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controls could often be flown home "on the trim tabs", or by using trim adjustment as a replacement for the non-working primary controls. Such control is effective, if slower and more limited than primary controls, but it does allow the aircraft to be controlled and directed. In other cases, such as engine failure or damage causing asymmetric drag, trim tabs were invaluable for allowing the pilot to fly the aircraft straight without having to apply a constant force on the stick or rudder to keep the aircraft flying straight.
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It's a miniature rudder. Just moving the little trim tab builds a low pressure that pulls the rudder around. Takes almost no effort at all. So I said that the little individual can be a trim tab. Society thinks it's going right by you, that it's left you altogether. But if you're doing dynamic things
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affect the small trimming part of the elevator on jet airliners. The former is supposed to be set in a certain position for a longer time, while the pitch trim (controlled with the landing pilot's thumb on the yoke or joystick, and thereby easy to maneuver) is used all the time after the flying pilot
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Elevator trim frees the pilot from exerting constant force on the pitch controls, by adjusting trim control (often in the form of a vertical wheel) to cancel out control forces for a given airspeed and weight distribution. Typically, when this wheel is rotated up (or lever raised) the aircraft's nose
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Bucky made the analogy that a trim tab is an example of how the individual is connected to society and how we affect society. And I like to think of myself as a trim tab. All of us are trim tabs. We might seem like we’re not up to the task, but we are, man. We’re alive! We can make a difference! We
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On military aircraft during wartime, trim tabs often served as unintentional backup control systems for aircraft with damaged controls. Since trim tabs are usually controlled by their own dedicated system of control cables, rods, and/or hydraulic lines, aircraft that had suffered loss of primary
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Trim tabs were also important for aircraft such as bombers, which often underwent rapid changes in center-of-gravity when the bombload was dropped, requiring a hand ready on the trim-adjusting wheel to counteract the tendency of the aircraft to pitch up or down. Undertaking high-speed dives or
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Many airplanes also have rudder and/or aileron trim systems. On some, the rudder trim tab is hinged and adjustable during flight; on others it is only adjustable on the ground (to lessen the need for the pilot to push the rudder pedal constantly to overcome the left-turning tendencies of many
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The use of trim tabs significantly reduces pilots' workload during continuous maneuvers (e.g. sustained climb to altitude after takeoff or descent prior to landing), allowing them to focus their attention on other tasks such as traffic avoidance or communication with
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or rudder). As the desired position of a control surface changes (corresponding mainly to different speeds), an adjustable trim tab will allow the operator to reduce the manual force required to maintain that position—to zero, if desired. Thus the trim tab acts as a
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has disabled the autopilot, especially after each time the flaps are lowered or at every change in the airspeed, at the descent, approach and final. Elevator trim is most used for controlling the attitude at cruising by the autopilot.
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When a servo tab is employed, it is moved into the slipstream opposite to the control surface's desired deflection. For example, in order to trim an elevator to hold the nose down, the elevator's trim tab will actually rise
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generated by the tab can match the moment generated by the control surface. The position of the control surface on its axis will change until the torques from the control surface and the trim surface balance each other.
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Consumption of fuel could require periodic trim adjustment during a long flight, as it was difficult to ensure that all fuel tanks were equally near the center of gravity. An extreme example was the later
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deploying flaps also generally necessitated pitch trim adjustment, as aircraft of the era had different pitch tendencies at different airspeeds, and flaps could change the
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The trim-tab control of a small airplane. Rotating the wheel upwards changes the 'hands-off' elevator position to create a more nose-down attitude, downwards more nose-up.
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Most fixed-wing aircraft have a trim tab on the elevator. However, alternative means of controlling the speed and attitude of the aircraft are sometimes used, including:
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elevator slab down slightly, causing the tail to rise and the aircraft's nose to move down. In the case of an aircraft where deployment of high-lift devices (
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without the need for the operator to constantly apply a control force. This is done by adjusting the angle of the tab relative to the larger surface.
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Adjusting them up or down alters the pitch attitude of the boat while under way, variously balancing speed, weight distribution, and sea conditions.
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because the craft is not flying straight into the apparent wind. In such circumstances, the use of an adjustable rudder trim tab can reduce yaw.
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of the trim tab is farther away from the axis of rotation of the control surface than the center of pressure of the control surface, the
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with a minimum of inputs and mental concentration. Many newer aircraft, especially jet aircraft, have electric trim controls.
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is often cited for his use of trim tabs as a metaphor for leadership and personal empowerment. In the
February 1972 issue of
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of a fixed-wing aircraft. As such, they are elements of an aircraft's system for allowing the pilot to control and maintain
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430:—the whole ship goes by and then comes the rudder. And there's a tiny thing at the edge of the rudder called a trim tab.
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or boats that operate at speeds close to planing will often have trim tabs on their engine lower unit or attached to the
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into the slipstream. The increased pressure on top of the trim tab surface caused by raising it will then deflect the
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mentally, the fact is that you can just put your foot out like that and the whole big ship of state is going to go.
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Schaufele, Roger (1999). "Applied aerodynamics at the
Douglas Aircraft Company - A historical perspective".
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Changing the setting of a trim tab adjusts the neutral or resting position of a control surface (such as an
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This article is about aircraft and boat control surfaces. For the
Sausalito-based company, see
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pitches down; rotating it down (or depressing the lever) lowers the tail and raises the nose.
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Something hit me very hard once, thinking about what one little man could do. Think of the
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634:"'Tag, you're it!' Here's a full transcript of Jeff Bridges's wacky Golden Globes speech"
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Fuller's metaphor received considerable media attention in
January 2019 when actor
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The black and white marked trim control wheels on the center console on an airliner
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The official newsletter of the
Buckminster Fuller Institute is called "Trimtab".
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Trimtab, the monthly digital news service of the
Buckminster Fuller Institute
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when operating at high power, for instance when climbing; this increases
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a spring included in the control system that can be adjusted by the pilot
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employed it in his Cecil B. DeMille Award acceptance speech at the
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The movement of the elevator is opposite that of its trim tab.
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are small surfaces connected to the trailing edge of a larger
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Grave of
Buckminster Fuller with the quote "Call me Trimtab"
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Beyond reducing pilot workload, proper trim also increases
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363:. For example, propeller aircraft have a tendency to
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67:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
557:. Marlborough: The Crowood Press Ltd. p. 62.
276:, an all-moving horizontal stabilizer, called a
463:can turn this ship in the way we wanna go, man!
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238:Trim tabs are variously integrated into the
532:37th Aerospace Sciences Meeting and Exhibit
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579:Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge
493:Savitsky, Daniel; Brown, P. Ward (1976).
127:Learn how and when to remove this message
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65:adding citations to reliable sources
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583:Federal Aviation Administration
52:needs additional citations for
1580:In-flight entertainment system
1277:Horizontal situation indicator
1:
1560:Environmental control system
598:The Anatomy Of The Aeroplane
585:. 2016-08-24. pp. 6–11.
437:So I said, call me Trim Tab.
32:TrimTabs Investment Research
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1237:Course deviation indicator
928:Electro-hydraulic actuator
29:
27:Boat or aircraft component
1468:Conventional landing gear
555:Evolution Of The Airliner
324:is not markedly changed.
1252:Flight management system
596:Stinton, Darrol (1985).
1555:Emergency oxygen system
1317:Turn and slip indicator
1112:Leading-edge droop flap
1082:Drag-reducing aerospike
1057:Adaptive compliant wing
1052:Active Aeroelastic Wing
293:McDonnell Douglas MD-11
287:On some aircraft (e.g.
262:prop-driven aircraft).
1595:Passenger service unit
1396:Self-sealing fuel tank
1292:Multi-function display
553:Ray, Whitford (2007).
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143:Typical trim tabs on
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1575:Ice protection system
1493:Tricycle landing gear
1483:Landing gear extender
700:Aft pressure bulkhead
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284:or an anti-servo tab.
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1626:Aircraft wing design
1540:Auxiliary power unit
948:Flight control modes
61:improve this article
1519:Escape crew capsule
1426:War emergency power
1297:Pitot–static system
1142:Variable-sweep wing
850:Vertical stabilizer
632:Rao, Sonia (2019).
330:air traffic control
272:in the case of the
1227:Attitude indicator
1207:Airspeed indicator
1202:Aircraft periscope
540:10.2514/6.1999-118
456:76th Golden Globes
442:Buckminster Fuller
414:Buckminster Fuller
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386:center of pressure
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200:center of pressure
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1621:Aircraft controls
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1535:Aircraft lavatory
1272:Heading indicator
1217:Annunciator panel
1197:Air data computer
1107:Leading-edge cuff
607:978-0-632-01876-5
502:Marine Technology
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16:(Redirected from
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1590:Navigation light
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345:elevator trim
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216:Planing boats
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148: aileron
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92:
88:
85:
81:
78: –
77:
73:
72:Find sources:
66:
62:
56:
55:
50:This article
48:
44:
39:
38:
33:
19:
1550:Deicing boot
1478:Landing gear
1421:Townend ring
1411:Thrust lever
1386:NACA cowling
1351:Autothrottle
1343:fuel systems
1341:devices and
1132:Stall strips
1102:Krueger flap
1072:Channel wing
1018:Wing warping
1012:
1008:Stick shaker
1003:Stick pusher
923:Dual control
908:Centre stick
775:Leading edge
745:Flying wires
705:Cabane strut
637:
627:
616:
597:
591:
578:
573:
554:
548:
531:
510:. Retrieved
508:(4): 381–400
505:
501:
488:
461:
452:Jeff Bridges
449:
446:
436:
432:
425:
417:
411:
394:P-51 Mustang
390:
382:
378:
359:by reducing
354:
348:
344:
342:
326:
313:
309:
306:
264:
260:
256:
237:
214:
188:
167:
166:
155: rudder
123:
117:October 2008
114:
104:
97:
90:
83:
71:
59:Please help
54:verification
51:
1498:Tundra tire
1381:Intake ramp
1312:Transponder
1097:Gurney flap
1038:Aerodynamic
953:Fly-by-wire
835:Triple tail
226:On aircraft
1615:Categories
1488:Oleo strut
1376:Inlet cone
1371:Gascolator
1337:Propulsion
1327:Yaw string
1322:Variometer
1178:instrument
1157:Wing fence
1092:Gouge flap
1067:Blown flap
1023:Yaw damper
998:Stabilator
983:Side-stick
918:Dive brake
805:Stabilizer
780:Lift strut
770:Jury strut
480:References
428:Queen Mary
349:pitch trim
278:stabilator
87:newspapers
76:"Trim tab"
1463:Autobrake
1391:NACA duct
1366:Fuel tank
1356:Drop tank
1339:controls,
1222:Astrodome
1212:Altimeter
1077:Dog-tooth
1042:high-lift
993:Spoileron
978:Servo tab
958:Gust lock
913:Deceleron
898:Autopilot
855:Wing root
840:Twin tail
825:Tailplane
760:Hardpoint
730:Empennage
693:structure
474:Servo tab
412:Designer
282:servo tab
244:elevators
196:servo tab
168:Trim tabs
18:Trim tabs
1431:Wet wing
1406:Throttle
1152:Vortilon
1013:Trim tab
943:Flaperon
933:Elevator
888:Airbrake
860:Wing tip
785:Longeron
755:Fuselage
691:Airframe
679:Aircraft
468:See also
440:—
375:Military
322:attitude
289:Concorde
274:elevator
252:airspeed
248:ailerons
220:transom.
211:On boats
191:elevator
184:attitude
180:aircraft
1441:Landing
1232:Compass
1180:systems
1172:Avionic
1162:Winglet
1045:devices
988:Spoiler
883:Aileron
865:Wingbox
790:Nacelle
740:Fairing
683:systems
512:18 June
419:Playboy
101:scholar
1176:flight
1137:Strake
968:Rudder
938:Elevon
903:Canard
845:V-tail
820:T-tail
750:Former
710:Canopy
604:
561:
314:entire
246:, and
240:rudder
204:moment
160:
153:
146:
103:
96:
89:
82:
74:
1361:FADEC
1247:EICAS
1122:Slats
963:HOTAS
815:Strut
498:(PDF)
343:Both
318:flaps
174:on a
108:JSTOR
94:books
1443:and
1307:TCAS
1287:ISIS
1242:EFIS
1187:ACAS
1174:and
1127:Slot
1087:Flap
1040:and
1028:Yoke
800:Spar
725:Dope
602:ISBN
559:ISBN
514:2020
361:drag
347:and
176:boat
157:and
80:news
1282:INS
1262:GPS
1117:LEX
795:Rib
536:doi
458::
365:yaw
178:or
63:by
1617::
636:.
600:.
581:.
534:.
522:^
506:13
504:.
500:.
388:.
332:.
310:up
291:,
242:,
150:,
671:e
664:t
657:v
640:.
610:.
567:.
542:.
538::
516:.
130:)
124:(
119:)
115:(
105:·
98:·
91:·
84:·
57:.
34:.
20:)
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