ORIGINAL: Charlie P.

I have a Saratoga 40 with a .46 Thunder Tiger Pro engine. Very nice flying model.

I try to set up all my planes with minimal digital trimming. That is - by adjusting the control linkages and leaving the servos at their natural zero.

I did set up the Saratoga's C.G. a hair (1/8'') behind the manual's suggested range.

Years ago I was shown a way to tell if your C.G. is good. Fly upward at about 3/4 throttle on a 45° upline. Roll to inverted and, after the line is steady release the sticks. If your nose falls you are nose heavy. If the nose rises you are tail heavy. If it holds a climb for three or four seconds before dropping that's about perfect. This is best done about halfway through a tankful of fuel.

It's been a reliable method for me.

Note that you can also raise or lower both ailerons to change the effective angle of attack of the main wing. If you are needing to add a lot of trim elevator try lowering both ailerons a tiny bit (a few mm at a time - two turns of the clevis). The bad news is that adding very much will make the model throttle sensitive (like a flat wing).