Trim Malfunction

[Captain Chuck]

Sometimes, randomly, when I start flying in single player or multiplayer, the trim function is set to pitch forward into a dive and no amount of added trim can reverse this with either keyboard controls or my HOTAS. So it cannot be my HOTAS that has the problem. The only way to fly level is to pull back hard on the stick. It cannot be trimmed in any direction when this occurs. Sometimes exiting the mission and trying a different one will fix it. Sometimes it won't. A restart of DCS has fixed it so far but it can return randomly. 

This happens randomly in both single player and multiplayer on various maps and servers. This just started several weeks ago. So far it has only happened in the F-18....... but I do mostly fly the F-18. It has not happened in the F-16.

[Phantom711]

Did you add any hardware device recently?

Recheck if there is some other device and axis bound to pitch.

[Captain Chuck]

1 hour ago, Phantom711 said:

Did you add any hardware device recently?

Recheck if there is some other device and axis bound to pitch.

It's a problem that causes the Trim function's failure. All directions of Trim fail in the F18 with and without HOTAS and the aircraft loads and begins in a left dive. In fact the HOTAS is the only thing that does work. 

[Phantom711]

Just wanted to suggest an alternative cause of the perceived failure.

Do you have any other device connected, that has an axis?

Edited January 8, 2023 by Phantom711

[Captain Chuck]

1 hour ago, Phantom711 said:

Just wanted to suggest an alternative cause of the perceived failure.

Do you have any other device connected, that has an axis?

 

No, there are no other devices that are connected except my head tracking device, the Tobii Eye Track 5. I fail to see how that could affect the in-game flight controls.  There is no new hardware either. The only thing I can think of is that I noticed the problem since that last update. The fact that the default keys for trimming have no effect whatsoever when this phenomenon arises is of concern. This problem doesn't happen every time I turn on DCS. Only occasionally. 

Edited January 8, 2023 by Капитан Чук

[v2tec]

Yes, I have a similar Problem - but also before the last patch.

On some mp missions, when the hornet is in warm start, I can't use the pitch trim (STAB settings on FCS). So when I take off, the nose is raising and I have to use the joystick to work against it to fly straight. The aileron trim is working it is just the pitch trim. No other control is bound to the trim functions. The Trim I/O works, but only for the aileron trim.

Is there some other button / layer / switch I have to activate / deactivate so that the trim is working? Are there any dial controls for the pitch trim, like for the aileron trim?

Edited January 8, 2023 by v2tec

[Captain Chuck]

21 minutes ago, v2tec said:

Yes, I have a similar Problem - but also before the last patch.

On some mp missions, when the hornet is in warm start, I can't use the pitch trim (STAB settings on FCS). So when I take off, the nose is raising and I have to use the joystick to work against it to fly straight. The aileron trim is working it is just the pitch trim. No other control is bound to the trim functions. The Trim I/O works, but only for the aileron trim.

Is there some other button / layer / switch I have to activate / deactivate so that the trim is working? Are there any dial controls for the pitch trim, like for the aileron trim?

 

Yes.....when it happens to me it is when I begin in the air already. ......Like The F18 Caucuses Free Flight .............or a multiplayer sever where it is an air start, like a dogfight server.

[rob10]

Try flipping flaps to 1/2 and back to auto.  If you take off with flaps in AUTO it will mess with things and give that behaviour.  Also used to be an issue in GAME mode IIRC.

50 minutes ago, v2tec said:

On some mp missions, when the hornet is in warm start, I can't use the pitch trim (STAB settings on FCS). So when I take off, the nose is raising and I have to use the joystick to work against it to fly straight. The aileron trim is working it is just the pitch trim. No other control is bound to the trim functions. The Trim I/O works, but only for the aileron trim.

Is there some other button / layer / switch I have to activate / deactivate so that the trim is working? Are there any dial controls for the pitch trim, like for the aileron trim?

You can't manually adjust the pitch trim unless you are in 1/2 or full flaps.  Sounds like you're in AUTO so it will allow you to adjust aileron trim but not pitch trim.

[Captain Chuck]

1 hour ago, rob10 said:

 

You can't manually adjust the pitch trim unless you are in 1/2 or full flaps.  

Unfortunately, it can't explain the total freeze of trim controls while flying though.

[rob10]

8 hours ago, Капитан Чук said:

It's a problem that causes the Trim function's failure. All directions of Trim fail in the F18 with and without HOTAS and the aircraft loads and begins in a left dive. In fact the HOTAS is the only thing that does work. 

In this case the fact that only the HOTAS works (no other bindings work?) makes me think you need to check if you are in SIM or GAME mode and which you have your controls bound in (please check it even if you haven't touched it since before you started having the issue -- things get changed on their own sometimes).  Behaviour of this is different between training and other missions which can make it confusing.

[Captain Chuck]

The HOTAS trim does not work. The HOTAS stick works. Nothing works the Trim Pitch or roll.  Everything else in the sim works as normal..... meaning....wait for it......it's a bug.....that's why I am reporting it!

[Phantom711]

vor 20 Minuten schrieb Капитан Чук:

The HOTAS trim does not work. The HOTAS stick works. Nothing works the Trim Pitch or roll.  Everything else in the sim works as normal..... meaning....wait for it......it's a bug.....that's why I am reporting it!

Look...if there is an axis accidentially bound to pitch/roll, you can not trim that away. And as rob said, sometimes DCS gets a mind of it`s own and binds a new devices axis to them, no matter if that makes sense or not. So...have you even checked for that?

You are only repeating that the Hornets trim is broken in DCS... I would consider that rather unlikely, since it is not broadly reported by other people.

[Captain Chuck]

Nope...there is no other axis accidentally assigned to any trim functions. Just the standard default keyboard bindings and the ones I assigned to the hat on my throttle. Both work normally most of the time. When this problem occurs I restart DCS to fix it because when this problem occurs it will happen every time I restart the mission or select role when in multiplayer. It's only happened in the F-18.

Because it seems to fix itself and doesn't happen that often it's almost impossible to reproduce. 

If anybody else's trim at the start of a flight is frozen into a position that pitches or rolls the plane in some random direction I'd like to hear about it.

Edited January 9, 2023 by Капитан Чук

[Taz1004]

1 minute ago, Капитан Чук said:

If anybody else's trim randomly pitches or rolls the plane I'd like to hear about it.

Happened to me a few times.  But as you said, it's difficult to replicate so I don't bother reporting it since the response you'll get is to provide track.

[Captain Chuck]

15 hours ago, Taz1004 said:

Happened to me a few times.  But as you said, it's difficult to replicate so I don't bother reporting it since the response you'll get is to provide track.

....and the Track would provide no additional information. ..Yeah.... ! 

 

DID you end up having to restart the dcs to get back to normal...or ...... just try another server or mission?

Edited January 9, 2023 by Капитан Чук

[Brun]

It's very simple to check if it's an input problem: Show the controls indicator with R-CTRL+ENTER.

If that shows an input it's a problem with the controls. If it's centered and the aircraft still pitches and/or rolls there's something else going on.

[Captain Chuck]

17 hours ago, Brun said:

It's very simple to check if it's an input problem: Show the controls indicator with R-CTRL+ENTER.

If that shows an input it's a problem with the controls. If it's centered and the aircraft still pitches and/or rolls there's something else going on.

I will certainly check that out the next time it happens. Just to rule the stick out 100%! However I still think it is more likely to be something else, as all trim functions cease to have any effect though operated by keyboard.