C182 Pilots - Amount of Rudder Trim?

WDD

WDD

Final Approach
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Seems I’m using a bit of left rudder trim when at altitude at cruise speed. Or maybe not. Does this look close to normal or too much? Too much, maybe my rigging is out?

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Where is the tab when the indicator is in the neutral position? And where is the tab supposed to be when the indicator is in the neutral position?
 
MauleSkinner said:
Where is the tab when the indicator is in the neutral position? And where is the tab supposed to be when the indicator is in the neutral position?
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There's no tab. It uses spring (correction: bungee) tension.
 
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Looks a little on the high side to me. Seems like most of the time I use 2-3 notches (knobs) to the left. Is it more centered if you back off by ~10% power at level cruise?
 
In mine, when I center the rudder parked in the hangar and the nose wheel off the ground, my rudder trim looks like that.

Right or wrong, I don’t know. It doesn’t give me much leeway for left rudder trim, but who needs that much left rudder?
 
Cessna's service manuals give rigging information. I used to find at least half the airplanes I encountered for the first time to have their rigging off, sometimes ridiculously so, and sometimes every flight control system was off. Mechanics simply weren't consulting the manuals, and some probably didn't even have the manuals. That violates FAR 43.13:

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See, he can't legally just ad-lib it. That's how these things get out of rig.

The 182's rudder system MUST be correctly rigged before rigging the trim system. If the mechanic does not confirm that the rudder system is correct, the trim will be off when he sets it. The manual warns of this numerous times.

http://www.aeroelectric.com/Referen...s/Cessna_182&Skylane_1969-1976_D2006-4-13.pdf

Chapter 10, about 40% down the .pdf. This is for the 1969-1976 182s; use the correct manual for whatever model you are rigging. Things changed over the model years.
 
My 2000-S model rudder trim was very close to centered at about 60-80% MGW at cruise.
 
I'm usually 1 needle width away from centered in the 206 in cruise. I don't use it often but on long legs its nice to fly with my feet flat on the floor. 1st world probs....
 
I’ll put “find A&P who can do rigging” back on my “things to spend money on in 2026 list. “. And check my rudder springs, etc.
 
WDD said:
I’ll put “find A&P who can do rigging” back on my “things to spend money on in 2026 list. “. And check my rudder springs, etc.
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The "rudder springs" are the one bungee. No other springs. Both rudder bars are connected to the "whiffletree," the lever that steers the nosewheel and which allows rudder cable tensions to be set. The trim bungee centers the system and is adjusted by the trim wheel via sprockets and a chain.

In the R/TR182 the rudder bars don't have the whiffle tree to synchronize them. There are gear sectors on each bar that mesh so that the bars move opposite to each other and the cables can be tensioned. I don't like that system because stones can fall off the bottom of your shoes and get into those gears and jam the bars.

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You are wise in the ways of rudders! I will have to dig into my large manual for the procedures for rigging, rudder diagrams, etc.
 
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