Staying Trim

[201er]

What trim do you prefer, manual or electric? How much are you willing to keep your electric trim going? How expensive of a repair would make you ditch your electric trim? In what phases of flight do you use which trim? If you don't have electric trim, do you wish you did or indifferent?

[rbridges]

I flew a Cherokee with electric trim. It was very awkward and not very sensitive. I preferred manual adjustments. I might change my mind if the system was smoother.

[Hank]

I prefer scissors, but electric clippers are OK across the back.

Never flown a plane with electric trim. It's not that hard to do anyway.

[aaronk25]

Mine is pretty good in altitude hold mode but there is times in moderate turn lance where altitude hold works better with the trim flipped off but altitude hold still engaged.

[Cruiser]

I try to avoid french fries and greasy food,

only go for fast food once a week or less

cut down on the portion size at dinner

eat lots of fish

use whole wheat instead of white bread

wife won't let me eat potato chips (i sneak them sometimes)

 

...... its not been working real good this year though........ my trim has been stuck in the "up" position

[Marauder]

I love my electric trim! Think it is made by Wahl. Can use it on my beard and side burns without changing trimmer heads.

 

Ohhh... airplane trim. You know what they say, once you go electric.... So Mike, are you debating about fixing one or buying one? I flew 7 years without it, going on 16 with it. Won't go back. Works with the AP and human applied.

[201er]

I use my electric trim exactly twice per flight. Once in the air when I deploy flaps, and then once again on the ground after landing in preparation for the next takeoff.

I plan to keep my system operating since it is there and I do use it, but I would rather not have to maintain it.

I use mine only twice as well. The first, like you said, is while working the flaps and throughout the pattern. The other is on a go-around! One hand on stick and one on throttle, no hands left to retrim!

 

As for on the ground, I don't do that. I run it by hand at that point. I figure that's one less cycle on the equipment. I sure as heck would hate to break the trim sooner by running it on the ground when my hands are free anyway.

[scottfromiowa]

I trim for climb at 120MPH. I trim for level cruise. I trim for decent. I trim after flap on final....and my wife trims me with a one guard. Man-scapping is with scissors and gillette...TMI? I thought so.

[bnicolette]

I always use electric trim except for cruise flight where I find that fine tuning is much better accomplished with the manual trim.

[rbridges]

and my wife trims me with a one guard. Man-scapping is with scissors and gillette...TMI? I thought so.

I just tasted a little puke.

[N201MKTurbo]

I use electric trim for big trim changes. For fine adjustments I use the wheel.

 

Power changes and flaps - electric.

 

Trim for altitude - wheel

 

I find the Mooney trim wheel to be extremely sensitive and precise, once you understand the backlash....

[Seth]

I use electric mostly now, however in my former aircraft it was manual all the way as I had no autopilot nor electric trim. 

 

I love the electric trim but feel just as comfortable manually.

 

-Seth

[jetdriven]

Electric trim all the way. I haven't used the manual trim wheel more than 3 or 4 times in 3 years.

[fantom]

Where is this manual trim wheel

[bnicolette]

Where is this manual trim wheel

 

It's the thing that sometimes gets my seatbelt wrapped up in it!!!

 

Seriously though has anybody ever had their seatbelt get caught in the trim wheel?  I generally fold the slack of the seatbelt now and fold it under the part that is tight around my legs so it doesn't get near the trim wheel.  

[Jsavage3]

I prefer manual trim as I can "feel" what is needed and it's far quicker to accurately trim the airplane.  Moderate turbulence or so and I turn the A/P off -- it starts working far too hard to keep it all straight when getting bounced around.  The "yoke in hand" approach is much easier to dampen out the bumps.

[Marauder]

It's the thing that sometimes gets my seatbelt wrapped up in it!!!

 

Seriously though has anybody ever had their seatbelt get caught in the trim wheel?  I generally fold the slack of the seatbelt now and fold it under the part that is tight around my legs so it doesn't get near the trim wheel.  

 

Nah, I wear my seat belt I also clip the passenger belt if I don't have a passenger with me.

[jlunseth]

I use electric trim alot, I let Otto do it occasionally, on rare occasions I will use the trim wheel, and I don't eat at McDonalds.  Ever.  I stopped at one about a month ago out of desperation and discovered the chicken selects, which were the only thing on the menu approaching actual food, are gone and there is nothing left but McNuggets - ground chicken parts and trans fat.  Not for me.

[BigTex]

I use manual... Oh yeah... I don't have a choice.

[bnicolette]

Nah, I wear my seat belt I also clip the passenger belt if I don't have a passenger with me.

 

Haha.  I wear mine too.  (Most of the time).  It's the slack that makes a loop and that is what gets caught on the trim wheel from time to time.  

[Marauder]

Haha.  I wear mine too.  (Most of the time).  It's the slack that makes a loop and that is what gets caught on the trim wheel from time to time.  

 

What slack? Sounds like you need to eat more and eliminate that slack!

[Jeff_S]

Mike, you need some training on your poll work. You always ask questions that can have multiple responses, but radio button format only allows one choice. Bad form for a market researcher!

 

But to answer your question, I have electric trim and A/P autotrim and I make heavy use of both of them depending on whether I'm hand flying or letting George do the work. The only time my hand touches the trim wheel is during the run-up phase when I am setting the trim for takeoff and I just let my right  hand brush the wheel so I can feel it working. That way I keep muscle memory to know where it is if I need it. But I have no trouble with the sensitivity of the electric trim on the yoke.

 

Also, during transition training my CFI gave me the tip that I should (using electric trim) apply nose-down trim for the same portion of time that it takes for the gear to extend when preparing for landing, apply nose-up trim for the same amount of time it takes to deploy flaps to their half or full setting. (My flaps don't have a detent at half setting so you have to watch the indicator.) This seems to work perfectly to keep the airplane in the right attitude and achieve desired airspeeds during landing.

[201er]

Jeff, "pick the answer that most closely applies"

 

And you're completely right about the roll the electric trim simultaneously with flaps changes. That's exactly what I do and they cancel each other out. When my electric trim was inop and I had to do it manually, it was annoying cause first I'd add the flaps but then need to hang on tight till I could roll the manual trim.

[carusoam]

George keeps his hand on the trim for cruise, mostly.

Electric for major trim changes, when flaps are lowered.

Manual for fine adjustments. Best for adding a small change or removing same.

Gave up Coca-Cola and McDs after a bad day of jogging. Now maintaining FAA recommended weight.

Remington, final answer.

Stay trim,

-a-

[Hank]

Haha.  I wear mine too.  (Most of the time).  It's the slack that makes a loop and that is what gets caught on the trim wheel from time to time.

My adjustable strap is on the buckle, the left piece. Both seats have buckle on the left, tab on the right. So I'm as confused about straps getting in the trim wheel as I am about Johnson bar guys getting seat belts crossed . . . .