Non-level flight

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Just to clarify the accurate information given before:

There is aileron trim, rudder trim, and elevator trim. Some planes have all of those, some only one or two. And I have yet to find a document that tells which planes have which so if you don't know the plane, you have to do some experimenting. All of these settings can change with power, altitude, and speed.

Aileron trim - keeps one wing from dipping, can be used to keep wings level.

Elevator trim - pitches the nose up or down.

Rudder trim - Possibly the hardest to master. See that little "carpenter's level" on the instrument panel? That is the slip indicator. In level flight, that black ball that keeps moving from side to side as you maneuver needs to be in the center. You can center is by applying rudder (costs you speed due to drag of the rudder going to one side) or trimming (more efficient flight because the trim tab is small and creates less drag). There is an old adage: Step on the ball. If the ball is to the right, give some right rudder to center it and vice versa.

Note that on some aircraft the slip indicator is a needle instead of a "carpenter's level" but it does the same task.

Slip is basically defined as how much your plane is sideways to the direction of travel. The more sideways it is, the less aerodynamic it is. Being sideways costs speed and makes aiming more difficult. Note that you can "slip" to reduce your speed, like when you are approaching for landing.

You need to constantly be trimming your aircraft for efficient flight. Every time something changes (altitude, speed, power, etc..) the amount of trim you will need changes. If your plane does not have a certain type of trim, you have to apply stick or rudder pressure to compensate.

Applying rudder with the keyboard is hard. Rudder pedals are great and a "twisty" joystick is ok too.

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