Trims and Forcefeedback

Originally Posted by Furio

This is true in theory, but at the price of a reduced stability. P51 emptied rear tank before attempting any aerobatic manoeuvre.

That was because when the fuselage tank was full the CG was AFT of the aft limit - not AT the aft limit. The aft limit is set by minimum stability requirements and the Air Force threw that out the window for range.


This is true for the immediate reaction of plane (more common in high wing design). Fact remains that you must re-trim – PRESTO – nose down and maintain a steeper glide.

Again, different aircraft behave ... differently. The flaps by themselves cause a severe nose down force that is countered by the downwash behind the wing (created by the flaps) landing on the stab. The size of the stab and its position in the downwash are major factors in trim settings. I've flown planes that I've trimmed in the downwind leg and not had to retrim before touchdown. As the planes slowed on base and final rather than retrim noseup I simply fed the flaps down and maintained neutral trim. Not all planes are like this.