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Wiener for sale in Carson City

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pilot
Out of curiosity is anyone able to compare the T-34 to other high HP prop a/c? Maybe some old dog who also has T-28 time? Do these other high HP prop a/c require as much trim or is that a T-34 "feature?"
 

Jim123

DD-214 in hand and I'm gonna party like it's 1998
pilot
Out of curiosity is anyone able to compare the T-34 to other high HP prop a/c? Maybe some old dog who also has T-28 time? Do these other high HP prop a/c require as much trim or is that a T-34 "feature?"
It varies a lot.

A lot of Mooney pilots say that when those are trimmed for landing and you give it full throttle for a go around then they are a handful if you do get on the pitch trim right away and are borderline controllable if you don't trim at all. Those are very fast for a piston airplane but they are hardly screamers for the horsepower to weight. But the Mooney comes to mind because I've heard a few owners/pilots talk very adamantly about this characteristic, particularly the long body versions of the airplane. I kinda quietly nod because the T-6 (Texan II, not the real T-6) needs a lot of trim on touch and goes but somehow our solos manage to get by (they really only go offroading on full stop landings in moderate crosswinds, but that's a different story).

On the other hand, the Beechcraft Bonanza (sort of the kissing cousin of the Wiener- the wing, landing gear, and a lot of the fuselage is the same, and the engine is the same family as the engine in the T-34B, around 200hp and up big bore Continental six cylinders) doesn't need a handful of trim changes with power. But, those airplanes have a fairly aft c.g. which means they don't need a lot of negative lift from the tail feathers. Fun fact: the V-tail in a Bo actually makes slight positive lift in cruise when the airplane is near its aft c.g. limit.

A lot of the trim changes in single engine props is because power changes make big changes in the prop wash on the horizontal stab. When the engines are out on the wings then it's less pronounced. When the engines are out on the wings and the horizontal stab is up high on a T-tail then it's less still. I don't think installed horsepower is the most significant factor.
 
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Gatordev

Well-Known Member
pilot
Site Admin
Contributor
For the most part, the T-34C would only need you to adjust the aileron trim once at the beginning of a flight and it was good throughout, except for the occassional really bent ones. Part of why it seemed like you always had to trim it was because the checklist made you reset it every shutdown. On the road (or when standing RDO), I'd just leave it were it was and it was fine, and I think most IPs would do that.

Along with what Jim was saying and for comparison, my plane now has 32% the power of a T-34C, but still "needs" different aileron trim at a high power climb setting than at cruise. You can counter it with yoke just fine, although I do have electric trim for it, which is nice for a long climb. I also need to put about 1/4 of ball back in when climbing, and I don't have rudder trim, so even lower powered planes can still require some adjustment.
 

BenDog

Active Member
The T34A I flew required a lot of aileron trim. We figured between age and years of abuse (two gear up landings) might have been a factor. The B, not so much. set it and forget it.
 

nittany03

Recovering NFO. Herder of Programmers.
pilot
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
For the most part, the T-34C would only need you to adjust the aileron trim once at the beginning of a flight and it was good throughout, except for the occassional really bent ones. Part of why it seemed like you always had to trim it was because the checklist made you reset it every shutdown. On the road (or when standing RDO), I'd just leave it were it was and it was fine, and I think most IPs would do that.
I'm sure the really bent ones added to the impression. That and having the trim wheels where your throttle hand had to go back and forth every time you made an adjustment.
 
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