Dogfighting and Engine Settings

[Charly_Owl]

Hullo folks!

 

Yet ANOTHER question.

 

Started flying in Multiplayer this week-end and I just got my butt handed to me (by the AI... pesky Focke Wulfs!). But it was still a lot of fun! :joystick:

 

I'm beginning to realize that I make some mistakes when I fly. Usually, my routine is the following:

 

1) Takeoff from the runway at full throttle and 100 % prop pitch.

 

2) Once I'm off the ground, Prop pitch set so I get 2600 RPM. Throttle at approx. 40 ''.

 

3) I start climbing at 200 ft/min and reach 10,000 ft with the same throttle and prop settings.

 

4) Once I spot a contact, I keep my the same configuration whenever I perform any manoeuver.

 

I read somewhere that some pilots in other sims change their throttle and prop pitch settings during dogfight. Something along the lines of "50 % prop pitch when you're diving, 75 % when you're level, 100 % when you're climbing. Always go Full Throttle." I realize that whenever I'm fighting, I often cook my engine because I either go Full Throttle for too long or my RPM gets too high because I instinctively augment my prop pitch to have better climbing capabilities. In the end, I don't really know what to do in order to not lose my engine when I'm in the middle of a heated air battle.

 

What do you guys do when you're in a fight? :pilotfly: What is your advice for dogfighting? For engine management? Is there a dedicated P-51D guide regarding air combat?

 

I'm currently beginning to read Robert Shaw's book on Air Combat, which is a great read but I'm a very slow reader...

[Mike Busutil]

Don't leave the coolant and oil radiators switches in auto, manually open them for better cooling. I use the Thrust master Warthog HOTAS flight controls and have the radiators controls set on my speed brake and boat switch for quick access.

[Hadwell]

well i keep 2700 rpm, 46mp for level flight and i constantly adjust my manifold pressure, looking more at my temperature guages than my manifold pressure when I'm in a fight, i don't bother with turning off auto radiators...

 

an example of a time when i don't look at my guages all that much...

 

when i'm in a scissors, my goal is to get behind my enemy and at the same time not let him behind me, so i need to constantly adjust the throttle to keep myself as slow as possible without stalling unintentionally, and eventually to get just that tiny bit slower than the enemy, and end up behind him... the plane won't die from a few seconds here and there of full power... use full power on the climb outs, then throttle back on the dives to cool the engine a bit, get it ready for the next go around :D

 

also it confuses the heck outta the enemy if you constantly slow down and speed up randomly tho i dunno bout AI's

Edited October 7, 2013 by Hadwell

[Echo38]

I read somewhere that some pilots in other sims change their throttle and prop pitch settings during dogfight. Something along the lines of "50 % prop pitch when you're diving, 75 % when you're level, 100 % when you're climbing. Always go Full Throttle."

 

Might work in lesser sim-games, but not here and not IRL. Dramatically reducing RPM while leaving the throttle at full will damage your engine. Instead, try what the real-life fighter pilots were trained to do, and it's what most highly-skilled VFPs do in a realistic sim: keep RPM at max in combat, and adjust throttle as needed. If you have to throttle back for a prolonged period of time to keep your engine from overheating, then drop the RPM to the proper value to match, but don't forget to put it back to max before throttling up.

 

It may be technically more energy-efficient to pull back on the prop lever as well whenever you pull back on the throttle, but trying to smoothly juggle both levers will get a bit ridiculous and the risk for putting/moving them in the wrong place/order shoots up. That's why real fighter pilots kept it at max RPM in combat, barring unusual circumstances. Except for the engine heat problem, usually one throttles back when one wants to slow down, in which case lowering RPM to reduce drag is counter-productive.

Edited October 7, 2013 by Echo38

[Yo-Yo]

Might work in lesser sim-games, but not here and not IRL. Dramatically reducing RPM while leaving the throttle at full will damage your engine. Instead, try what the real-life fighter pilots were trained to do, and it's what most highly-skilled VFPs do in a realistic sim: keep RPM at max in combat, and adjust throttle as needed. If you have to throttle back for a prolonged period of time to keep your engine from overheating, then drop the RPM to the proper value to match, but don't forget to put it back to max before throttling up.

 

It may be technically more energy-efficient to pull back on the prop lever as well whenever you pull back on the throttle, but trying to smoothly juggle both levers will get a bit ridiculous and the risk for putting/moving them in the wrong place/order shoots up. That's why real fighter pilots kept it at max RPM in combat, barring unusual circumstances. Except for the engine heat problem, usually one throttles back when one wants to slow down, in which case lowering RPM to reduce drag is counter-productive.

 

If it worked in some sims, it was a flaw in the prop and/or ehgine model. :) In RL the most of engines produce max power at max rpm. Setting lower rpm at altitudes more than critical leads to additional power drop due to MP drop.

 

To be accurate, there were a few types of engines that can slightly increase power at slightly lower rpm (-50, as usual) than max (such as VK-105).

[Merlin-27]

If it worked in some sims, it was a flaw in the prop and/or ehgine model. :) In RL the most of engines produce max power at max rpm. Setting lower rpm at altitudes more than critical leads to additional power drop due to MP drop.

 

To be accurate, there were a few types of engines that can slightly increase power at slightly lower rpm (-50, as usual) than max (such as VK-105).

 

Very very interesting topic. There has been quite a lot of discussion about the optimal settings for each scenario and people have reported benefits from some unique variations during combat. (Example: Decreasing manifold pressure in a high speed climb) while seemingly counter-intuitive is there any possibility of these "tricks" working? I know this was not normal procedure in RL but us sim pilots have the luxury of experimenting more than they did without the fear of repercussions. I personally, use the torque effects of the engine to my advantage when turning but I typically only change the throttle and hardly ever use WEP.

[Manyoces]

Interesting post Charly Owl. Been asking myself similar questions recently!

 

... I personally, use the torque effects of the engine to my advantage when turning but I typically only change the throttle and hardly ever use WEP.

 

 

Merlin, when you say that you typically use throttle, I understand that means you have RPM's at maximum power?

 

In general, watching videos, I haven't played MP, I get the feeling that the most common option chosen is having your RPM's always at maximum (please note it is only a feeling!).

 

By the way, using torque in your turns means that you prefer to turn left? :joystick:

 

Thanks!

[Merlin-27]

Merlin, when you say that you typically use throttle, I understand that means you have RPM's at maximum power?

 

In general, watching videos, I haven't played MP, I get the feeling that the most common option chosen is having your RPM's always at maximum (please note it is only a feeling!).

 

Yes, In a fight I typically keep the RPM at 3000 aside from a few rare instances.

 

By the way, using torque in your turns means that you prefer to turn left? :joystick:

Thanks!

 

Not necessarily.

Lots of torque pulls left...but LESS torque allows a better _____ turn. :smilewink: