Flying Basics: Aircraft Trimming | DCS WORLD 

A highly needed tutorial (I guess). One addition to make life easier: If you have an autopilot and want to fly straight and level, you set the autopilot for that - and when you turn off the autopilot, the trim will stay. That can save you the time to fiddle with trim knob. If you have an autopilot that can keep a path, this will do the same. That can be useful on approach.

Very helpful! You're basically becoming "intro to DCS concepts" for a lot of people because you explain these ideas close to perfect. As a game-developer trying to execute some of the finer concepts of flight simulation which aren't summarised by the sheer physics or mechanical engineering, your work helps me understand what's happening quite tremendously. Have you considered teaching or becoming an instructor? It really is your calling.

Perfect aircraft to demonstrate this. When I first started DCS I mainly flew the Flanker and had such a sore arm from holding the stick forward all the time. :) What's interesting is to take off with asymmetric external tanks in the Harrier, turn on autopilot (AFC) for level flight, then watch the trim adjust itself as the fuel burns down.

Me flying the su-27 with a keyboard and mouse: 👀👀👀

I've only recently started flying the F-15C, after years and years on the Su-27, and I can really appreciate the difference now, every time I get back on the Flanker. It's crazy how much pilot load it actually means! I now call the Su "The Endless Trimm plane".

I see a lot of people complaining here and in the forum that they can’t trim aircraft in DCS for hands-free flight like in other sims or in real aircraft. The trim resolution is just too crude, and as far as I know, they provide no way to adjust it. For trim button or key taps, you can see the control deflect about a quarter inch. The axis curves have nothing to do with it. However, in the P-51, if I hover the cursor over the trim wheels and roll the mouse wheel one click, they move about 1/2 or 1/3 as far as they do when tapping the trim button or key. The airplane is still impossible to trim hands-free, though. In two or three seconds it’s rolling the other way or climbing or diving. I see no jitter or any other problem with my controls. It seems to be one of those things that isn’t going to get fixed because they don’t think anything is wrong.

I've been waiting for this. Thank you

I never thought about the curvature issue (then again I fly linear on the stick only curving the rudders). Good point!

Thanks for this. I haved two issues when trimming, in particular the flanker. First, I can't always trim away the forces. I'm trimming all the way downwards, but I still need to push the stick forward to keep the plane level. Second, sometimes trimming goes automatically all the way to max with just a little push (it must be like flying a 737 max). I just push once on the right keybord key, and I see the trim indicator moving slowly all the way. I can't do nothing until it is at max, even pressing to trim in the other direction does not stop this movement until it has reached max.

Do not forget that the trim tabs you mentioned in the WW2 planes do not directly affect the trim of the aircraft. What they do is to act as mini controls on their respective main control surfaces e.g. if you trim rudder right on a spitfire the trim tab on the rudder actually pivots to the left, and this forces the whole of the rudder to move right producing the trim needed. So the WW2 trims acts in a somewhat similar way to the modern fighters as it is the actual control surfaces that end up producing the trim, and should also move the related stick/pedals. Only the mechanism to produce this movement is different.

I just started on DCS World and this the best explanation of what the trim does, without a doubt. Thanks a lot mate

Really cool explanation, especially when you highlighted the importance with axis curves.

Excellent video as usual. It really helps for beginners / intermediates to learn quickly and have answers to a lot of questions. Without it, the game could be a little bit frustrating due to the lack of information by default provided from ED. But with these tutorials the game is more enjoyable and we pay more attention to the great level of details modeled in it

All these videos are brilliant cap they've really helped me too learn how to play DCS thankyou very much i also admire just how much skill some of the reapers have to play this sim as good as they do, its a massive learning curve but i love the game and wouldnt of been able to get my head around half this stuff without your help. TOP MAN 👍

Great video and phenomenal instruction. You really break it down nicely in easy to understand terminology. You are teaching me how to fly lol

Great explanation Cap! Very informative.

Think of trimming like a mini joystick on top of your joystick - it fine tunes the surfaces of your plane for different flight conditions

Big thanks for the video mate! I thought I have something wrong with calibration, I didn't know aircraft must be trimmed :)

This helped me a lot! My landings are way smoother now.

Superior demonstration and review, there's no doubt when the Reapers do warbirds their's some people that fly that don't have a clue about trims.

The Su-27/33/other Su series mods LOVE to pitch up, especially with full AB. Trim is essential

Finally found my tutorial on trimming Thank you

Perfect vid as always Cap !

Thank you so much for all your time and efforts

HELP: What is happening is that no matter what input is used for control be it a saitek joystick or the keyboard the elevators stays stuck at a particular deflection and it is impossible to zero them out to neutral in a way that maintains anything remotely resembling normal flight. Any attempts to correct result in extremely violent pilot induced oscillations.

I fly drones and curve is very important to our ability to control the drone with a fidelity worth of smooth control. In DCS I cheated and just put my stick in a non-centering mode. Cheated! haha, cheated myself of fine tune control! I get it, Very nice job explaining, especially when it came to landing!!!

I have a Warthog HOTAS, and use the standard trim control on the stick. However when i gently trim nose up and down or nose left and right, it will gradually drift in that direction. To counter i gently trim the opposite direction but still drifts. Is there any way to stop this, as I need to constantly trim...

Great vid. Explains so many of my newbie difficulties.

Very informative video Cap. Thanks

This has helped me immensely

holy shit , this is so useful for a newbie like me especially the axis tune. i dont hv no one teaching me playing rl =(

How do you bring up that control stick input? I would love that so I can get a good feel for trimming.

A very good explanation, thanks.

Amazing explanation!!! Kudos Sir!

how do you turn on trim indicator

Finaly somone explained this so it makes sense

What do those turned down Г-symbols on the pitch axe of controls mean ? You can move them by taking control stick backwards, but when release they come back in place

Thank you so much for your video, help me a lot

a lot to learn

Great info do you have your adjustments mapped out on your flight control stick or throttle

Great video, could i possibly do a video explaining the trim in the huey or just helicopters because i just got the huey and have no idea how to trim it and it’s so hard to fly. Either way, Thanks!

So adjusting trim is basically compensating for unequal weight distribution on the aircraft that affects the flight control surfaces when they’re exerted upon by aerodynamic forces? So the usage of fuel and munitions will continually necessitate it? Is there a way to “default” trim, if that makes sense?

can you use trim in ACM if you can see that an enemy has used specific stores to take advantage of the trim imbalance? would only work up close I guess. great vid super cap

but how do i view my trim on the hud in the bottom right of the screen like you have it? its driving me insane i cant find out how anywhere online.

The Trim Switch is not Necessary in a Fight...it's just a Takeoff & Landing thing... So what my question is - Why that switch has to me on the Joystick... instead the Chaff & Flare switch has to be on the Joystick. It's More Important that the Pitch & Roll

How would we play this game without your videos? 👍

Is it just me because I can’t even set the trims? I just got a new HOTAS, plugged it in, and every normal thing in my SU27 became abnormal, I can’t set the trims, somehow giving me Direct control all the time, all that

Trimming does not seem to work on the FA-18, the smaller circle does not move when using the trim button...

Guess playing flight and combat simulators starting in the late '80s made me a natural pilot, learned so many basics from trial and error. Should've kept flying...

for each click of the trim button, does the thing move a certain degree? or, does it depend on how long i hold the button? again, for f18, when landing, how come i feel like the trim would often reset after some point if the trim is not perfect

4:30 you saved me 70$

How do you get the little amber readout for your stick imputs? I can't figure it out for the life of me!

i use trim for very fine inputs or as i like to call " pasenger airliner style movement "

how do i know where this trim center is when i fly or try to land etc?

Wait...you landed and managed to break early at 320 km/h? How? If i do that on my F/A-18 I'll just run the whole ramp and crash on the fence. No breaking power at all.

Nice video. How can i activate those trim guides ?

Could be at 15 was automatic I was like oh thank God. Although now I wonder if the f-18 f-14 f-16 are also trim automatic hopefully cuz I'm going to be getting them next. while I say that but first i'm going to get a stick and a throttle.

Could you do one trimming video with the F15E please. Everytime after take off my plane goes up by itself in flight :( Im super new and i just dont know too many things

I have a issue where it never resets to neutral if I pull back and let go it stays there

The big circle doesn't seem to follow the smaller trim circle... it's really confusing..

But what about trim reset? I have tried to find this everywhere but cant

how can we turn on that display that visualises the position of the trim please?

Cap, 1:40 where you get that virtual hand which is holding the joystick

hey man i have just bought a new joystick and It pulls up and right, kinda aggresive aswell. how do you get that trimbar and how do you use it, i really need something to trim the mig-29 with because it pulls so hard. Thanks in advance!

Nice tutorial! Although I am having issues trimming post-bomb release -trimming isn't effective. Ideas?

Your explanation about Trim tabs on old school aircraft is actually a bit lacking, Cap. Yes, those small tabs move differently than the actual control surface, but their effect is not different from the use on a hydraulically driven control surface, such as the Su-27 shown here. The small trim tabs induce movement of the larger flight surfaces, allowing an aircraft without hydraulics to settle flight controls for level flight without fatiguing the pilot. I know this since I've been repairing Cessna 152, 172 and Piper PA-34-200 Senecas at a flight school for the last 4 years.

How do you get the trim display in the bottom right corner again?

What is that trim icon on the bottom right of the screen I want that to appear on mine

Okay, how do i trim my su-27... W? no... maybe S? *OH SHI~*

i play vtol and it always perefctly trimmed is there any way i can do that in dcs?

How do you see your hands?

Thank you!!!!!!!!!!

When I bind a button on my hotas to “Trim Hat” and I dosent wirk

Does anyone know how to bring up that little trim diagram Cap has open on the bottom right of his screen? I cant seem to find that bind. Without that I feel like im chasing the proper trim... thanks!

May someone please tell me how to view that trim HUD on the screen? Is there a bind for that? If so, what's the action called?

How did you get that trim GUI at the bottom right of your screen?

I honestly thought something was wrong with my x56 when I'd accidentally engage and disengage autopilot and couldn't understand why I was nose down

I know this is an old video but how do you get that trim guide to show up in the bottom right... I'm an FNG... thx .

NOW I UNDERSTAND

Is the av8b a heavy trimming a/c?

How do yo get the stick graphics on the screen?

How do you get the control display shown on the bottom right?

Can someone explain why when I press a trim button my F 18 it constantly trims in that direction until maximum even when I dont press anything?

We do NOT have to use curves in DCS.

how did you get that joystick axis diagram on the right?

How did you get the controls view in the bottom right?

How do you get that little window up ingame that shows controls?

How does one enable that cross in the bottom right?

Thanks from iraq

how can i display my trim

Trimput :)

You forgot to explain what trim is in those 20min, Sir.

so you explain what it is but didn't show us how to do it. come on cap 🤷😂😂

how do you get that trim diagram in the lower right ? new to all this

The rapers😅