More Sabre questions

[Reflected]

I've been reading through different manuals and it's still not clear whether or not I have to select the Alternate flight system before engine startup and only switch to normal when I disconnect the ground power. Is that so? What is the reason for this?

 

Also, can someone please enlighten me about the best climb speed and the corner velocity of the Sabre?

 

Thanks a lot!

[qqQ]

1. Corner velocity: http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=141719&page=2

 

2. Flight controls : https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/products/planes/sabre/?PAGEN_1=3

 

The alternate hydraulic pump is operated by an electric motor and not directly by the engine (like the primary one). That means it can be operated by your battery for a short time if your engine fails or during startup with ground electric power.

The disadvantages are: Less powerfull, try to move your stick and look at the pressure (you must set the hydraulic pressure gauge switch to alternate to get it displayed).

I can only speculate on other disadvantages, maybe less powerefficient (mechanical-electric, electric-mechanical, mechanical-pressure instead of just mechanical-pressure energy transition).

 

=> Use the alternate system during startup when the primary system isnt yet pressurized or during engine failure, otherwise use the primary system (because of the stated advantages + maybe additional ones; it surely isnt called primary for no reason).

 

PS: The picture (in the link) may not be entirely correct (Or I m just stupid), as the alternate pressure leads to no alternate return but to a second primary return....maybe sb can explain

 

3. Climb speed: Not entirely sure, usually I climb with a rather high airspeed and try keeping it constant.

 

https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/de/products/sabre/index.php?PAGEN_1=2

 

According to this the maximum climb is about 2,8 km/min.

 

Hope this helped.

Edited April 23, 2016 by qqQ

[Reflected]

Thanks a lot, it helped indeed! If I'm reading the graph correctly I should turn between .4 and .5 Mach but definitely not above .6 Mach because the MIG turns better from then on. Is that correct?

[qqQ]

(IMPORTANT: I am no expert, my flying experience is limited, so I do not guarantee that everything said below is correct!)

 

Not exactly.

 

The chart represents both instantaneous (upper line for both aircraft, you lose speed) and sustained turn rate (lower line, you dont slow down). Looking at the chart, we see that the Mig enjoys a better sustained turn at mach 0.5 (18 vs 14 deg/s), whilst the sabre has the better instantaneous turn rate.

This leads us to the conclusion that its not advisable to turn with the mig for a long time at such speeds, as you will slowly bleed energy => the Mig slowly gets an advantage.

When fighting at such speeds, the Mig wants you to turn with him to let you bleed energy, slowly bringing him into an advantageous position whilst you want to conserve your energy as good as you can and try trade it for a better position once the right moment has come. This is quite difficult and you dont want to rely on intuition, but keep cool and carefully decide when and what to do, as a mistake can get you in to serious trouble. Lag pursuit with a slight descend like SgtPappy in the linked thread suggested worked quite good for me to conserve energy whilst waiting.

If you are unable to get a firing solution before bleeding of to much energy, disengage (When coming from other games, this is something important to learn: Sometimes you cant get that kill. Was a hard lesson for me.).

 

General advice for dogfighting in the sabre:

-Keep some altitude to escape a Mig when necessary (you are the better diver because you are heavier and have a higher critical mach number, meaning you can go faster before loosing control)

-Never fight at extremely low speed, as your plane is difficult to handle there + the Mig has a lower stall speed, meaning it can force you to overshoot + the Migs better thrust-to-weight ratio gives it more options, allowing it to often escape you and turn the tables, which is extremely dangerous for you as it regains energy faster (if you cant dive away), often resulting in your dead

-Dont climb with a Mig if you havent got an energy advantage and can use that to get an advantage. The Mig has the better thrust-to-weight ratio and because of this is the better climber in sustained climbs. However, in a zoom climb you might get an advantage due to your greater weight (=> higher kinetical energy).

 

The Sabre is best at energy fighting at high speeds at a sufficient altitude, as at such speeds the Mig looses its sustained turn advantage, is negatively impacted concerning roll rate + the advantage of its better thrust-to-weight-ratio is limited (it cant accelerate a long time before reaching max speed + the higher speeds allow for longer zoom climbs) + you only need to accelerate a little bit to reach a safe speed where the Mig cant reach you (due to its lower critical mach)+ you can use your dive advantage. Also I have the feeling that, although the chart says otherwise, the Mig doesnt enjoy a instantaneous advantage (or at least not a big one, maybe because they simulate now that the Mig pilot had no g-suit (also for the ai) EDIT: Reading the MIg forum I found patchnotes of last years september where it says the maximum load factor of the Mig was decreased at certain altitudes).

 

But maybe some of the more experienced pilots around have something to add/correct/etc.

Edited April 3, 2016 by qqQ