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wdleonard(at)gmail.com
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 Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2010 9:49 am Post subject: aileron trim - a NO vote |
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Ok, I will chime in. I bought the trim for my RV-6 and installed it but have long since removed it. First it was very difficult to position correctly. following the placement in the directions caused an interference with the control column. I found another place a couple of inches away that would not cause the same interference... but it caused a different interference. I finally got it to work in a third location. But even there, it makes the seat pans more difficult the remove and install. More importantly, it takes up space that I step on to get in and out of the plane without stepping on the seats (the area between the seats). That is also the area that I like to keep cell phones and cameras and sandwiches while in flight. The trim handle could easily tear the upholstery if not careful, is a little awkward to reach if there is a bunch of stuff there, and can be bumped by loose gear or seats.
So I removed mine and found that it is not really needed at all, I am sorry that I now have those 3 holes in my seat pans. Any trim inbalance is so lightly corrected by hand that it is almost not noticeable. After wing incidence, fuel balance is the single largest factor in affecting trim and it is constantly changing. So if you want the plane to fly straight with hands off, you will need to make constant adjustments to the aileron trim. Even then, you won't be flying straight for more than a minute BEST case.
Instead, I just balance my fuel enough to get it pretty close and use the single axis autopilot for hands off flight. I use the Trio, works great and will keep you on heading all day even if the fuel load is out of balance. If you are installing an autopilot (which IMHO is a must for IFR and highly recommended even in a VFR aircraft) then forget about the aileron trim.
David Leonard
Turbo Rotary RV-6 N4VY
http://N4VY.RotaryRoster.net
http://RotaryRoster.net
On Wed, Jan 27, 2010 at 7:52 AM, thomas sargent <sarg314(at)gmail.com (sarg314(at)gmail.com)> wrote:
| Quote: | Thanks for all the responses on this. Looks like the aileron trim is one of the things every one agrees on. I'll start installing it tonight.
--
Tom Sargent, RV-6A, final assembly.
| Quote: |
t="_blank">http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?RV-List
ttp://forums.matronics.com
_blank">http://www.matronics.com/contribution
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[quote][b]
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sportav8r(at)gmail.com
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| Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2010 10:23 am Post subject: aileron trim - a NO vote |
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I second Dave's comments. Roll trim requirements do change significantly with passenger weight and fuel burn, but the stick forces needed are light. If it were an either-or decision, the Trio autopilot would win hands-down as the better fix. I have the electric two-axis trim - and glad it's there, but the single axis autopilot will all but negate any need for roll trim. Just keep the roll moment roughly balanced with fuel burn and you're good to go, with or without the A/P.
Having said that, I find the RV much more attention-demanding in pitch than in roll, such that the altitude hold is more help to me than the roll-axis A/P. I have both Trio units, but the altitude hold is the bigger labor saver.
-Bill B. RV-6A
On Wed, Jan 27, 2010 at 12:41 PM, David Leonard <wdleonard(at)gmail.com (wdleonard(at)gmail.com)> wrote:
[quote] Ok, I will chime in. I bought the trim for my RV-6 and installed it but have long since removed it. First it was very difficult to position correctly. following the placement in the directions caused an interference with the control column. I found another place a couple of inches away that would not cause the same interference... but it caused a different interference. I finally got it to work in a third location. But even there, it makes the seat pans more difficult the remove and install. More importantly, it takes up space that I step on to get in and out of the plane without stepping on the seats (the area between the seats). That is also the area that I like to keep cell phones and cameras and sandwiches while in flight. The trim handle could easily tear the upholstery if not careful, is a little awkward to reach if there is a bunch of stuff there, and can be bumped by loose gear or seats.
So I removed mine and found that it is not really needed at all, I am sorry that I now have those 3 holes in my seat pans. Any trim inbalance is so lightly corrected by hand that it is almost not noticeable. After wing incidence, fuel balance is the single largest factor in affecting trim and it is constantly changing. So if you want the plane to fly straight with hands off, you will need to make constant adjustments to the aileron trim. Even then, you won't be flying straight for more than a minute BEST case.
Instead, I just balance my fuel enough to get it pretty close and use the single axis autopilot for hands off flight. I use the Trio, works great and will keep you on heading all day even if the fuel load is out of balance. If you are installing an autopilot (which IMHO is a must for IFR and highly recommended even in a VFR aircraft) then forget about the aileron trim.
David Leonard
Turbo Rotary RV-6 N4VY
http://N4VY.RotaryRoster.net
http://RotaryRoster.net
On Wed, Jan 27, 2010 at 7:52 AM, thomas sargent <sarg314(at)gmail.com (sarg314(at)gmail.com)> wrote:
| Quote: | Thanks for all the responses on this. Looks like the aileron trim is one of the things every one agrees on. I'll start installing it tonight.
--
Tom Sargent, RV-6A, final assembly.
|
--
| Quote: |
t="_blank">http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?RV-List
tp://forums.matronics.com
_blank">http://www.matronics.com/contribution
|
[b]
| | - The Matronics RV-List Email Forum - | | | Use the List Feature Navigator to browse the many List utilities available such as the Email Subscriptions page, Archive Search & Download, 7-Day Browse, Chat, FAQ, Photoshare, and much more:
http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?RV-List |
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