MSFS 2020 sensitivity/trim settings: Bonanza and DC-3 won’t stay trimmed hands-off

Hi Sterk,

Got it — thanks for the specifics (and the exact aircraft). A couple of important points up front, because it frames what you’re seeing:

In MSFS, most default GA aircraft will not “lock in” hands-off the way FSX often did. FSX had a lot more “built-in stability” in the legacy flight model and it tended to damp out small disturbances. MSFS is more willing to wander with turbulence/thermals, slight CG/power changes, and especially with any small control noise from the joystick. That said, you should be able to get the Bonanza and DC-3 trimmed well enough to take your hand off briefly to tune a radio, twist an OBS, etc. If you can’t, it’s almost always one (or a combination) of: control input noise, hidden assists, turbulence/thermals, or overly “hot” pitch response around center.

Here’s how I’d troubleshoot it step-by-step (this is the same general approach I use when someone says “trim never settles”):

1) Eliminate joystick noise / double bindings first
Even a tiny amount of elevator jitter will make trimming feel impossible, because the sim is constantly seeing “micro-elevator” inputs.

1. In MSFS Controls, open each device profile you use (Extreme 3D Pro, T1600, Airbus stick) and make sure only ONE device is bound to Elevator Axis / Aileron Axis / Rudder Axis at a time.
2. Also check that you don’t have trim bound multiple ways (e.g. hat switch trim AND another axis/button doing trim).
3. On the pitch axis, look at the in-sim input indicator: with hands off the stick, does the elevator input sit dead still, or does it flicker around center?

If it flickers, add a little dead zone on pitch (and roll if needed). You don’t need much—just enough to stop the jitter.

2) Start with “tame center” sensitivity (pitch is the big one)
What you’re describing (“trim feels like I’m fighting it” and it immediately wanders off) is exactly what happens when pitch is too sensitive around center, so you keep inducing tiny pitch changes while trimming.

1. For the Elevator Axis: reduce sensitivity so the center is less twitchy.
2. Add a small dead zone (again, just enough to stop idle jitter).
3. If you have any “reactivity” type slider for the axis, don’t leave it at something that causes snappy response—keep it conservative.

You don’t have to make it mushy—just calm around the center so trim changes don’t turn into pilot-induced oscillations.

3) Turn OFF any assists that “help” pitch/trim
Some of the assistance options can subtly chase pitch/attitude and make it feel like the airplane won’t just sit where you trimmed it.

1. Check Assistance Options and make sure you’re not running anything like auto-trim / piloting assists that might be interfering.

4) Do the test in calm air
MSFS can have more active atmosphere than people realize, even when it “looks” fine.

1. Use clear weather / calm winds for the test.
2. Make sure turbulence/thermals aren’t in play for the troubleshooting flight.

Once you can trim in calm air, then we re-introduce real weather and set expectations (because in bumps, a hand-off trim test isn’t going to look like FSX did).

5) Use a repeatable trim method (power + speed stable first)
Especially on the Bonanza and DC-3: if power and speed are still changing, the trim point is moving under you.

1. Set power.
2. Let the airspeed stabilize.
3. Then trim in small taps (even using the manual wheel, you still want small corrections), pausing a second between changes.

If you trim while accelerating/decelerating, it’ll feel like you can never “catch it.”

6) DC-3 specific gotcha: watch for yaw/roll coupling
On older aircraft the yaw/roll coupling can make it look like “pitch trim won’t hold” when the real problem is the airplane slowly rolling or yawing, which then turns into a pitch change.

1. Make sure rudder axis is clean (no jitter).
2. Check that you’re not fighting an out-of-trim rudder situation with tiny stick pressures.

A couple targeted questions so I don’t guess wrong
Answer these and I can tell you exactly where I’d set things next:

1. Which sim version are you on (MS Store or Steam), and roughly which update level (recent, or not updated in a while)?
2. Are you using “Legacy” or “Modern” flight model in MSFS?
3. In a calm-weather test, do your control input indicators show elevator jitter when your hand is completely off the stick?
4. Do you have any assistance options enabled (especially anything related to trimming or piloting)?
5. Are you using any add-on flight model mods for the Bonanza or DC-3, or are they stock?

If you can, also tell me your current pitch axis settings for one of the sticks (dead zone and sensitivity values). With that plus the jitter answer, we can usually get this sorted pretty quickly.