Originally Posted by
Broncofan
well I mean I’m looking at the MCAS function difinition right now and it says “ the purpose of the MCAS function is to increase control column forces by commanding the stabilizer in the nose down direction at elevated AOA’s” that’s straight from Boeing. To me that basically says it pushes the nose down. I must misunderstand what you argument is.
do you use trim to pull the nose up and push the nose down? No. You use the control column and it moves the elevator. That is how you control pitch. As flight conditions changed forces on the control column change. Trim is used to reduce those forces, not control pitch.
For aircraft to be certified control control column forces have to increase approaching a stall to warn pilots and hopefully keep them from stalling. There are about a hundred other things as well. What can’t happen is the controls getting lighter. That is what was happening in the MAX. The controls were getting lighter. So MCAS commands nose down trim to increase the control force, not command a nose down pitch.
news flash the Speed Trim system commands trim changes quite often during certain phases of flight. Does it make the nose track up and down? No, it doesn’t.