Supercharger / spotting AI

[The Stalker]

Hi everyone. Not so an active member here, however an old IL-2 fan. (played with longer pauses for the last couple of years)

I hope it's okay if I post a couple of questions here. (4.12.2)

1) Firstly, what's the deal with the supercharger? When flying the F4U I can see a noticable amount of manifold pressure gained if I toggle to speed 2 immediately at ground level. If more MP = more engine power, are there any side effects in switching to speed 2 right from the start and not at recommended 2000m?

2) How do I report enemy planes to my (AI) squad if I see them first? It says in the manual that you have to center the view on them, but nothing usually happens if I do so. Usually on night flights I sometimes see the enemy first and want to report it to my AI guys in my flight.

3) And possibly related to 2) What does the W:Bandits command in the radio menu do? How does it work and when do you use it?

Thanks in advance.

[Woke Up Dead]

Originally Posted by The Stalker

1) Firstly, what's the deal with the supercharger? When flying the F4U I can see a noticable amount of manifold pressure gained if I toggle to speed 2 immediately at ground level. If more MP = more engine power, are there any side effects in switching to speed 2 right from the start and not at recommended 2000m?.

I also noticed this and usually switch stages right below 1000m in the F4U. I think if changing stages raises the MP without lowering the RPM, then you should change stages.

[Daniël]

You can report enemy planes to friendly planes by pressing F4 (This is the default button I believe). If a friendly plane is in range he will confirm that he spotted the aircraft.

[Jumoschwanz]

It would be interesting to research how real pilots used the supercharger stages on various WWII aircraft.

I am an expert on internal combustion engines and I know that in the real world a supercharger increases cylinder pressure. Aircraft use them to make up for the lower air density at higher altitudes.

In a real combustion piston engine running too much boost the fuel detonates instead of burning smoothly and it quickly destroys the engine. Guys that drag race automobiles or run a mechanical supercharger on a street car can buy different sized pulleys to vary it's speed and boost, and exhaust driven turbochargers use a waste-gate to bleed off pressure and keep it below a certain setting.

The automobile only has to run at one altitude usually so it does not have to vary it's boost as much as an aircraft would. Mixture also has to be manipulated along with boost, either automatically or manually, so if you have too much air forced into an engine and the mixture control does not compensate for it then the engine will lean out, overheat and again detonation and pre-ignition will set in and destroy it quickly.

The IL2 aircraft have some mixture, boost and prop pitch settings that can be manipulated for better performance, but they are much more forgiving and uncomplicated than most real-life engine management jobs be they automatic or manual.

I used to have a 60s Mercedes with Bosch mechanical fuel injection, basically what was developed and used for the WWII german fighters, it is a little mechanical marvel.....as were all the WWII aircraft parts.

[Jumpy]

[QUOTE=The Stalker;515390]Hi everyone. Not so an active member here, however an old IL-2 fan. (played with longer pauses for the last couple of years)

1) Firstly, what's the deal with the supercharger? When flying the F4U I can see a noticable amount of manifold pressure gained if I toggle to speed 2 immediately at ground level. If more MP = more engine power, are there any side effects in switching to speed 2 right from the start and not at recommended 2000m?

Jumoswanz says: "The IL2 aircraft have some mixture, boost and prop pitch settings that can be manipulated for better performance, but they are much more forgiving and uncomplicated than most real-life engine management jobs be they automatic or manual."

'Boosted' aircraft engines have a "minimum full throttle altitude." This is the altitude below which running full boost will probably damage or destroy the engine. My feeling is that running full boost at sea level in in the F4U would soon destroy your pistons. As Jumoswanz implies IL2 modelling in this area is very basic and far from real world engine management.

[The Stalker]

So what about the actual game? More power but no consequences?

I understand also that running something like power 100% on 60% prop pitch would also ruin the engine, but is not modelled and not the case in the game... Generally running much greater power than PP would damage real life engines also. Is that true?

[KG26_Alpha]

Originally Posted by The Stalker

Hi everyone. Not so an active member here, however an old IL-2 fan. (played with longer pauses for the last couple of years)

I hope it's okay if I post a couple of questions here. (4.12.2)

1) Firstly, what's the deal with the supercharger? When flying the F4U I can see a noticable amount of manifold pressure gained if I toggle to speed 2 immediately at ground level. If more MP = more engine power, are there any side effects in switching to speed 2 right from the start and not at recommended 2000m?


Thanks in advance.

This might help.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5J0BYq3yevs

Ok for the "aviation engine experts" amongst us please don't watch this film.

For everyone else who is willing to learn something about Super/turbo chargers in WW2 1940 have fun

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFwwgbj9Bi8

[Jumpy]

Originally Posted by KG26_Alpha

This might help.

Ok for the "aviation engine experts" amongst us please don't watch this film.

For everyone else who is willing to learn something about Super/turbo chargers in WW2 1940 have fun

Thanks for the vids. They were most informative. Speaking as one of the 'aviation experts' whom you were so contemptuous of, I take your point and will offer no advice in the future. Of course I did learn about these things when I was training for my pilot licence. I also knew men who flew some of these aircraft in WWII so might know a few things you will not read about in the history books, but I know you would find these stories upsetting.

[The Stalker]

Nice vids, very interesting. Shows us just how much some of the things are still very simplified in the sim.

Does anyone know about the Bandits radio command though, what's that for?

[KG26_Alpha]

Originally Posted by Jumpy

Thanks for the vids. They were most informative. Speaking as one of the 'aviation experts' whom you were so contemptuous of, I take your point and will offer no advice in the future. Of course I did learn about these things when I was training for my pilot licence. I also knew men who flew some of these aircraft in WWII so might know a few things you will not read about in the history books, but I know you would find these stories upsetting.

I was referring to engine experts not just aviation in general, don't be so sensitive its a forum and your opinions are more than welcomed here.

And IL2 has a simplified engine management system as its not a "study sim" or simulator but a game with generic management for most aircraft engine control systems.