This is normal and a real affect common to taildragging aircraft.

Because the Airplane is resting on its tail, the prop is tilted back slightly.

When the plane begins to move forward, the right side of the prop is taking a bigger bite of the air than the left side, pulling the plane to the left.

Counter with right rudder, and as you gain speed and the tail lifts off the ground, ease off the rudder to keep the plane flying straight.

It takes practice, good luck!

I just saw the same thing for the first time when I was flying a couple of minutes ago. I could be wrong (and probably am), but I think what you're seeing on the externals is the air intake opening and closing. So, when you see the air intake is 'closed' at the back, the radiator itself is now having the air directed into it, so therefore the radiator is 'open' or being cooled.

In terms of applying controls to it in game, I had to tick the reverse setting to make my buttons match the indicator in the cockpit.

Anyone know if there's an in-cockpit indicator for the oil radiator too, or doesn't the Hurricane have one?

The mixture is bugged, Rich=Lean and Lean=Rich. Set to Lean (as seen in the cockpit) for Rich. To check this you can open an information window - Alt+Right Click IIRC - and select Engine for Info, it will show you 100% when it really is Rich and 0% for Lean. My friends also tell me the Radiator is reversed too. Haven't checked that myself as I fly with Engine Temperature effects off while I get used to it (Luthier's recommendation).

This is called engine torque and is quite normal. Ot is the result of a very large and heavy mass (the axel and the propeller) spinning at high speed. It pulls on the plane to spin with it in the same direction. The felt result is that the plane pulls to port.

It is easily countered by applying rudder to starboard, or to set the trim-tab to full starboard. If you look at the rudder trim wheel in the cockpit, you will even see it is marked with settings for take-off. Once airflow around the tailfin has reached sufficient speed (at around 70 mph), it counters the torque. The effect will still be there though. If you see the Hurricane from dead on, you may notice the tailfin is slightly offset to port. This is to balance out the torque in normal flight.

A very nice and descriptive page about a wartime flight in a Hurricane:

http://gibberandsqueak.blogspot.com/...ar-mukund.html

Isn't the oil radiator/cooler mounted centrally in the radiator itself, so when you operate the radiator controls you're also operating the oil cooler?

pulling at one side is the force generated from the rotary motion of the engine, use rudder to balance.

btw i cant start the d***mn thing anymore, yesterday it was fine today cant seem to start......sigh

Could be, I really don't know much about this stuff, was just asking while I was here and we were talking about Hurricanes. I guess the separate oil radiator control must be for other planes.

I have a confession...I cheated and looked in my Haynes Hawker Hurricane Owners' Workshop Manual. This text is from the Hurricane Mk.II pilot notes (The Hurricane Mk.I pilot notes is very similar in what it says);

Radiator Flap Control – The airflow through the coolant radiator and
oil cooler is controlled by a lever (26) on the left hand side of the
pilot's seat. In order to release the lever for operation the thumbbutton
must be depressed.

Thanks for the info.

Why am I not surprised? [mumble mumble Brighton mumble mumble Hove Albion mumble mumble Epic Fail mumble mumble].

I must say, some of these posts have me confused (not for the first time). I assumed the Rad thing was an animation bug, since in IL2 opening the rad drops the rear flap more open. In fact, I can't get the Hurri to start unless the rad is (what I think is) open.

The mixture thing is perplexing. Is this really a bug? I know that the mixture lever has to be almost all the way back, which I thought meant "lean" (as in for high altitude). I put this down to a design quirk/bug or something. Eek...

Oh soddit, I'll have to fire her up and do some more messing. Another hour of work avoidance for me...