GULFSTREAM GIV FLT CREW HAS AN ALT EXCURSION DURING THE CNOG8.VNY DEP.

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THE VNY CANOGA 8 DEP PROCS STATE TO CROSS THE 2.2 VNY DME ON A DEP HDG OF 160 DEGS AT 1700 FT MSL AND THEN CLB TO THE ASSIGNED ALT (4000 FT IN OUR CASE). VNY FIELD ELEVATION IS 800 FT; SO WE ARE CLB RESTR AT 900 FT AGL UNTIL REACHING THAT POINT. I WAS THE PNF SITTING IN THE L SEAT. THE PF WAS IN HIS UPGRADE TO CAPT PHASE AND PROBABLY HAD LESS THAN 75 HRS IN THE G-IV. ON DEP; WE WERE CLBING AND PLANNING TO LEVEL OFF AT 1700 FT MSL OR MORE PRECISELY; NOT TO CLB ABOVE 1700 FT UNTIL PERMITTED TO DO SO BY THE DEP PROC. DURING THE INITIAL CLB; BEFORE REACHING 1700 FT THE PF STATED THAT THE PITCH TRIM WAS NOT WORKING. I GLANCED DOWN TO MAKE SURE THE TRIM WAS TURNED ON. IT WAS; AND SO STATED TO THE PF. AT 1500 FT I CALLED OUT '200 FT TO GO.' WE WERE FAST CLOSING IN ON 1700 FT AND THE PF WAS STILL COMPLAINING ABOUT THE TRIM NOT WORKING. WE WERE CLBING AT A NORMAL ATTITUDE AND MY ATTN WAS DRAWN TO THE TRIM AND I WAS CONCERNED IF THE PF COULD HANDLE THE AIRPLANE. MY CONCERN WAS REALLY NOT JUST AN INOP TRIM BUT A RUNAWAY TRIM. I SAW THE MANUAL TRIM WHEEL MOVE WHEN HE WAS USING THE ELECTRIC PITCH TRIM SWITCH; SO THE TRIM SEEMED TO ME TO BE WORKING CORRECTLY. THE ALT ALERTER WENT OFF AT 2000 FT. WE HAD NOT YET SET THE ALERTER FROM 1700 FT TO 4000 FT. I GLANCED DOWN AT THE DME FROM VNY VOR AND IT SAID WE WERE AT 3.0 DME; .8 DME PAST OUR CLB RESTR POINT. I ASKED THE PF IF WE HAD CROSSED THE 2.2 DME POINT AT OR BELOW 1700 FT. HE SAID THAT WE HAD. WE PROBABLY DID; BUT HE WAS BUSY TRYING TO FLY THE AIRPLANE WITH WHAT HE THOUGHT WAS AN INOP PITCH TRIM; COMPLAINING ABOUT THE TRIM; AND GENERALLY MAKING A LOT OF NOISE THAT I WONDER IF HE WAS REALLY MONITORING THE ALT AS HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN; AND AS I SHOULD HAVE BEEN. HE HAD DRAWN ME INTO THIS 'TRIM-NOT-WORKING' DRAMA AND MY ATTN WAS DIVERTED. SOCAL APCH SAID NOTHING ABOUT OUR ALT. WE CONTINUED OUR CLB AND THEN WE WERE GIVEN A SERIES OF ALT AND HDG CHANGES. IT WAS A VERY BUSY PERIOD.