RivetBangers.com

Electric vs. Manual...

The coolie hat/control stick setup is definately the slickest, "Top Gun" way of doing it.

I am wondering how important aileron trim is at all. For instance, we don't even have it in our SPAM cans. I have noticed fuel burn affecting the flight dynamics of the Cherokee 6 just this past week and it got me wondering.

My question is:

Is this a "set it and forget it" thing, or am I going to be constantly fiddling with it?

If I don't mess with it much, perhaps manual is the ticket?

Anyone have input on this one?

CJ

CJ,
I'm in the process of installing the ail trim on my 8. I had some of the same thoughts... is this necessary? The wt is pretty small, but I was wondering how much the springs affected the feel of the ailerons. Has Anyone out there added the elec trim to an already flying RV? How much did it affect the feel?

I can't help but wonder that fuel burn management can't maintain a good flight attitude.

On the other hand... we are a collection of button pushers and fiddlers. Aileron trim will give us yet another thing to twiddle with on those long cross countries!

I am still betwixt and between. Someone help us make up our minds!

CJ

Ill be putting manual trim in my 9. Ive needed it in the 172 and not always due to fuel imbalance if you get my drift.

Pancake and sausage loading can be significant!



Tell me, do you use the aileron trim alot?

CJ

I said that I needed it, not that I have it.

-- Spike (logged in as Patti)

The 6A I flew to the Sacramento area from North Central Washington state did not have aileron trim and I found the stick forces are a good way to manage the fuel. I am putting the manual trim in my 8 but I don't think it is really necessary. I won't hook it up until after the initial flight because the trim will mask any wing heaviness and I want to know how it really is flying.
Does that help?
Dan

I wonder what the percentage of nose gear collapse versus ground loops is?

I think Aileron trim is good thing to have. We have ordered the electric trim for both elev and ail. I often run one tank right out (dry) on a cross country flight just to know exactly what my fuel state is. Sure, the gauges and fuel burn indicators are all good, but when the engine coughs, you know you are halfway through your fuel, and you can calculate how much airtime is remaining.

I dipped the C-182 coming home from central B.C. the other day on a crosscountry. One tank dipped at 16 gals the other at 26 gals. Since we had a 2 hour flight home we should have been good to go. Just for the helluvit, I selected the 26 gallon tank right after takeoff. The reason for this was that that particular tank gauge indicated 1/4 full after takeoff. I thought, we will see if the gauge or the dipstick is correct here. Well, we made it home on that tank, but when I dipped it at destination, the tank was dry! The other tank indicated 22 gallons however. (It was dipped at 16 gals) Which all goes to show you that those hollow dipsticks don't work worth a damn. The kind that you have to hold your finger over the hole in the end of the tube to get a reading. I suggested to the owner to calibrate a wooden dipstick that is easier to read and more accurate than the hollow plastic tube.

Anyway, the point is, that if you do run a tank dry, there would be noticeable stick forces with one full tank and one empty tank. You would want aileron trim in that situation.

A fair number of RV's do not fly straight until the control surfaces are tweaked a bit. Aileron trim can make the first 20 hours or so more bearable by trimming out any aerodynamic anomalies rather than holding in some stick force during that time. Van recommends against jumping for your hand seamers in the first few hours until you have documented proof from test flights that one wing is indeed "heavy".

Cheers, Pete

mustang wrote:
Which all goes to show you that those hollow dipsticks don't work worth a damn. The kind that you have to hold your finger over the hole in the end of the tube to get a reading.

The plastic tubes always seemed to work OK for me. But I don't fly 182's either. Are you sure you aren't getting some kind of cross feed action going there on that 182? I'm wondering what the vent system is plumbed like. For instance on the 152 and 172 there is a cross tube between the tanks for the vent.

Other point. I have sat in an RV-6A with the springs for aileron trim and it sort of took away from the silky smooth control stick movement (on the ground anyway) because as I moved the stick I was fighting the springs. Any of you guys flying notice it much in the air?

I have about four hours in my friends 6A with manual trim and I do not notice anything but smooth handling in the air. I have also flown several other RV-6A's but I don't if any of them had manual trim or no trim. Manual trim can be added failrly simply after the airplane is flying and I amy wait to do that with mine. I am building a 6A