PMDG 757/777

[Guest]

Potentially a silly question - I've been flying both of these aircraft on Fly!II for quite some time now and I notice that when at altitude at an acceptable rate of speed, the nose seems to be pointed up even though the trim indicator arrow is below the middle marker.Is this normal? Do these aircraft fly like that in real life? Or is it just me thinking they're not level when they actually are?Hmmmm... any help would be appreciated. It's not drastic, but makes me curious!:-hahJohn Bauder @ KLGA/KJFKFly!2K MAC& PCFly II PC johnlbauder@aol.com

[Guest]

John,I don't fly either of these aircraft in real life, but I've experienced the same thing (250+ hours in the PMDG 757) and I may be able to explain it. The trim indicator doesn't relate directly to the aircraft's angle of attack, which is what you're seeing when you look from outside the plane and see the nose slightly up. The trim indicator tells you the direction and amount of trim applied to the pitch control surfaces...the amount of trim needed to fly at the usual mach numbers will vary with the plane's weight and balance. The more tail-heavy your jet is, the more nose-down force is required to trim for a given airspeed. The reverse is true for a nose-heavy loading configuration. What you should see in the 757, regardless of the loading (but assuming you're within tolerances), is the artificial horizon indicating a degree or two of nose-up pitch at a Mach 0.80 to 0.82 cruise. Hope that helps!

[Guest Roy]

From what I have learned by talking to some airline pilots, most aircrafts fly with a 3 degree nose-up.Apparently it has something to do with aerodynamics in the construction, but maybe a real pilot can tell you more.Roy B. :-waveOslo, Norway