I totally agree that beginners should not use mixes on their trainers ,, I agree with that wholeheartedly. Trainer planes don't fly in a manner that requires mixing and new pilots don't have the skills to yet recognize the need if it were there.

Let me see if I can clear up my point of view, I'm betting we are not that far apart. At some point the pilot will recognize that his/her plane is doing something that is not quite right.. Its pulling "this way" or pitching "that way" when he does "this" or "that". Once the pilots skill level reaches the point that he begins to recognize these tendencies he should begin trying to figure out WHY the plane is acting a certain way so that he can make his plane fly better. First making subtle mechanical adjustments to thrust, cg, etc and experimenting to see how close he can get to the desired effect by making mechanical changes. Once he has made all of the mechanical adjustments that he knows how to make and the plane is still pulling "this way" or "that way",, not because of outside interference like wind,,, then it is not only acceptable but smart to mix out those bad tendencies.

I can understand the value of flying a plane that is out of trim for educational purposes.. I can even understand not mixing for the excercise of making corrections just to help the student understand the relationships between the various control surfaces and how they relate to one another. I understand that learning to fly these tendencies in the early stages aids in learning the dexterity of controlling.


It helps to make a pilot, an improved pilot,, for a time. But, I respectfully disagree with the wholesale thought that not using mixes makes a pilot "a better pilot".

I cringe when I see people who say that they pride themselves in using zero mixes and feel that they are better pilots (as opposed to pilots who do not use mixes) because of it. Good pilots,, the best pilots , I mean pilots that can REALLY fly with or without mixes, try to understand all of the variables involved in setup and control and how to correct problems completely. They also understand when and how to mix to get the most out of a plane and its pilot. The goal should always be 1 or 2 things.. To make a plane fly scale or to make it fly well.