FlightSim.Com How To: Fly The Big Iron

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN POWER, PITCH & TRIM ON THE BIG IRON JETS

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often find myself helping flightsimmers with their pitch, power and trim settings while flying. Part of the trouble comes from the sensitivity of FS5 to control inputs, their settings for the control devices used, their lack of experience as a flightsimmer, and their lack of real world flight experience. Even to real world pilots... flightsimming can be frustrating, too sensitive and way too difficult for many to keep up their practice or interest to make them a long term simmer.

Since I have been flightsimming for 10 years, and have put forth countless hours refining my flying ability on my computer, I hope to help those with less time spent at the hobby better understand the relationships of all those forces coming to play when flying the big jets on FS5. By the time a flightsimmer has spent several years at it.. (if you're addicted you know what I mean :) .. he or she then sees the realism and actual ability to fly the FS5 aircraft in all weather conditions with an amazing amount of grace and precision. But yes, it will often take years of practice to be able to fly a 747 to minimums in a near 0/0 sky with gusting 35k crosswinds and windshears galore on the approach. I've seen other long time simmers like myself break a sweat or two on a tough approach with the real feeling that it is real, and lives are at stake... no matter how late you are for work, or any other real world commitments that interfear with flightsimming.

Here is some information on various stages of flight with pitch, power and trim discussions to better help you fly the big boats with more precision and realism.

TAKEOFF

On the takeoff once airborne, the selection of landing gear up will decrease drag on the big jets and result in two things taking place:

the aircraft's lift increases, thus increasing rate of climb slightly
the speed will increase

Now, you should monitor speed for flap retraction and rate of climb for whatever value you want.

When flaps go up incrementaly, speed will increase also ... yielding a good time for a noise abatement reduction in power with the flaps going up. You must keep 250kts while climbing up to 10,000 feet... so in most of the FS5 jets you can retard power about 10%-20% off full depending on weight. Now when flaps are brought up, something takes place that's important:

the lift suddenly decreases, thus the aircraft rate of climb will also
the nose will drop
the speed will increase

Now, you should immediately after flaps go up a notch, roll in a little up trim to hold your pitch the same and keep neutral yoke position so as not to keep having to pull on your control device which usually can result in oscilations on the aircraft pitch. TRIM IT OUT. I often just fly with trim only on my CH PRODUCTS VIRTUAL PILOT PRO. I only use full yoke pitch movements on the landing and takeoff rotation... then it's pitch trim the whole way. In real life.. that's true also! Trim is great.. and on FS5 it works not bad. DON'T USE THE KEYBOARD TRIM... it's awful and you'll be oscillating enough to throw passangers all over the cabin! Just make sure before takeoff and landing the trim indicator is near neutral for optimum yoke freedom. Now if it's off, you'll need to use the keyboard trim just to reset it.. but avoid it as much as possible!

Now while climbing, I often find trimming to specific pitch is hard, so I use my adventure with GPS or whatever to hold a climb to altitude function...or the old famous CTRL-T key to lock pitch and bank. I use this until reaching cruise altitude. Make sure to trim down some when leveling off. In fact, just try using trim to level off... then snap on the autopilot to hold your FL.

CRUISE FLIGHT

Here... flight is relaxing and simple. The most difficult thing to do here would be to try to handfly. So don't. And if you must, then make sure what kind of reactions you'll encounter when switching of the Z button. Now, your speed has increased, so make sure that you trim down a tad when about to kick of alt hold because the increase in speed would make the nose go up.

Don't bother coordinating with rudder in cruise. Most of the FS planes do fine in a turn slightly uncoordinated, and since you're not trying to turn on an ILS or somehting...it's not critical. Also, in high speed flight, the plane is more coordinated anyway. In real life, yaw dampers and autopilots take care of non-coordination.

If you must climb to higher altitude, first I usually raise the nose slightly above the horizon to a high altitude climb pitch to allow near cruising speed climbs. Besides, the passengers don't have their seatbelts on now, and are possible walking around! Once your climb pitch is set, then advance power to full or 80% or whatever is needed to keep about a M.70 climb at least. Make sure your pitch is shallow and rate of climb 2000 fpm or less. At high altitude airliners don't climb too fast unless ATC demands a rapid climb. In a rapid climb, speed would decrease too quickly and wouldn't be recovered accept for after a level off.

DESCENT

Before leaving your cruising altitiude, make sure than when you kick off the altitude hold button, that you have rolled in some yoke/joystick down trim. I roll in a little down trim first, then reduce power somewhat... and then disconnect the ALT hold function. Now the plane starts a gradual controlled descent, without a huge popup of the nose when ALT hold is turned off. The nose poping up would be a result of the speed increase in cruise... and the extra lift that's been created by the speed. So if the autopilot doesn't properly autotrim for the altitude you're at, you'll get a nose popup enough to throw people and food all over the place!

As you descend into thicker air, drag will increase and your speed will no longer be as high or it will tend to decrease more. I often descend at idle down to about 20,000 ft and then find myself needing to add power to hold cruising speed down to 10,000 ft or so. Often however, I slow to 300 kts when below 20,000 ft on the way to 10,000 ft for 250 kts.

Remember to retrim always to keep desired pitch or descent rate whenever the power levers are changed! Use primarily trim instead of joystick or yoke movements for the pitch changes.

ARRIVAL

Now the fun and really tough work begins! About 30 miles out from the airport an altitude of 10,000 and below is good. About 10 miles from the field, if established on the localizer, I would slow down in the clean configuration to about 190kts or so.. and then put in a notch of flaps to continue slowing to 170kts or so to the OM. Now, when placing in that 1st notch of flap, you know what you need to do right? (trim down). Now when close to the OM, depending on altitiude, speed etc., or your own choice, either put down the gear, and 1 more notch of flaps or just the flaps to the 2nd position. When the big flaps move to the 2nd position a tremendous amount of drag develops. Just imagine those huge "barn doors" hangin' out in the wind... really slowing you down and squeezing a little more lift out of the wings.. so your nose will still pop up...and sometimes a lot depending on the specific jet. So guess what? More down trim. But wait, if you put down the gear right after that or during or even before... you'll get drag without lift... in fact you'll get a sinking reaction. That huge gear, doors and all now plowing thru the wind is slowing, and sinking your craft! So if at the same time you go to 2nd notch, you put the gear down...you won't have to add any down trim! So, that's one way pilots coordinate the lift on an aircraft is to put down a middle notch of flaps, and gear at the same time! It works great on FS5 too!

Now, stabilized on the approach, descending to the runway, you're at flaps 20 with gear down and power reduced for the lower speed as necessary. Maybe 140-160 kts depending on the plane and weight. Then as you approach the inner marker you can go full flaps. Now there's drag only, but no more lift. The last flap is at such an angle, that it's an all dragger... and no lifter... so more trimming down won't be necessary. YOU WILL NEED SOME TRIM UP ha! Yes, so much more drag has been added with the last flap, you will need to hold that nose up. If you're not too responsive with your airspeed, I bet it would be really slow. Maybe even close to stall if you haven't been adding power. With each big notch of flaps, power must be increased also. And in planes like the A300 where the flaps are so big.. on final with full flaps.. creates alot of noise! In the one I fly on FS5 - I have the power cranked up almost 65-70% of full ...just to hold altitude or a slight descent on the glide slope. Wow!! You can feel those flaps shaking in the wind, and hear the roar of the engines trying to keep the big jet in the sky!

LANDING

Okay, now everthing comes to play. At 50 feet start bringing up the nose a little more. Depending on the airplane, some nose up probably already was present on the approach, but by bringing up the nose a little more, you're ensuring the proper pitch for touchdown. This is the beginning of the flare. Now, at 30 feet, cut power to idle, hold pitch the same (as the idle cut drops the nose -remember?) and wait for the wheels to kiss the pavement! Once the nose has slowly been let to the ground, select spoilers up, go to full reverse until 70kts and then manual braking after that.

IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER ON THE LANDING/APPROACH

if you're low, add power and hold nose at least level, if not up a few degrees.
if you're high, lower nose a little, and don't reduce power much.. lowering the nose on a heavy jet will decrease your altitude fine, and you'll need the remaining power to stop your descent when you're on the GS again.
if you're really high, reduce power, lower nose, and use spoilers if needed. Just remember to crank in the power BEFORE you want to level off again
if you need to GO AROUND, ... full power, pitch up, flaps up to the second notch.. then gear up only after a positive rate of climb is established. Now, it's the normal takeoff procedures again because your climbing with flaps 20, and gear is up.

Enjoy! Good luck...and I hope this has helped you out a little in your quest to fly the big jets like a real pro!

Happy Flying! American 455 heavy, climb maintain FL370 - proceed as filed....

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