F4U carrier takeoff problem!

[zaelu]

Use the catapult

[AndyJWest]

The catapult only works with mods zaelu. (and before you ask, we can't tell you anything about mods on this forum).

This is a recurring question, and it seems the F4U is marginal on takeoff. There was a recent thread on the Mission4Today site about this, which may help:http://mission4today.com/index.php?n...ish=15&start=0

[janpitor]

I think corsair was never ment to fly from escort carriers.

[zaelu]

Originally Posted by AndyJWest

...and before you ask, we can't tell you anything about mods on this forum..

LOL, You know... I wasn't born yesterday... at least not in IL-2 world

[zapatista]

is the carrier you are taking off from moving ? the speed of the carrier into the wind (or static air) was in real life important to add lift and works in il2 as well

for about half the carrier missions you dont need full fuel tank AND max bomb load either (eg carrier defensive shield aircraft didnt carry bomb loads etc..) , so play with the ratio's as well depending on the missions to in il2

iirc with carriers in il2 you should be able to launch with 500 kg bomb load and full fuel, but then you need to do everything right on launch (and be on a moving carrier obviously). once you get to the end of the deck you will dip down and just skim the water (so make sure your gear goes up immediately once you leave the deck). this might be a bit more severe then in RL, but its doable in il2

when PF initially came out the problem was much worse (some aircraft unable to launch with even minimal loads iirc), then following feedback some changes were made by oleg to bring carrier takeoffs closer to historical loads and speeds. but it still isnt perfectly matched iirc. for most missions you can now takeoff with most aircraft using required fuel and weapons loadouts.

[Romanator21]

It helps to lock the tail wheel. That way you won't be fishtailing on the deck and wasting energy. Prior to releasing chocks, set flaps to "combat" and when halfway down the deck, lower them to "takeoff" or "landing". It's also critical that sometime after this point your tail is already in the air. Once you cross the threshold, immediately raise your gear, and correct for torque since your nose will be pointing upward.

Typically I can takeoff from most carriers with a maximum load this way. Escort carriers are another matter, but you shouldn't have to take a full bombload from those anyway.

[AndyJWest]

Another thing that seems to make a slight difference when taking off from a carrier is timing the chocks release relative to any roll the carrier has. If you are starting from the left side of the carrier, you will want to move right as you start your run, to ensure you don't go over the edge, and if you wait until the carrier starts rolling to the right this will help.

[capt. windh]

Alright guys, thanx for the input.


@Romanator: Was this the way they did it IRL?

[zapatista]

Originally Posted by Romanator21

Prior to releasing chocks, set flaps to "combat" and when halfway down the deck, lower them to "takeoff" or "landing".

good point

i dont usually use flaps at all till the last 1/3 of the carrier deck, and then quickly set them to takeoff at the last possible moment (there is a slight delay with flap responses in il2, as there is in RL, and it means by the time you are at the last 10% of the deck you should be getting the right lift from takeoff flaps without having wasted drag in the earlier part of the run)

there are some limitations oleg had to work with under those parameters (moving carrier, wind modeling, aircraft speed etc..) and it didnt fully allow him to 100% correctly mimic TO speed and loadouts iirc, but you should be able to takeoff with the correct loadout in most missions now

[Romanator21]

Was this the way they did it IRL?

I don't know at the moment. Pilots always used the tail wheel lock when available, and you should too. I promise, you won't be a noob if you do. Pilots also had to be very conscious of torque and other forces and anticipate them.

But I'd be skeptical that pilots would occupy themselves with lowering flaps while accelerating down a narrow and short deck. They probably set "landing" flaps prior to launch. The method I describe gets you accelerating faster as it reduces drag. I should also mention that I'm designating the flap designations loosely in the way that Il-2 describes them, and that in reality the pilot set flaps marked by degrees.

The F-4U was regarded as a very difficult aircraft to takeoff and land from a carrier. Huge numbers were lost to accidents. Don't be hard on yourself if it takes a while to get used to. Practicing in a Hellcat can help a great deal. It has stronger gear, better visibility, and in my opinion, is a better fighter anyway.