I’m having trouble with this basic skill. Let’s set the scenario, I let go of the joystick and the airplane tilts downward. I pull back on the joystick to get level and press nose up trim a few times. I then release the joystick. The attitude is always going up or down by looking at the VSI. I keep repeating but never get it right. I can never get it near zero. Am I doing something wrong?
I am flying the Cessna 152 and have one button for trim nose up and one for trim nose down. Should I set trim to something like the scroll wheel of my mouse instead?
@ThwartedSteak8, try this: set the command “Elevator Trim Axis (0 to 100%)” to one of your keys or buttons. This sets the trim for take-off or cruise - I am not sure which. Either way, it is zero trim and after that you can set whatever trim you need. I use this all the time for setting take-off trim and for re-setting the trim after turning the autopilot off in flight. Works really well for me, and I hope for you to. Cheers.
It sounds like you’re on the right track. I don’t let go of the stick all at once, I make small adjustments and slowly let go of the stick to see how much more or less trim needs to be added. I’ve never tried the scroll wheel as trim, but in theory, that sounds like a great idea.
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Can you explain the steps to use speed to tune? I am really a newbie.
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Basically can someone go through step buy step for one scenario. Like you are elevating and want to get VSI to near zero. Thanks.
Have you tried searching YouTube? There are videos there that can show you how to do this stuff much more effectively than someone can write in the forum.
There is a button for nose trim up and one for down. Do you just tap it one at a time? You don’t hold it do you?
Don’t hold it. Holding the button will accelerate the trim. It starts slow, then speeds up and overshoots vs increasing in a linear fashion. Tap it multiple times for best results.
I always take off and get on my initial heading / approximate altitude. Then I set the speed/throttle to where I want it to be. Then push the nose level. Now if the nose starts pitching up point the plane straight and level and trim down a little. If it starts pitching down trim up.
When making trim inputs, try to keep them the same for up and down: ie two long pushes down two long pushes up. The faster the nose rises are falls the longer you can push the trim button to correct. It takes awhile to master but you’ll get it.
Remember if you change your airspeed your plane will climb or fall, once you trim always remember where your throttles where when you trimmed out at, since by returning to that position the plane will regain its initial trim once your airspeed settles back to your cruising speed.
First set cruise power. The amount of throttle/mixture appropiate for your airplane and the speed you’re aiming form. Then trim the plane the way you were allready doing. Adjust throttle with very small increments to maintain speed/altitude and combine with small trim inputs.
No aircraft is ever trimmed to fly straight for long times. In clear weather with smooth winds and no turbulence it’s possible to keep straight for a while, but there’s always small corrections needed. It’s only for reducing workload and being able to make good use of full control inputs with less effort. It’s not meant as an autopilot.
Also keep in mind that in a real aircraft you have the possibilty the feel the pressure on the yoke. Togheter with a smooth trim wheel instead of buttons (except for some modern ga an airliners) this makes for an easier setup to trim correct.
Trim in msfs is not very precise either.
If you want level flight do you always set trim at cruise speed? I looked up via google and it shows the cruise speed for a Cessna 152 is 107 knots. So do I set to airspeed to 107 knots before I attempt to trim? Or can I go slower? Thanks!
it is a problem in msfs. the trim is not continuous. if you hold the button, it does an impulsion, then nothing, and then it changes very fast. IRL, if you hold trim, it changes immediately continuous but slowly. Asobo should change this for better feeling.
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Setting the trim really sets your airspeed. So if you trim for 80knots your plane will pretty much stay at 80 knots no matter what you do with the throttle. Now you control your altitude with throttle. The plane will stay at 80knots but will descend or climb depending on your throttle.
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It’s less about speed and more about cruise power. In the 172, your cruise power is 2300 rpm. That’s what you target, not air speed. Your speed will always vary depending on wind strength and direction. Always target cruise power, not cruise speed.
Did you watch the video I shared? That should answer your questions.
You airspeed will not vary with wind strength and direction. The airplane does not know there is wind.
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I highly recommend getting a copy of this book. It does a great job of explaining how planes fly.
Stick and Rudder by Wolfgang Langewiesche
Where do I find the cruise power for a Cessna 152? And do I set the throttle to that power level and start trimming if I want level flight?
You are way overthinking this. Get to the altitude you want, set throttle to the power setting you want. Somewhere between 70% - 90% is fine. Let this settle for a few seconds as you hold altitude. Then start by tapping the trim button every couple seconds until you are fairly well trimmed and you don’t need to hold the yoke. Now you can fine tune your climb or descent with small changes to throttle.
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