PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Pitch trim - poorly understood?
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Old 6th Apr 2016, 19:50
  #73 (permalink)  
FullWings
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Tring, UK
Posts: 1,845
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I think some of the problem with discussions like these (and very useful they are too) is that we all have a scenario in the back of our minds when we post and it isn’t necessarily exactly the same as the ones others are considering.

For the sake of argument, let’s assume that:

a) The aircraft (737) is in normal working order
b) SOPs have been followed up to this point
c) A GA in landing config. is now initiated

Yes, the aircraft has a tendency to pitch up (not actually a bad thing in some circumstances) and this is enhanced on a coupled approach at low level. Is it uncontrollable? No. Would it become less controllable if pitch were allowed to increase to the point airspeed was being lost? Yes. If you still didn’t do anything would it carry on to the point of stalling as the elevator lost effectiveness? Possibly.

If a crew has got to this juncture without any action or intervention, then they are out of the loop. It’s too much to expect a timely recovery from a self-induced scenario: they were unable to diagnose a nose-high reducing-airspeed situation while it was happening, which often has a simple remedy, so what are the chances of correct recovery action being taken? Not good. We’re not talking about test pilots exploring the envelope, it’s line guys well out of their depth, for whatever reason (distraction, fatigue, gradient. etc.)

Possibly better to deal with the incipient low speed event with elevator and trim if required, maybe with an “I have control” in there somewhere. Unless something has actually broken then rolling to contain the pitch shouldn’t be necessary; you have it as a last resort but it’s going to look awfully odd to the guy in the other seat unless you’re very quick with the explanations. Plus, if you have the skills and gonads to throw in 60degs of bank at low level why the *&%^ didn’t you do something less extreme earlier!?
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