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Current Radiator Flaps Implimentation?


silentconvo

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I was wondering if anyone could tell me how the radiator flaps of the Dora are implemented at the moment. To me the settings on the wheel seem to be open>auto>closed.

 

I was reading a while ago that this wasn't actually correct and that the flaps were fully automatic and all the pilot could do is adjust the temperate that the automatic system attempted to regulate to.

 

I am just wondering what setup is being used right now and is that the right one and/or is it going to be changed?

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The function of the turn wheel is indeed tricky. The Dora was designed to take a lot of the manual functions that the pilot focused on and automate them, the radiator flaps being included. SOP for you should be leaving them closed until start-up, they will automate from there. However if you notice after an easy slaying of little ponies, you can indeed manually open them more by rotating the knob open. The function in and of itself is automated but you control the maximum amount that it can open with the knob. I find two and a half or so turns will do just fine if you watch your throttle during combat and not going full HAM mode.

Know and use all the capabilities in your airplane. If you don't, sooner or later, some guy who does use them all will kick your ass.

 

— Dave 'Preacher' Pace, USN.

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Its just an automated system. Opens when its hot, closes when it cools down.

 

I know it is an automated system. I stated that in my original question which is a specific question about how the system is currently modelled in the release version and how this appears to be different to how Yo-Yo seems to have described it. I was asking if the current way it is modelled is the final intended model or if there is changes that haven't yet been merged with the main branch.

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I don't really understand completely, but from my experience and the handbook instructions cowl flaps are an automated system but you can "select the temperature" you want them to keep, or as Elmo said maximum opening. Keeping full throttle apart, you can open and close it and water coolant temperature changes almost instantly (that's your temperature selection), oil temperature (we can assume that as engine temperature) changes a bit slower but there is it. Fully opening cowl flaps you always have a "cold" engine (and it's supposed to be a bad thing, but I have been unable to break it that way). In full throttle even "full opened" cowl flaps (or lowest temperature selection) will keep your engine refrigerated only for a time of course. You can "fully open" cowl flaps since take-off all the time and forget about it, it'll keep you cold even at full throttle for the longest time without being constantly checking temperature and settings.

 

S!


Edited by Ala13_ManOWar

"I went into the British Army believing that if you want peace you must prepare for war. I believe now that if you prepare for war, you get war."

-- Major-General Frederick B. Maurice

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That how I understand it works right now too but Yo-Yo made a statement along the lines of the system being automated in such a way that you could only set the temperature within a certain range and if the temp moved outside that range it would go fully automatic to bring the temp back into that range.

 

Right now you can set the flaps so the radiator sits at 60 or goes over 130 and blows the engine but what I understand from what was said that shouldn't actually be possible. The impression I got is that is how it was working in the dev version.

 

So I am just asking if I have somehow misunderstood what was said and the way it works now is authentic or if there is some kind of change that hasn't yet made it into the release.

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Its about as close as its going to get to the real thing and I cannot see them tweaking it any further that it already is. Best way to use it is set your power setting to 3000 RPM at about 3-4 km altitude and its a good sweet spot between cooling and aerodynamics. You can go max open and then some but the engine can't sustain that high of revs for a long time as ManOWar said. If I knew more about the mechanics of the system itself Id be happy to inform but my knowledge of the 'real deal' is only so vast. Managing your power settings and setting the max opening in moderate RPM usage is the best way to use the system to its fullest.

Know and use all the capabilities in your airplane. If you don't, sooner or later, some guy who does use them all will kick your ass.

 

— Dave 'Preacher' Pace, USN.

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That how I understand it works right now too but Yo-Yo made a statement along the lines of the system being automated in such a way that you could only set the temperature within a certain range and if the temp moved outside that range it would go fully automatic to bring the temp back into that range.
What I understand with that is you can set it whatever you want, for example closed configuration, and if temperature goes further than regular then, even with your setting, automation makes it go beyond to cool it again. Logics sais if you set full opened cowl flaps and for example full throttle if temperature goes too high any automatic thing can change that so you already are full opened.

 

Also, that bypass won't work if temperatures goes too much high too quick and you have a closed setting, in P-51 it also happens, just thermocouple (I think that's its English name) can't react fast enough opening cowl flaps in time and then you break engine. And it happens exactly that way.

 

From my experience playing with temperature settings it works quite fine, but in combat and take-off if you want to be free of work it's better just to fully open it. But that doesn't means you don't check temperatures at all, you can work like that a limited time and everytime I have broken an engine it was my failure checking gauges or a bad move, like full throttle too much time while climbing so not enough air hits radiator or any similar situations.

 

S!

"I went into the British Army believing that if you want peace you must prepare for war. I believe now that if you prepare for war, you get war."

-- Major-General Frederick B. Maurice

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The mechanics is quite simple, a thermocouple open or close cowl flaps automatically to keep your setted temperature. You have a circuit diagram in the manual. I think it works like that since quite a while. It works right now so I don't believe it'll change a thing. That's what you mean?

 

S!

"I went into the British Army believing that if you want peace you must prepare for war. I believe now that if you prepare for war, you get war."

-- Major-General Frederick B. Maurice

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Essentially a big long nosed thermometer lol. Dora went to a bar and asked the bartender for a drink, he asked why the long face?

Know and use all the capabilities in your airplane. If you don't, sooner or later, some guy who does use them all will kick your ass.

 

— Dave 'Preacher' Pace, USN.

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I am not convinced the auto-radiator control really functions correctly.

The radiator gage is supposed to run at a constant 100 degrees C. To maintain this I manually crack the cowl flaps. I have two throttle buttons mapped for open and close. If I do not run it manually, I break the engine.

[sIGPIC][/sIGPIC]

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THats because manual adjustment for the rad flaps is only supposed to be used in excessive heat gain or in the event that the automatic system fails. I tried doing the same thing as you did and read that in the original pilots manual it advised against manual tuning if at all possible unless an emergency situation arose. All i do now is set the max with the rad knob so that at 3000rpm my engine runs slightly cool as to not over stress the engine. I tend not to go above the 3000rpm range if i can help it.

Know and use all the capabilities in your airplane. If you don't, sooner or later, some guy who does use them all will kick your ass.

 

— Dave 'Preacher' Pace, USN.

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