Trimmed level flight then random ascent and descent

[hedbonker 5]

Hi.  I am using a TM 16000M flight stick.  Flying the 152, I am at 3500' AGL, 95kias, 2300RPM clear skies and no wind.  Flying out over Kansas farmlands so no hills with thermal drafts or anything.  I will have the plane trimmed for level flight and it flies along just fine with my hands off the controls until it randomly decides to descend and then return to level flight and then ascend and return to level flight.  Bobbing up and down like this.  Typically I have to grab the controls to bring it level and then re-trim to get it back to level flight.

What am I doing wrong here?  I would have suspected the flight stick but since it maintains level flight and then just randomly does this I am at a loss.

TIA!

[leprechaunlive 1,852]

20 minutes ago, hedbonker said:

Hi.  I am using a TM 16000M flight stick.  Flying the 152, I am at 3500' AGL, 95kias, 2300RPM clear skies and no wind.  Flying out over Kansas farmlands so no hills with thermal drafts or anything.  I will have the plane trimmed for level flight and it flies along just fine with my hands off the controls until it randomly decides to descend and then return to level flight and then ascend and return to level flight.  Bobbing up and down like this.  Typically I have to grab the controls to bring it level and then re-trim to get it back to level flight.

What am I doing wrong here?  I would have suspected the flight stick but since it maintains level flight and then just randomly does this I am at a loss.

TIA!

I dont think you should treat the trim as an AP 🙂 its always gonna need tiny adjusments. 

[Mike S KPDX 597]

simulated thermal activity, MSFS does do air column actions.

[hedbonker 5]

Well the amount of change is pretty extreme. From 1500'/min up to the same thing down...

[leprechaunlive 1,852]

1 minute ago, hedbonker said:

Well the amount of change is pretty extreme. From 1500'/min up to the same thing down...

Well, thats info you didnt give us on your original post 🙂

[hedbonker 5]

Sorry heh.

[leprechaunlive 1,852]

52 minutes ago, hedbonker said:

Sorry heh.

But yea such a big change is pretty strange. Maybe turbulence, the atmospheric sim is a bit weird sometimes. 

[marsman2020 1,310]

Do you have a deadzone set on your joystick?  The T16000 has hall effect sensors which are pretty good, but you might try a couple % and see if it helps.

[hedbonker 5]

I do have a small deadzone - I'll expand it and see what happens.

Thanks!