In flight question.

[peggi]

How long does it take you on average to trim for level flight and get settled into cruise?
I'm talking about A320 or B737 size aircraft.

Julian

[ashaman]

Normally, on liners, the trim for cruise is left to the autopilot, but even if for any reason is the pilot that has to keep the plane trimmed, the pilots on real planes have a pair of things that simulators are not able to reproduce for us, and is the ability to feel the reactions of the plane, and the force feedback of the yoke and trim wheel.

We all are unable to feel the simulated plane we pilot (and this matter of things will remain such for a long time still) and the poor attempts in give a force feedback on computers do not compare to reality AT ALL, them being thought to give reactions from arcade games, so in a way we simulpilots are in a strong disadvantage, where the trim is concerned.

Then there's the airbus case. On those planes (and differently than in the TOTALITY of the freeware simulated airbuses [and some payware too]) the trim is automatic and slaved to the flight computer even when the pilot flies the plane by hand, and the pilot does not need to trim the plane.

In the end, if you need to trim and not feel like chasing the variometer, let the autopilot do it for you. It might not be 100% realistic, but it hardly matters, in a simulated world.

[peggi]

Well, to be honest I didn't know that about Airbus planes. The majority of jets I fly at the moment are Airbus (A318, A330) so I'll have to try out the stuff that you said.  I've always trimmed manually and the reason I asked my question was because it roughly took me always about 15 minutes to get trimmed for level flight. I thought maybe there would be a way to shorten that time.

So far (and I've had fs9 for about 7 months) I've never really used the autopilot because even when I'd trimmed etc, the autopilot, when activated would always undo the hard work that I'd done and send the plane into a steep climb.

I always thought it was particularly easy to manually trim the default 734 and so assumed that it wasn't so realistic (not that Iam a stickler for realism!)

Anyway, I'll give the autopilot articles in the learning centre a quick browse.

Julian Fernando Canessa

[ashaman]

Let me start reiterating that the freeware simulated Airbus around ALL do not conform to the Airbus series Fly By Wire controls specifications. In fact if you to jump on a freeware airbus freshly downloaded from a whatever site and expect it to behave as a real Airbus, you're going to be disappointed. To find a simulation of the Fly By Wire as it is in the Real Thing you must look toward some well done payware. The freeware Airbuses all behave more or less like a 737. You must trim them by hand (or help yourself with the autopilot). End of story. 8-)

As for the rest... well, it's easier to trim a real plane because you have a feedback of the forces in play, thing that we're far from see implemented on PC's. In fact trimming a real plane for level flight is not the same work In Real Life like on the various simulators (all of the simulators around, because it's the technology that has this limitation, not the simulators). So, seen the limitations we're to operate under because of limitations of the technology, I think we're all perfectly into our right to help ourselves in ways that in real planes would not be acceptable or unavailable (not all GA planes IRL have an autopilot, while almost every plane under FS has one. And those who don't have it because of the coder's intention to replicate real life panels unavailability of automatisms, can be easily retrofitted to sport one. All of them, even the ultralights).

Make due with what you have.

[beaky]

The secret to quick and efficient trimming in any plane, in real life or the sim, is to use the yoke or stick to set the desired attitude first, then use trim to hold it.
I may be wrong, but it sounds like you're "flying with trim", which although not impossible, can be a very sloppy way to do it.

It shouldn't take that long to trim for level flight unless you are adjusting pitch with trim... not sure about your problem with the AP, but it is possible that the AP will take drastic measures when it is engaged after you've overtrimmed the plane.

Always set neutral trim as soon as you level off (the wheel should be marked), then try to hold the plane level and add trim in very small increments- moving the trim slightly then releasing the yoke briefly to see what happens- until you can fly at the desired altitude hands-off.
This should be relatively easy in a large aircraft. .. I don't often fly big jets in FS9, but it usually only takes a few minutes at most for me to trim them... although I will often let the AP level off for me.

[microlight]

Yep. Trim the plane for take-off so that once you've rotated, you only need minimal trim inputs to maintain the attitude during climb-out. Then once you engage the autopilot, it'll organise the trim for you.

[Fozzer]

Knowledge of the correct use of the Trim Wheels is one of the most neglected subjects to learn for the new Sim flyers.
I often wonder how many instant Boeing 747 Sim Pilots have learned to hone all their flying skills on a Cessna 152 Trainer first... ...?

...not many, I feel......!

Paul...I fine trim... 8-)...!