Quote:
Originally Posted by Skoshi Tiger
I found a copy of the MKII Spitfire pilots notes on Zeno's war birds (close as I could find to a MK I)
There is very little said about adjusting mixture except for the pre-start (Mixture Control -RICH), engine test(test cruse power (WEAK mixture) followed by maximum boost (RICH)), and pre-takeoff (Mixture Control - RICH) checklist. Then two paragraphs use WEAK mixture for maximum range and endurance.
The description of the control is as follows
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14 .
Throttle and mixture controls - The throttle and mixture
levers (10 and 11) are fitted in a quadrant on the port
side of the cockpit . A gate is provided for the throttle
lever in the take- off position and an interlocking device
between the levers prevents the engine from being run on
an unsuitable mixture . Friction adjusters ( 8 ) for the
control s are provided on t he side o f the quadrant.
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I guess the pilots had enough on their plates as it was.
I was never quite happy with the mixture in IL-2 which was basically wait for the brown smoke to start coming out and then drop the mixture one step.
Cheers!
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That leads me to believe they had automatic mixture systems similar to the ones found on US aircraft (i know for a fact that later Spits did have it, but i didn't know it was available to the early ones too). In these systems, the lever locks at the pre-determined positions and then the automatic system takes over, leaning for best fuel economy when you place it on "weak" or for smoother engine operation when you place it on "rich". That is, even when you leave it alone it's working in the background, especially if you change altitude.
In a manual control system the lever travels the full range without having any pre-determind notch, each movement of the lever affecting the mixture. Any change of altitude means you'll have to manually readjust it.
If i was to say it in a better way, in the manual system the lever directly affects the fuel flow while in the automatic system the lever selects between two different presets for automatic leaning (normal/economy).
It's actually the non-automatic systems i'm wondering about for the reasons i described above: the RPM gauge doesn't provide enough of an indication due to the constant speed prop and i don't know if there's any EGT instruments to provide an alternative aid to leaning manually.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Spinnetti
Love the picture details, HATE that I can't see the pilots arms and legs.. Do Ghosts fly these? When I fly, I can see my arms and legs, why not in game?
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Because then with our virtual hands in the way we might be unable to click the switches i guess. I wouldn't mind having the pilot in the cockpit, as long as i could turn him off if i need to click on the fuel selector switch before jettisoning my drop tanks.
