Staff Report

Aircraft trim is, in some pilots’ minds, the red-headed stepchild of control surfaces. It’s a nice-to-have feature, but hardly something you can’t do without. That is, until it goes bad.

Misadjusted trim makes you work harder than you have to. If elevator trim is set wrong, you’ll certainly have difficulty maintaining altitude. Incorrect rudder trim can lead to a “heavy” wing and fuel feeding unevenly if your airplane has a “both” fuel setting. …