Using the hat switch for cyclic trim

[PurdueKev]

I have bound the hat switch on my flight stick for the elevator and aileron trim functions in P3D, but I have a question if I am doing this properly...

I have mapped the hat switch to the standard elevator trim up/down and aileron trim left/right commands. When I wish to trim, I have the stick usually in some non-centered position and want to trim out the forces so that I can gradually relax the stick back to center as trim is applied. This is how I would trim any other aircraft. However, when I actuate the trim hat I see the stick animation in the VC snap back to center and the aircraft obviously changes (sometimes dramatically) in pitch or roll until I apply the trim using the hat. Is this real behavior? As you can imagine this makes it very difficult to smoothly trim the attitude of the aircraft.

It is almost as if the trim function is actuating the ailerons or elevators themselves, not the trim.

I have removed all of the potentially duplicate button assignments for all of my controllers, so I don't think I have any conflicting assignments.

Is this behavior normal?

Thanks!

[PurdueKev]

Also, it appears the aileron left and right trim functions are mapped opposite of where they should be - aileron trim right is actually trimming the roll forces to the LEFT, and vice versa. I had to reverse the mappings to get it to work properly (i.e. when you have the stick to the right, you apply trim to the right on the hat switch until the trim is neutralized for the flight regime you are in).

The elevator up/down trim are correct, it is the aileron trim functions that are reversed.

I went back and checked that I did not have any axes on my other controllers mapped improperly for trim - everything is correct. I have no controller axes mapped to trim.

[JonathanBleeker]

What happens if you reduce the repeat rate on the trim commands? I do recall testing this in FSX without problems but will test in P3D again and see what I can do to fix it when I get the chance.

[PurdueKev]

What happens if you reduce the repeat rate on the trim commands? I do recall testing this in FSX without problems but will test in P3D again and see what I can do to fix it when I get the chance.

Hi Johnathan - thanks for looking into this, I will try that later today as well... I just got done with a flight and it just feels weird - for example, I have stick forward and slightly left for straight and level flight, for example, and then when I apply the hat switch up/forward (which should be nose down trim), the stick animation jumps forward and then the pitch drifts back. On the left/right trim, I get that "jump" if I apply the trim hat while I have no pressure on the stick. It is hard to describe - I can trim the aircraft, but it just makes it difficult to smoothly apply trim because the stick animation will just jump and the aircraft will pitch or roll abruptly until I can catch it with the hat. Certainly, it is different than any other sim aircraft I have flown.

Also, I can confirm that the left/right trim feels reversed, and the left/right assignments are opposite of every other sim aircraft I have flown that has electric trim on the stick. I am not a real-life pilot, but I can't imagine this is how the MD530 actually works? I tried it this way on the last flight, and it is like retraining my brain from how I usually know to trim.

I love the aircraft, the trim is just getting in the way of really flying it the proper way. I know you guys got rid of the (unrealistic) force trim a while back, but I had not had a chance to fly this since reading that a few months ago. I've gone and started with clean profile in FSUIPC and also removing all assignments in the P3D controls dialog, etc, and I can't find the issue (usually, P3D trim problems are because I have some duplicate/conflicting axis somewhere).

Let me know if you can replicate this - no one has reported anything so I suppose it could just be me, but I have a cleanly reinstalled P3D right now (reinstalled a week ago).

Thanks!

Kevin

[JonathanBleeker]

Willdo