Mooney Bravo Trim

[pkofman]

Im curious as to what people use as a guide for trim for take off. the scale for trim selection is actually quite large. sometimes I use too much ( the plane can b a bit sticky on the takeoff roll  requiring a good tug to get it off the runway, that might not make sense to some but I dont know any other way to describe it ) and if you keep the trim needle towards the upper end of the range it can be dangerous , Ive had the experience of a dangerously nose high departure. So maybe it  is best to just select the middle regardless of weight and loading  . I do not see advice on this in the POH ( I may have missed it ).so im curious as to others experience and how they set trim in the range for take off and what guidelines they follow

thoughts....Pete

[N201MKTurbo]

It sounds like you are figuring it out. You should set it to whatever works best for you.

Although they should all be adjusted the same, I think you will find that they are all a little different. Especially after years of maintenance.

[MooneyMitch]

As Anthony might say....... Don Kaye, come in please!

[irishpilot]

Center of the zone. You shouldn't be "tugging" a Bravo off the ground. That can lead to a pitch overshoot, leading to nose high in the stall horn with a high power setting.

Bravo's do take some backstick pressure to get the nose to rotate, but it should be applied smoothly until rotation. Hold that attitude and the plane will climb away easily.

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[Davidv]

I put it in the dead center, apply about 5 lbs back pressure throughout the roll, and the plane lifts off when it wants to fly.  Never had an issue with this method...

Credit to @mike_elliott for the 5 lbs of back pressure...

[mike_elliott]

1 hour ago, Davidv said:

I put it in the dead center, apply about 5 lbs back pressure throughout the roll, and the plane lifts off when it wants to fly.  Never had an issue with this method...

Credit to @mike_elliott for the 5 lbs of back pressure...

Thanks David, but the credit goes to Bob Kromer, whom I learned from.

[pkofman]

10 hours ago, irishpilot said:

You shouldn't be "tugging" a Bravo off the ground. That can lead to a pitch overshoot, leading to nose high in the stall horn with a high power setting.

thank you... this is exactly what happened to me . I had the trim set too high and boom,  a high pitch with an uncomfortable attitude followed . I pitched down immediatly ( i had room ) and trimmed down.. Ive been flying this plane for a few years and never had that experience before.  Perhaps i did not trim correctly and i also caught a strong x wind / wind shear when i hit 50feet above the runway due to trees and a xwind  . The whole thing was a different experience.. It got me thinking about what the book say about trim at gross. Ive also had it the other way where the plane is not at gross and the plane at about 60 kts will get a very small bouncy feeling.. My gut it just to apply a small bit of back pressure , let the plane fly off the runway smoothly and then accelerate. .!

[carusoam]

PK, you are on the money tonight!
 

Hanging out with some of the most experienced Mooney pilots is a blast...

I decided to buy a Mooney because Bob Kromer’s awesome writing in the AOPA magazines made it a logical affair...

So, over the years, I noticed all things Mooney seem to follow logic...

Given a range for trim setting....

Flying solo or two people up front... I set the trim at the top.... because my balance is going to be way forward in the envelope...

I experimented with going above that line briefly.... no need to go there... unless you want to hear the stall horn blare during the climb out... And, know the plane wants to depart before being ready to fly... 

If you have people in the back, the B in WnB will also be sliding towards the back... it could make sense to trim further back in that acceptable range....

Now you have loaded the plane full, fueled for max range, done your WnB calcs, and it shows that you will be at the aft limits of the WnB...

If you had to guess where to put the trim indicator for T/O.... I would speculate....that the range for the indicator... allows for this...

The trim range is there for a reason... not because every Mooney is different... but because every Mooney load is different....  how is that for logic?

Check the POH and see if this logic is detailed anywhere..?  (Why is there a range for T/O trim, how to use it...)

Mooneys and Logic... perfect together..! 

PP thoughts only, not a CFI...

Best regards,

-a-

[pkofman]

@carusoam i did it incorrectly once and learned allot... . never again right at the top for me .. that scared the you know what out of me and i have 1000 hours in mooneys  ! 

thank you for the advice 

 

 

[donkaye]

Bob Kromer had it right and it applies to all model Mooneys.  He discussed it at length at the last MooneyMax convention.  Apply slight back pressure on the takeoff roll and the plane will fly off when it is ready.  After it leaves ground effect, I trim slightly for hands off climb.  Initial setting is dependent on CG.  With 2 people in front I trim at the upper end of the takeoff range.  With full load more towards the center.  In either case from experience with my plane, I tend to trim slight higher than centered within the takeoff position to make it a little easier to break ground.