My Opinion is leave the elevator trim off

[gimpyguy]

Only some aircraft had it, most didn't. The SE5 had it, but what about the rest, and was it controlable in flight. It's 1917 we ain't talking an F18 Hornet or even a Spitfire. My opinion about suitable joysticks, is talked about in OFF Tips and Cheats #5 :mixedsmi:

 

[cpirrmann]

I do confess, I do use it on EIII and ALB DII. I'm sure if I'd been around then I'd have had my rigger adjust the elevator throw or the angle of incidence. Even the most rudimentary controls are setup for cruise.

 

[ns13jarhead]

I find that the E.III is extremely tail heavy and almost unflyable for a human unless you are using elevator trim. But the AI seems to be OK with it. That's why I usually fly DH-2s and just shoot them down, instead.

 

[ToBeOrNot]

I think the pilots was aware of the effect of weight distribution and a tail heavy plane could be corrected by adding a small weight in the nose of the plane before take off.

The only way I can imagine for in flight trimming in a standard EIII is the pilot to lean forward to trim down or put his lunchbox on his knee...:costumes:

Remember, the weight distribution will change with fuel consumption because the fuel tank was in front of the gravity center so a plane can liftoff with a heavy nose and come back heavy tail. And don't forget the ammunition load!

 

[Dimus]

I find that the E.III is extremely tail heavy and almost unflyable for a human unless you are using elevator trim. But the AI seems to be OK with it. That's why I usually fly DH-2s and just shoot them down, instead.

I think all/most the German planes are nose heavy. The only tail heavy plane I've found in OFF is the Bristol Scout. It lifts off without elevator input and you have to push the stick forward once you are airborn.

 

[Catfish]

Hello,
the EIII is tail-heavy in OFF (when auto trim is off), but then you have to imagine Immelmann made/invented his turns with it, and Fokker did make loopings with this bird - indeed it was considered to be a "nimble" plane - certainly compared to other planes of the time, but still ... try a looping with an EIII in OFF
I think in reality the EIII was faily neutral up to a thousand meters, if rigged and trimmed properly.
Greetings,
Catfish

 

[Sabrerattler]

Hello,
the EIII is tail-heavy in OFF (when auto trim is off), but then you have to imagine Immelmann made/invented his turns with it, and Fokker did make loopings with this bird - indeed it was considered to be a "nimble" plane - certainly compared to other planes of the time, but still ... try a looping with an EIII in OFF
I think in reality the EIII was faily neutral up to a thousand meters, if rigged and trimmed properly.
Greetings,
Catfish

I was given to understand that Immelmanns turn was very different to the one which carries it's name today.

I think his turn was a sort of stall turn to reverse direction , a bit like a cars handbrake turn but using gravity not brakes.

If this is right then it works very well with the EIII in game and It's the only way I can turn quickly with it.

One point though.

I lost a few pilots with the EIII because I could not gain even enough altitude to clear the nearest woods on takeoff, is this a hazard for others or am I misunderstanding something about the EIII?

 

[Catfish]

Hello,
climbing with the EIII takes time, as it should - what i do is to start the engine, but then lean the fuel so much that the engine almost stutters, then apply 5x plus fuel mixture - this way the engine revs a bit higher, and the trees are lucky, too :d

But, how did the original Immelmann turn look back then ? Kick in full rudder alone does not give you altitude ? This works better with the DRI, and the DVII, this way you can fly sideways for a short time, and without stalling.

Greetings,
Catfish

 

[James "Taffy" Jones]

From Wikipedia:

After making a high speed diving attack on an enemy, the attacker would then zoom climb back up past the enemy aircraft, and just short of the stall, apply full rudder to yaw his aircraft around. This put his aircraft facing down at the enemy aircraft, making another high speed diving pass possible. This is a difficult maneuver to perform properly, as it involves precise control of the aircraft at low speed. With practice and proper use of all of the fighter's controls, the maneuver could be used to re-position the attacking aircraft to dive back down in any direction desired. This form of "Immelmann turn" was called Renversement by French pilots. The modern aerobatic maneuvers that most resemble the World War I Immelmann are the "wingover", and the "hammer-head turn".

In OFF and RBD3D, and other WWI flying sims as well, I've seen the AI use this maneuver a lot. Probably too much, in fact.