trim setting

[koukkey]

Hi all

How is trim used in real life for takeoffs, and more so for landings? Never know what the right setting should be. And I assume it varies based on the airplane, but is there a general rule of thumb?

Thanks

[JuniorAviator]

Not sure about real life. But in IF I generally use between +30%-+40% trim on larger aircraft during takeoff(with a 5% or so difference nose up or down during landing.) On smaller aircraft like the 172(however, in real life, you’d just use a few swipes of trim nose up or down until it’s comfortable) or the TBM, I use no more than +10% on takeoff and +20% on landings.

[Balloonchaser]

The professionals have all of the answers… Check these out:

Understanding Trim

Hey all, welcome to this tutorial which I will be explaining the functions for trim! Mostly to help those pilots who are confused with this system. So here we are: Understanding (Elevator) Trim What is Trim? “Elevator Trim” is a certain system in aircraft that gives assitance to pilots during climb, descent & cruising. Its purpose is to replace the force/pressure off the primary controls, making the job easier for pilots to maintain a stable altitude. Where is it located on the Simulator T…

[koukkey]

Thanks very much. @balloonchaser however this doesn’t tell me how much to trim it, just how it generally works.

Any further thoughts?

Thanks

[Dubya]

In the real world, we use checklists or POH’s that tell us how much to use.

In IF, it’s trial and error. Use a setting, see what happens, and adjust until you get your desired result

[Brandon_Sandstrom]

This will help

Elevator trim explanation and procedures

Elevator trim explained Today I’m going to be talking about Elevator trim with you guys. There have been quite a few posts lately about the subject, and it seems some are still not fully grasping what trim does. Most aircraft have what is known as a trim tab. Some aircraft use the whole elevator or stabilator as part of the trim system. Today we will just go into the trim tab as they both do the same job. What is the trims purpose? The trim alleviates any back or forward pressure on the yoke …

[Lucas_Brien]

In a 172, default trim is takeoff trim which sets it up to fly at 80kts, the climbout speed. Trim is actually a form of autothrottle, it flies the plane at one speed. If the engine power is lowered, it makes up for that by making the nose go down. It’s an interesting aerodynamic phenomenon which is probably explained in the thread that bchaser linked.

[koukkey]

Thanks, all. Appears from what I gather trim up for landing and take off is quite common, so I’ll try that. Have to admit, haven’t been using trim much.

[Tep_NEMO]

Best way to learn is take off several times on offline If, same plane, weight, runway, wind, throttle, and change only the trim. You should be able to get a rule of thumb this way for each plane. You can do the same for landing with the short final option.
For the TBM, I agree that +10 for takeoff and about +20 for landing is right.
The weight makes this vary a lot as well…