Basic flight management questions

Loving the stick-and-rudder flying, really wakes your feet up after years of jet sims.

 

A couple of things would be useful to know. Some of them pertain to basic HOTAS management:

 

- Is there a recommended elevator trim setting for takeoff? If so, what is it and is it possible to verify this setting by any means other than the position of the trim wheel?

 

- Is there a key command to neutralise rudder trim only?

 

- This is my first experience in a sim controlling power output with both throttle and RPM input. Do you prop-heads set RPM to a throttle button? I don't think I have a spare axis to map. Given the workload in trimming the airplane and setting mixture etc., on climbout it would be great to have a way to manage power settings without taking one's hands off the throttle and stick, especially as the RPM lever is often invisible behind the virtual throttle.

 

- As above: Do you guys map mixture control to a HOTAS or is that considered unrealsitic and, if you have to take your hands off the controls IRL to throw a lever, that's how you do it in the sim?

 

Thanks!

 

- Is there a recommended elevator trim setting for takeoff? If so, what is it and is it possible to verify this setting by any means other than the position of the trim wheel?

 

2 degrees without fuel drop-tanks/4 degrees with.

 

- Is there a key command to neutralise rudder trim only?

 

No.

 

Your rudder will very very rarely be neutral. You should ALWAYS be trimming at all flight parameters......keep the ball centred with rudder trim - you will see that you are constantly trimming with the rudder very rarely at neutral.

 

Do you prop-heads set RPM to a throttle button?

 

CH Quadrant is a very good investment :)

 

Do you guys map mixture control to a HOTAS or is that considered unrealsitic and, if you have to take your hands off the controls IRL to throw a lever, that's how you do it in the sim?

 

You very rarely fiddle with the mixture control - set to run and off you go. No need for a lever, mouse works just fine.

Thanks Viper, very helpful.

- Is there a recommended elevator trim setting for takeoff? If so, what is it and is it possible to verify this setting by any means other than the position of the trim wheel?

This is covered in the manual and in one of the training missions as well (I believe start-up). Real P-51 manuals differ on the recommended elevator trim setting, but the general idea is that it should be trimmed more nose-heavy when the fuselage fuel tank is loaded with more than 25 gallons of fuel. This is because a loaded fuselage tank pulls the CG well aft and the aircraft tends to pitch up much more violently. The recommended settings we adopted (late in beta) was to keep elevator trim neutral normally and to set it to 4-5 degrees nose-heavy when the fuselage tank is filled with more than 25 gallons. Default mission setting is full wing tanks and an empty fuselage tank (68% fuel), so you can takeoff with neutral trim unless the fuel load is altered for the mission.

 

Viper's instructions above are valid as well. Again, elevator trim recommendations vary in real P-51 manuals.

 

- Is there a key command to neutralise rudder trim only?

No, only reset of all trimmers. We will consider adding individual trim reset commands.

 

- This is my first experience in a sim controlling power output with both throttle and RPM input. Do you prop-heads set RPM to a throttle button? I don't think I have a spare axis to map.

You should be fine controlling RPM using keyboard commands. It generally doesn't require very fine control, unlike the throttle and trimmers.
Edited April 30, 2012 by EvilBivol-1

 

No, only reset of all trimmers. We will consider adding individual trim reset commands.

 

 

Was their any trim reset function, either all or individual, in the real aircraft or did the pilot have to return the knobs to zero by hand?

 

EDIT: Giving that a moments thought and it really seems unlikely that you would ever use a trim reset function, while airborne, in real life.

Edited April 30, 2012 by cichlidfan

No, there is no trim reset in reality.

No, there is no trim reset in reality.

 

I suspected as much, so a standard slider/rotary is realistic.

 

I did mention elsewhere how much I like the slider, on the Warthog throttle, for rudder trim.:P

 

Thanks much!

EDIT: Giving that a moments thought and it really seems unlikely that you would ever use a trim reset function, while airborne, in real life.

 

Yes, given the trim sensibility a reset would spell disaster.

........a reset would spell disaster.

 

As the Kamov illustrates well. Hitting that input once was enough to cure me for life :D

Some hints for those who want to use absolute axes for trim.

 

Input settings.

It's very individual but I think these values can be taken as initial.

Rudder - Curvature 22 to have smooth control near zero and full authority for take off.

Rudder trim - Saturation Y 20...25 (6-7.5 degrees of rudder max), Curvature 0...10

Elevator trim - Saturation 20, Curvature 15

These setting are good to have precise control.

 

If your devices allow to have more resolution for elevator trim you can extend Y saturation range.

 

Sticky Collection entry!

Should I set the RPM axis to my friction slider on the TM Warthog? Anyone else tried that?

Should I set the RPM axis to my friction slider on the TM Warthog? Anyone else tried that?

 

i used the left throttle for that.

I set my RPM for the left throttle and the right throttle controls the throttle in the P-51.

I use the trim hat and DMS left & right for trimming.

Trim is not a precise science in flight sims, you lack the tactile feedback from trimming via a wheel in a real-life a/c. I have it set directionally, i.e. elevator and aileron trim, to the trim hat on my stick, but given the importance of rudder trim for this flight model, maybe I should replace the aileron trim assignment with rudder trim, what do you think?

 

Ans I don't think it's "cheating" to have the virtual flight control panel graphic switched on!

I'm at work so can't test it myself but does this work for the DCS versions tailwheel?........

 

"Taxi with stick slightly aft of neutral. This will lock the tail wheel. In the locked position the tail wheel may be turned 6 degrees to the right or left by use of the rudder pedals. For sharp turns, push stick forward of the neutral position to allow the tail wheel full swiveling action. Use brakes as little as possible. "

 

 

Cheers,

Stonehouse

I'm at work so can't test it myself but does this work for the DCS versions tailwheel?........

 

"Taxi with stick slightly aft of neutral. This will lock the tail wheel. In the locked position the tail wheel may be turned 6 degrees to the right or left by use of the rudder pedals. For sharp turns, push stick forward of the neutral position to allow the tail wheel full swiveling action. Use brakes as little as possible. "

 

 

Cheers,

Stonehouse

Yes, that's the idea. It works but the sharp turns require differential wheel braking. Without toe brakes on my pedals I can't begin to think how to map that to my HOTAS. Using keyboard for differential braking is an act of contortionism because you need a hand on the throttle.

You very rarely fiddle with the mixture control - set to run and off you go.

 

Question, since I haven't purchased P-51 yet. (Waiting for further word of mp) Are the Idle Cutoff/Run OR Idle Cutoff/Auto Lean/Auto Rich/Full Rich settings modeled?

Question, since I haven't purchased P-51 yet. (Waiting for further word of mp) Are the Idle Cutoff/Run OR Idle Cutoff/Auto Lean/Auto Rich/Full Rich settings modeled?

 

Yes. To clarify, it's IDLE CUTOFF, RUN and FULL RICH.

Edited May 1, 2012 by 159th_Viper

Yes. To clarify, it's IDLE CUTOFF, RUN and FULL RICH.

And they are working great even in the beta :)

Question, since I haven't purchased P-51 yet. (Waiting for further word of mp) Are the Idle Cutoff/Run OR Idle Cutoff/Auto Lean/Auto Rich/Full Rich settings modeled?

 

As Viper said. Different version.

 

AUTO LEAN was disabled for late models. RUN = AUTO RICH

 

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=87428