SonexBuilders.net

Quic question , on final , tail wheel Sonex , are you guys trimming nose up or down on final for landing , or leaving somewhat neutral position l know what I do but curios what others do ,I have heard some trimming nose down , while others trim back or nose up , .

On my TD with 3300, after first 10 degrees or so (electric flap operator) pull trim lever full back for nose up, leave it there through rest of landing.

David A.

As soon as I lower the flaps the nose gets very heavy. I put in full up trim but still have to hold pressure on the stick.

I trim full up after slowing down and applying 10 deg flaps on landing. There is still preasure on the stick to hold the nose up. On takeoff I trim a little down.

I use full down trim for takeoff and some up trim for landing. The AeroTrim allows one to almost trim to a set speed, if you have enough time to dink with it. But the controls are light enough so it is no trouble landing and taking off without the trim.

I installed a much stronger and shorter spring where it attaches to the yoke in my Waiex. With the shorter spring, I use a short piece of cable from the yoke to the spring. The other end of the spring connects to the trim cable under the seat. This setup removes the spring from right below the seat where it rubs on the bottom of the seat pan. This was always a problem, especially when carrying passengers. Also, with the stronger spring, only a slight turn of the trim knob changes the trim. Takes a little farting around to balance the spring tensions between the two springs required for the system.

Hope this helps someone,

Ray Krause,
Waiex N51YX, Jab 3300, #1197, 430 hrs, lots of fun, running great!

Hi Ray,
Thank you for sharing this info on your trim system upgrade.
Any chance you could post or email me a photo?
This sounds like something I would like to incorporate on N49YX.
By the way, your plane looked really sharp at Rio Linda!

Thanks,
Don Bowen
N49YX
KMCC

I found the Dial A Trim didn't have enough range for my liking. Getting the spring tension properly setup is not intuitive. Also didn't feel natural to me to turn the knob. Used to a C172 trim wheel I guess. The Waiex is so light on the controls, I found myself just holding pressure during landings instead of trying to trim it hands off.

So I fabricated a small 12V electric motor with a little winch spool that pulls a cable to adjust the spring tension. It worked so well that I installed a second one to be a wing leveler. All driven from a four way hat switch on my stick. Got less than $200 in the entire setup, including the pistol grip.

fastj22 wrote: The Waiex is so light on the controls, I found myself just holding pressure during landings instead of trying to trim it hands off.

I use trim less in my Sonex (trigear, Aerovee) than in any plane I've flown. When I change from one to two people aboard there is a need to dial in more nose-up trim, but once set I typically don't bother to trim much when in the pattern. It's probably a bad habit to get into, but the control forces are so light that it seems more trouble to use the trim than to just hold the needed pressure for the short time it is required.

Don Bowen,

Did I have a chance to see you at Rio Linda? I do not remember. I will try to get a picture the next time I have the seat out. It is a pretty simple change.

Thanks,

Ray Krause

Hi Ray,
We have met at Rio Linda before but I don't think we spoke this year as I was only there for a couple of hours.
My Waiex is in the hangar at McClellan getting a new engine and instrument panel, etc. and wasn't ready in time to show at Rio Linda. Next year for sure!
I am at the hangar most weekends if you ever want to stop by. If you can get a photo my email is donbowen_2000@yahoo.com.

Thanks,
Don
www.mykitlog.com/donbowen