WW1 Planes Flight Control Trimming

[MrTheRich]

I know ww1 planes didn't have in-cabin in-flight trimming options, but surely pilots adjusted and readjusted their trims at home base to their preferences. Isn't there any way to do this in game? Holding the stick to one side for a while on a straight fight against the spring (I have a cheap one) gets a little bit annoying after a while. Especially the rudder for which I need to keep the controller twisted.

 

Aren't those trimming rods?? those wired ones that you roll to adjust

[Babayega]

not sure if WW1 planes had trim tabs on the elevator. That would be highly unusual. To have elevator and aileron trim, they would have to trim the control surfaces themself. This coupling with the main control cables would create a bit of trouble in these simple planes. I dont think they really thought of "trimming" in these early days. 

 

I could be wrong though! 

[MrTheRich]

I mean, when you construct a plane, you have to make sure the wires are the right length, I imagine it a no brainier to put something on that wire to adjust it because you can't know for sure if you cut them the right length.
Even my old bicycle has trim mechanics on the breaks. Sailboats have trim tabs or blocks since forever. Even on the planes themselves the stutting wires between the two wings have trim tabs to tension them correctly (and since weather, temperature, moist and age have an effect on the wood, these were probably adjusted over time for planes that survived)

I mean trimming a rudder, ailerons and elevators is just a matter of lengthening one side a bit and shortening the other side the same amount. if only on the main control cables.

[AndyJWest]

1 hour ago, MrTheRich said:

I mean, when you construct a plane, you have to make sure the wires are the right length, I imagine it a no brainier to put something on that wire to adjust it because you can't know for sure if you cut them the right length.
Even my old bicycle has trim mechanics on the breaks. Sailboats have trim tabs or blocks since forever. Even on the planes themselves the stutting wires between the two wings have trim tabs to tension them correctly (and since weather, temperature, moist and age have an effect on the wood, these were probably adjusted over time for planes that survived)

I mean trimming a rudder, ailerons and elevators is just a matter of lengthening one side a bit and shortening the other side the same amount. if only on the main control cables.

 

Altering the length of the control cables won't change the forces in the system. The control surface will still adopt the same hands-off position regardless of where the joystick/rudder pedals are. To adjust the position of the control surface you need something that exerts a force on it, like a trim tab.

[1PL-Husar-1Esk]

 

3 hours ago, MrTheRich said:

I mean, when you construct a plane, you have to make sure the wires are the right length, I imagine it a no brainier to put something on that wire to adjust it because you can't know for sure if you cut them the right length.
Even my old bicycle has trim mechanics on the breaks. Sailboats have trim tabs or blocks since forever. Even on the planes themselves the stutting wires between the two wings have trim tabs to tension them correctly (and since weather, temperature, moist and age have an effect on the wood, these were probably adjusted over time for planes that survived)

I mean trimming a rudder, ailerons and elevators is just a matter of lengthening one side a bit and shortening the other side the same amount. if only on the main control cables.

This is not as easy as you say because in different airplane attitude/ flight envelope there are different amount of forces and even different direction of it reacting with airplane.

 

Some ww1 aeroplanes did had adjustable horizontal stabilizer. Similar in action to ww2 109s. You can fly hands off. In FC has it Se5 and Bristol Fighter

Edited December 22, 2019 by 1PL-Husar-1Esk

[AndyJWest]

1 hour ago, 1PL-Husar-1Esk said:

 

This is not as easy as you say because in different airplane attitude/ flight envelope there are different amount of forces and even different direction of it reacting with airplane.

 

Some ww1 aeroplanes did had adjustable horizontal stabilizer. Similar in action to ww2 109s. You can fly hands off. In FC has it Se5 and Bristol Fighter

 

Yes, what I said was an oversimplification. Which doesn't alter the fact that altering the cable length isn't going to change the hands-off control surface position in a given situation. If it were that simple, they'd never build aircraft with trim tabs in the first place.

[JG1_Vonrd]

What you are pointing to in the illustrations are turnbuckles. They are used to adjust the tension of the control cables. Altering them individually won't affect the trim of the aircraft. All it will do is change the neutral position of the joystick or rudder bar (annoying to the pilot). Aerodynamic forces will "neutralize" the control surfaces. This is a misconception common among rookie mechanics. You could adjust the direct and carry through cables of the aileron system to "droop" or raise the ailerons but it would affect both left and right.

 

However, the aircraft can be rigged by adjusting the flying (bracing) wires effectively warping the wings (to correct rolling tendencies). I would also think that there were provisions to vary the incidence of the horizontal stabilizer or perhaps the incidence of the wings relative to the horizontal stab (sometimes referred to as decalage, but decalage more correctly refers to the difference in incidence between the upper and lower wings which will affect the stall characteristics. Generally you want the lower wing to stall first keeping the stabilizing effect of the lifting surface above the center of gravity).

 

Getting a bit long winded... but my point is that I'm pretty sure that the mechanics could rig the plane on the ground to fly straight and level. Power settings would affect the pitch trim... the pilot would want it set to level flight at normal cruising power.

 

This is why I wish the Devs could go back to the ROF "Curves" in the control settings, but it seems that they are not going to do so.

[unreasonable]

20 minutes ago, II./JG1_Vonrd said:

 

 

Getting a bit long winded... but my point is that I'm pretty sure that the mechanics could rig the plane on the ground to fly straight and level. Power settings would affect the pitch trim... the pilot would want it set to level flight at normal cruising power.

 

This is why I wish the Devs could go back to the ROF "Curves" in the control settings, but it seems that they are not going to do so.

 

You can only set trim on the ground by adjusting the rigging etc to fly level at normal cruising power at one altitude. Set it up like that for SL and you will need constant stick back at high altitude.   

[JG1_Vonrd]

5 hours ago, unreasonable said:

 

You can only set trim on the ground by adjusting the rigging etc to fly level at normal cruising power at one altitude. Set it up like that for SL and you will need constant stick back at high altitude.   

True Dat