Question on Pitch trim and Forced Trim

[bobsk8]

Been flying the 407 for a few hours now, and having experience with RC Helis and a few hours in a R 22, I am a bit confused about the trim in the 407. I notice that using the mouse wheel on the hat switch , I am able to adjust the pitch trim so that I don't have to hold a great deal of forward cyclic when above say 60 mph. If i don't trim it with the mouse wheel, it wants to climb and slow down without a great deal of forward cyclic. If I do trim it with the mouse, on the hat switch, I notice that as soon as I move the cyclic control, the trim I set it is lost like it is disengaged and I am back to having to fly pushing on the joystick. . Is this normal? Seems the only way I can fly at a normal cruise speed is pressing forward a great deal on the cyclic, just like an aircraft that has a major trim problem would feel or that is really tail heavy.

The second question is, I don't seem to get any reaction with the forced trim either with the button which I have correctly assigned in the config, or pressing the red button on the cyclic. Am I supposed to see some movement of the cyclic when I press the button on either the assigned joystick control or the red button on the cyclic?

Bob

[JonathanBleeker]

You remembered to turn on the Hydraulics pump and the Force trim enable switch on the overhead panel?

[bobsk8]

You remembered to turn on the Hydraulics pump and the Force trim enable switch on the overhead panel?

Yes both on. How can one tell if the force trim button is actually working? I am using FSUIPC to set all my controls in P3D, does that have an effect on forced trim button?

[JonathanBleeker]

I'm not sure. I never tried because I didn't have FSUIPC at the time of development. It shouldn't have an effect. Basically, what ever position you are holding your stick in when you press force trim, when you release the stick it will stay in that position you set it. It will then re-adjust your inputs to stay within proper control movement range. It should therefore solve the problem you are having with trimming the aircraft.

[bobsk8]

I'm not sure. I never tried because I didn't have FSUIPC at the time of development. It shouldn't have an effect. Basically, what ever position you are holding your stick in when you press force trim, when you release the stick it will stay in that position you set it. It will then re-adjust your inputs to stay within proper control movement range. It should therefore solve the problem you are having with trimming the aircraft.

OK, then it most likely is not working, since I hold the cyclic control forward for instance, and hit either the red button or press the joystick key I have assigned, and release the the cyclic, it goes right back to the center position, nose up. I have figured out how to adjust it using the mouse wheel on the hat switch, by just not touching the cyclic at all once I set the trim that way. When using FSUIPC, the controls in the P3D sim are disabled, and that may be why the force trim button does not work.

[JonathanBleeker]

Not necessarily. Did you assign the joystick button in the ACM?

[bobsk8]

Not necessarily. Did you assign the joystick button in the ACM?

Yes, and double and triple checked that. Also the button on the cyclic, which should work by itself, has no effect either.

[bobsk8]

Still trying to get force trim to work in 407. Has anyone that is using FSUIPC to assign controls in P3D, had it working?

[JonathanBleeker]

Wait...Just remembered something for P3D. Are your controls set up to use Raw Input or DirectInput?

[bobsk8]

Wait...Just remembered something for P3D. Are your controls set up to use Raw Input or DirectInput?

Raw Input

[JonathanBleeker]

Needs to be DirectInput.

[bobsk8]

Needs to be DirectInput.

Ok, I just tried direct input. No difference, red button on cyclic and joystick key does nothing. Then I disabled the FSUIPC control assignments and turned on the controllers in P3D, which had been disabled. Now when I hit the hotkey, I see the cyclic move, so apparently the P3D controls have to be enabled, which you can't do when you have FSUIPC assigning controls because it causes all kinds of issues. At least I know why it doesn't work on my system.

[JonathanBleeker]

Thanks for that. I will revise the assignment system when I get the chance so it won't care whether P3D is using raw input or DirectInput and FSUIPC will be a no factor.

[bobsk8]

Thanks for that. I will revise the assignment system when I get the chance so it won't care whether P3D is using raw input or DirectInput and FSUIPC will be a no factor.

That's great. There are so many simmers using FSUIPC today, especially if you have a mix of different aircraft, or even worse, fixed wing and rotary wing, allowing for different button assignments and joystick assignments. To have to go back to sim control assignments after setting up everything in FSUIPC is a nightmare.

[bobsk8]

Just remembered that I have a couple of A2A aircraft and they have a input control configurator where you can assign functions like special trim adjustments that work differently from the normal P3D adjustments. If one disables the controls in P3D, and only uses FSUIPC for control settings, these A2A input config settings will not work. Probably a very similar situation with the Forced Trim config.