The Marquart Charger plans call for a jackscrew to trim the elevator, changing the leading edge height relative to the trailing edge, changing the angle of incidence of the horizontal stabilizer. This system feels positively baroque to me, as 100% of my experience to date has been in planes with a trim tab. The tab feels simpler, less prone to maladjustment (ask freerangequark about how his trim system was off by enough to cause landing problems), and lighter. An obvious downside of trying to go with a tab on the Charger is determining a good neutral incidence angle if the horizontal stabilizer is to be in a fixed position.
Other than the standard, "Stick to the plans, son," argument, what are the pros and cons of the two systems that I'm missing?
Other than the standard, "Stick to the plans, son," argument, what are the pros and cons of the two systems that I'm missing?
