during a fight.

Buckaroo stating it causes drag in situations is incorrect, it makes no difference if the plane is trimmed, or the controls are moved with the stick / rudder. The drag will be the same as long as the plane is in the same state.

HiTech

[WOZ30BAT]

Also, correct me if I'm wrong, the combat trim will try to trim you for level flight if you deploy flaps, which will give u fits when dropping your flaps to make a shot. I fly with CT on & have to try & remember to disengage the CT before the fight or at the very least disengage as I deploy the flaps. This may not be right, as I would think maybe the game could auto shut off the CT when flaps are used just as if you were to hit one of the trim commands. Any ideas?

[dirtdart]

My rule of thumb is on until the stall fight starts. Then it seems, again a perception, to make the plane less agile at slowe speeds and high AOA.

[hitech]

Also, correct me if I'm wrong, the combat trim will try to trim you for level flight if you deploy flaps, which will give u fits when dropping your flaps to make a shot. I fly with CT on & have to try & remember to disengage the CT before the fight or at the very least disengage as I deploy the flaps. This may not be right, as I would think maybe the game could auto shut off the CT when flaps are used just as if you were to hit one of the trim commands. Any ideas?

Combat trim does not change with flap changes.

Combat trim is extremely simple, it simply moves trim tabs to position y for speed x. When ever you are going 150 mph the tabs will always be at the same position as any other time you are at 150.

HiTech

[SmokinLoon]

I keep it on all the time except only when I am in a high speed dive, especially when dive bombing.  Many aircraft are adversely effected by the CT once a certain speed it reached, as it automatically raises the nose up (rather abruptly I may add) and effects the pitch of the aircraft.  I notice it most in the Typhoon and Mossi Mk IV.  Once I have the nose back up I toggle the CT back on, rinse and repeat if need be.

While in the air doing the air vs air thing, I always keep it on.  I only toggle CT off when in the high speed dives.   

[Midway]

Combat trim does not change with flap changes.

Combat trim is extremely simple, it simply moves trim tabs to position y for speed x. When ever you are going 150 mph the tabs will always be at the same position as any other time you are at 150.

HiTech

I'm trying something new (for me) based on somebody telling me it works.  Don't know for sure yet, but it looks promising:

When in a tight turn fight, I use manual full up elevator trim to turn tighter than possible with auto combat trim on.  I think I've noticed that I can get around the top of loops quicker also.  Once the fight is over I turn auto combat trim back on.

All the while I use flaps as necessary as well, but as little as possible.

Sound right?

[Ack-Ack]

I'm trying something new (for me) based on somebody telling me it works.  Don't know for sure yet, but it looks promising:

When in a tight turn fight, I use manual full up elevator trim to turn tighter than possible with auto combat trim on.  I think I've noticed that I can get around the top of loops quicker also.  Once the fight is over I turn auto combat trim back on.

All the while I use flaps as necessary as well, but as little as possible.

Sound right?

Using elevator trim to turn tighter is an AH urban myth that has been debunked many times in the past.  Just do a search for the threads to see for yourself.

ack-ack

[shiv]

I understand the basics on this, but would someone explain why I would pick one or the other given a flying situation.
I'm asking in terms of a typical MA pilot.

I always fly with it on, but am I missing something interesting?

Krusty? AKAK?

In practice if I'm flying a hog and I get in a fight where I'm using a lot of flaps and getting slow- say a rolling scissors - I find the CT will be pulling the nose up around the bottom of the scissors and I'll have to fight it by pushing forward on the stick if I'm trying to line up on the enemy plane.

To fix this I keep my elevator trim slider pushed most of the way forward all of the time (trimmed roughly for around 300 as Hitech said above.) Then when I shut off CT I'm already manually trimmed nose heavy, which seems to stop the tendency of the nose to rise with flaps out at slow speed.

To keep things simple I usually shut off CT as soon as I get in a fight.

[Midway]

Using elevator trim to turn tighter is an AH urban myth that has been debunked many times in the past.  Just do a search for the threads to see for yourself.

ack-ack

Searched and read a lot of opinions and unrelated posts regarding combat trim.  I think it would be very useful to state whether this is true or not in the help or training section.  I really did think it was pulling me around faster using full elevator up trim, but I don't know for sure.  Who would know for sure?  HiTech?

 

[katanaso]

You can't trim more than you can already move the surfaces.  It's not like you have a range of -100 to +100, and trimming can give you an additional 10 on either side of the range to make it -110 to +110.

[Midway]

You can't trim more than you can already move the surfaces.  It's not like you have a range of -100 to +100, and trimming can give you an additional 10 on either side of the range to make it -110 to +110.

Speaking specifically about Spitfires... since the elevator trim tabs are seperate moveable (although small) surfaces on the elevator, when you have full elevator up and then move the tabs full up, why wouldn't that give you more than if you had full elevators up and trim tabs level with the elevators?  

Not trying argue here, I just want to know the facts vs opinions and it's hard to tell fact from opinion, on occasion.

[FLS]

Speaking specifically about Spitfires... since the elevator trim tabs are seperate moveable (although small) surfaces on the elevator, when you have full elevator up and then move the tabs full up, why wouldn't that give you more than if you had full elevators up and trim tabs level with the elevators?  

When you set full trim up the trim tab is actually down in order to force the elevator up.
As was already mentioned, trim cannot increase turn rate.

...To fix this I keep my elevator trim slider pushed most of the way forward all of the time (trimmed roughly for around 300 as Hitech said above.) Then when I shut off CT I'm already manually trimmed nose heavy, which seems to stop the tendency of the nose to rise with flaps out at slow speed...

Shiv you can take this a bit further and trim for 0 G at cruise speed. This makes it easier to hit 0 G for max accelleration, just release the stick, and tends to be close to level trim at max speed.