Tina writes:

Perhaps the difference between the MSFS and reality is the notion of
adjusting trim to take pressure off the yoke is one of those 'it
doesn't matter in simulated flight' issues.

Some controls for use with the sim, including the Saitek X52 joystick that I
have, are spring loaded, and MSFS behaves in such a way that you must maintain
pressure against the springs if the aircraft isn't properly trimmed. It's not
the same as control pressure, but it has much the same effect, although the
spring resistance isn't correlated with control surface positions as precisely
as a real yoke would be. Some airliners use springs for exactly the same
purpose, so it can't be that far from reality.

In the sim I trim until I don't have to hold the joystick. The joystick
position doesn't actually change, of course, but the springs give the same
general idea, and I don't think it is creating any bad habits.

The Cessna models I have seem to have a lot more travel in the trim adjustment
than the Baron or Bonanza. I don't know if this is a peculiarity of the sim
models of these aircraft or whether it actually reflects differences among the
real aircraft.