TangoWhiskey
Touchdown! Greaser!
I know this is a "basic" topic, but let's talk about how best to trim an airplane to fly it more efficiently and with less pilot workload. I know I could do better at it.
We're all taught "trim away the pressure you're having to hold". The missing part of that statement is "the pressure you're having to hold to maintain a specific desired pitch or speed." Once you've got that nailed down, then you can trim away the forces you're having to hold. Any subsequent desired change in airspeed will require a change in trim, but one shouldn't change the airspeed by turning the trim wheel--instead, pitch (and set power, as required) for the new speed, let it stabilize, then trim out pressures. Yes?
Another thing I read is that you effectively only trim for speed. In other words, once trimmed, the aircraft is going to hold the speed it is trimmed for. If you increase power without changing anything else, you'll climb at the trimmed airspeed; decrease power, you'll descend at the trimmed airspeed. Once trimmed, altitude (or rate of descent/ascent) is controlled with power, speed with pitch (attached to the trim).
For a steady approach, say in a Cessna where you're coming over the numbers at 65-70 knots, but flying the earlier parts of the approach at 90 knots or better; do you re-trim on short final to hold the slower airspeed? I think I've been doing that, as I transition to the 182, and it's causing me problems I didn't experience in the 172. I think I need to get my trim nailed down earlier, then left alone, to get my approach speed stabilized. Will go out Saturday for more practice.
And on technique... when you add rudder trim into the equation, like the 182 has, do you adjust one before the other (elevator trim before rudder, or vice versa), or does it not matter. Assume you're leveling at cruise... what order do you use to get things trimmed out? My intuition is saying it wouldn't matter. Get wings level, ball centered, speed stabilized, then trim away pressures in feet and yoke.
Always learning...
We're all taught "trim away the pressure you're having to hold". The missing part of that statement is "the pressure you're having to hold to maintain a specific desired pitch or speed." Once you've got that nailed down, then you can trim away the forces you're having to hold. Any subsequent desired change in airspeed will require a change in trim, but one shouldn't change the airspeed by turning the trim wheel--instead, pitch (and set power, as required) for the new speed, let it stabilize, then trim out pressures. Yes?
Another thing I read is that you effectively only trim for speed. In other words, once trimmed, the aircraft is going to hold the speed it is trimmed for. If you increase power without changing anything else, you'll climb at the trimmed airspeed; decrease power, you'll descend at the trimmed airspeed. Once trimmed, altitude (or rate of descent/ascent) is controlled with power, speed with pitch (attached to the trim).
For a steady approach, say in a Cessna where you're coming over the numbers at 65-70 knots, but flying the earlier parts of the approach at 90 knots or better; do you re-trim on short final to hold the slower airspeed? I think I've been doing that, as I transition to the 182, and it's causing me problems I didn't experience in the 172. I think I need to get my trim nailed down earlier, then left alone, to get my approach speed stabilized. Will go out Saturday for more practice.
And on technique... when you add rudder trim into the equation, like the 182 has, do you adjust one before the other (elevator trim before rudder, or vice versa), or does it not matter. Assume you're leveling at cruise... what order do you use to get things trimmed out? My intuition is saying it wouldn't matter. Get wings level, ball centered, speed stabilized, then trim away pressures in feet and yoke.
Always learning...