The Trim Tab Trap, the Physics of the Flare, and Why the Habit That Reduces Back Pressure Can Kill a Go-Around

On the surface, trimming during the landing flare seems like good airmanship. Back pressure builds as you slow and pitch up - trimming that out reduces fatigue and keeps inputs smooth. The problem is that this habit can turn a routine go-around into a life-threatening situation.

What Does Trim Actually Do?

When you trim an aircraft, you adjust the neutral point of the control surface. You are telling the airplane that a specific attitude is where it “wants” to be. Controls feel light at that trim setting and resist movement away from it.

On a normal approach, trim is set for the approach speed - say 65 knots in a Cessna 172 - before getting established on final. The airplane flies itself at that number and the pilot manages small corrections. That is correct technique.

Why Trimming During the Flare Is Dangerous

As you slow in the flare, you need more angle of attack to maintain lift long enough to settle onto the runway. That requires progressively more back pressure. Trim that pressure out and you are now trimmed for a nose-high, slow-flight attitude.

If the aircraft is about to touch down, this trim setting may not matter. But if it doesn’t land - a bounce, a long float, an obstacle on the runway - the consequences are severe.

What Happens During a Go-Around With Nose-High Trim?

When you add full power on a go-around, the aircraft - trimmed nose-high, at low airspeed, with flaps extended - wants to pitch up aggressively. At the exact moment you need precise pitch management to maintain lift without stalling, the airplane is working against you.

You will need to push forward on the yoke with significant force to prevent a pitch excursion, while simultaneously managing power, retracting flaps, climbing, and maintaining obstacle clearance. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has documented go-around accidents where improper trim configuration on short final contributed to loss of control.

In heavier or faster aircraft, the combination of full power, nose-high trim, and low airspeed is exactly the environment where a pilot gets behind the airplane quickly.

When Should You Set Trim on Approach?

Set trim for your approach speed before intercepting the glideslope or, at the latest, turning base leg. Once established on final with the correct trim setting, leave it alone.

The correct sequence:

1. Downwind, abeam the numbers: reduce power, add carb heat, bleed off speed, then trim
2. Base leg: add flaps, speed coming back, trim check
3. Turning final: full flaps, on speed, trim check
4. Crossing the threshold: hands off the trim wheel - fly the flare

Build this sequence into muscle memory and trim will be correct at the most critical moment, eliminating any temptation to touch it in the flare.

Why Back Pressure in the Flare Is Information, Not a Problem

The discomfort of holding back pressure through the flare is not a design flaw - it is the system working correctly. That pressure communicates airspeed, angle of attack, and energy state directly through your hands.

Trimming it away filters out signal that should be reaching the pilot. A well-trimmed aircraft feels neutral at approach speed on final. If significant back pressure is required before the flare even begins, trim is set too nose-down. If significant forward pressure is needed to hold the nose down on final, trim is too nose-up. Correct it while there is still altitude to work with.

What About Trimming on a Long IFR Final?

There is a valid case for small trim adjustments on a long, stabilized instrument approach - specifically to maintain approach speed during the descent, not to reduce flare back pressure. The distinction matters.

An instrument pilot with disciplined trim technique will set an attitude, set power, trim the aircraft to fly that combination, and then monitor. Sloppy trim in IMC increases hand-flying workload at a moment when cognitive load is already high.

The rule still applies: when crossing the threshold, trim does not move.

How to Diagnose Your Own Trim Habits

Sloppy trim habits are common because pilots can always overcome poor trim with brute force on the controls. But this masks feedback and costs attention. If approach feels like a sustained wrestling match with the elevator, trim is wrong - not technique.

The broader discipline is to treat every power change in the pattern as a trim trigger. Downwind power reduction, base-leg flap addition, final configuration - each one prompts a trim check. Build that habit and the threshold rule takes care of itself.

The go-around is the stress test for any habit. If a technique fails the go-around scenario, it does not belong in the habit stack. The FAA Airplane Flying Handbook and every major training organization reach the same conclusion: standardized procedures exist because they work in the edge cases, not just the easy landings.

Key Takeaways

• Set trim for approach speed before turning final - by the glideslope intercept or base leg at the latest
• Do not adjust trim after crossing the threshold - whatever is set, stays set
• Back pressure during the flare is normal and correct - it carries real-time information about your energy state
• The go-around is the test for any habit - if a technique fails that scenario, remove it from the habit stack
• The NTSB has documented accidents linked to improper trim on short final - this is an established risk, not a theoretical one