Formation flying and engine management

[Slayer]

Just embarking on some formation flying with the P-51. My question is this: What is the best way to manage your speed as a group as far as engine management goes? Should you set a manifold pressure and adjust the RPM or vice versa or both? seems like you get better response by leaving the engine manifold pressure alone mostly and increase/ decrease RPM otherwise it is too much tourqe and starts to roll then you have to constantly trim.

 

For now just trying gentle turns and level flight etc, no loops or aerobatics.

[leafer]

I'd say set RPM to cruise and work the throttle. I'm guessing here. I fear we need a hotas with another axis for the RPM alone once ED is done tweaking engine management. sigh..

[VTB_Ray]

Setting the RPM and modulating the power works the best.

[flightace37]

Definitely set RPM to be consistent across the entire formation, and jockey with power. The real ticket is fine adjustments. Keep your aircraft trimmed and your control movements small (including throttle). Don't forget to whine at lead if he's not giving you enough to play with, especially when you have members who are new to formation work.

 

When my squad is up for formation flights in a prop sim, we have lead call RPM changes a few seconds in advance, to give the flight time to adjust. We rarely call manifold pressure, except to get people in the ballpark when they're joining up. There's just not much point in cluttering the radio with the latter, since everyone is going to be running slightly different power settings anyway.

Edited May 14, 2012 by flightace37

[effte]

Finally, flying strict power settings is sim stuff. In real life, different engines and airframes will give you different performance with exactly the same on the clocks in the cockpit. Sometimes radically different performance.

[sobek]

Just embarking on some formation flying with the P-51. My question is this: What is the best way to manage your speed as a group as far as engine management goes? Should you set a manifold pressure and adjust the RPM or vice versa or both?

 

Definately NOT the former. You will find that at MP settings below 40 inHg, the automatic MP regulator will not work, so as you adjust RPM, MP will start to change by itself (due to compressor RPM changing, as well as massflow into the engine). If you change RPM, you need to adjust MP as well. It's better to set RPM fixed and adjust MP within the permissible range for the set RPM.