Prop Pitch question...

[BSS_Sniper]

Thanks Rama for the clarification. BTW, what type aircraft to you fly in real life?

[Vidar_710]

Ironman has given great advise for Prop Pitch Managment for gaming IL2. IRL you would burn out an engine in no-time-at-all with these techiques.

Roma also had terrific advise for saving a bad engine. Again, useless IRL, however; Throttlinge back to 70% and bringing my prop pitch back to about 80% gives me more flight time with a crippled engine... My training as a pilot and a flight instructor has ingrained into my brain bucket to never exceed Manifold Pressure over Prop Pitch, so I follow that rule in-game too. It saves me from transfering bad engine management techiques into RL.

Example how Prop pitch should work in-game - HIGH SPEED DIVES:

Prop Pitch should be full forward to prevent over-speeding the airframe. Sounds confusing to some, I know, but here's why.

Dispite the High RPM pitch, this setting flattens the blade angle. The Govenor will prevent over-speeding the engine. The flat plane of the spinning prop now acts as a huge spinning speed-brake.

Great thread gents!

S!

\/

[Rama]

Originally Posted by BSS_Sniper

Thanks Rama for the clarification. BTW, what type aircraft to you fly in real life?

Robin DR-400 (fixed pitch) and Aquila AT01 (CSP)

[JG53Frankyboy]

Originally Posted by Ironman69

ok guyz, to help you all with PP settings as they relate TO THIS ................Ballz-to-the-wall full on speed run: Full throttle/ PP=95-90%
why 95 to 90? try this: take a p38L late and go full throttle and fly as fast as you can on the deck....the plane hits a brickwall at about 470kph IAS and refuses to go any faster. Now keeping full throttle, adjust your prop pitch to 95-90% and watch your speed jump to about 570kph IAS.

.....................

not on my PC..............
i easily hit 570km/h TAS at SL with 100% pitch , not sign of any "wall" at 470.
than when reducing the pitch to ~90%, i get slower.


i'm am using that summary when flying IL2 concerning the pitch:

for all piston engined planes except:
Ki-27
J8A
TB-3s
Fw190 in auto mode
Ta152H in auto mode
Spitfire IX and VIII in auto mode
Bf109, Bf110,Do335,Ta152C in manual and auto mode:
the prop pitch in game is controlling the engine revolutions - so 100% pitch here means you allow the egnine to run at max rpm if enough throttle/power is available.
in combat you shoud fly always with 100%.
to lower your pitch is actually only necesarry if you want realy fly slow (that your comrades or the AI can close formation or you want safe fuel) , than you have to reduce the pitch like the throttle. same % rate or pitch 10% more than the throttle % is a good solution.

also using full throttle and useing only 90-95% pitch can reduce the overheat chance - usefull in some planes like the Tempest or the Corsair and Hellcat. that doesnt harm your speed/climb much, if at all !

very few planes in game are overrev in a power dive (full power, 100% pitch) - IIRC that are the Cr.42, G.50, Mc.200, Fw190A/F in manual mode, Fw190D/Ta152H in manual mode, the Brewsters(not sure about that , may have changed in a patch)


Fw190 in auto mode
Spitfire IX and VIII in auto mode
Bf109, Bf110,Do335,Ta152C in auto mode:
have a one lever system, if you control the throttle, the pitch is automaticly also controled


Bf109, Bf110,Do335,Ta152C in manual mode:
thats totaly different, here you control the propeller blade angle direclty ! no automatic will keep the rpm in a "good" condition. it brings you no benefit to use this manual settings anymore (there was a time ). so, dont bother it

the
Ki-27
J8A
TB-3s:
have fixed propellers, so nothing to control there




sure, others may have other experiences - but it fits for me.

[41Sqn_Banks]

Originally Posted by JG53Frankyboy

not on my PC..............
i easily hit 570km/h TAS at SL with 100% pitch , not sign of any "wall" at 470.
than when reducing the pitch to ~90%, i get slower.

Same here. With preducing pitch you may gain a little more speed for short time but it will fall below topspeed quickly.

[JG53Frankyboy]

Originally Posted by 41Sqn_Banks

Same here. With preducing pitch you may gain a little more speed for short time but it will fall below topspeed quickly.

that any plane (with a CSP) in game reaches its max level speed, at least at Sealevel, with less than 100% Propellerpitch setting is a myth for me (beside using any exploit !)..........

[II./JG1_Krupinski]

Originally Posted by Rama

You obviously haven't tried with Kommandogerät off..... try and you'll see I'm right (reduce or increase throttle, and RPM wont move).
I'm of course talking in game, not real.

I do so exclusively, here are two tracks one with a CSP (P51) and one without (190A9). You will see changes in throttle do not change RPMs in the 51 (auto OFF) while changes to throttle in the FW produces engine RPM differences of 300 RPM or more between 2300 and 2600 RPM.

http://www.fly-eaglesnest.com/downloads/FW190A9.ntrk
http://www.fly-eaglesnest.com/downloads/P5120DNA.ntrk
http://www.fly-eaglesnest.com/downloads/CSPvVPP.zip

The zip file is just both files zipped up and all are provided in case of file corruption of the zip.

While there are minor fluxuations in the RPM of the P51, that's to be expected: Reasoning the engine is producing more power faster than the hydraulic system can adjust for, but it does definitely settle and maintain engine RPM, 2650 I believe: Even down to about 50% power.

On the other hand, the FW setting of 40% pitch (Auto = OFF) is turning about 2600 RPM @ 100% throttle. Reducing throttle in this case reduces engine RPM; @ about 70% throttle ~2300 RPMs. Definitely NOT a Constant Speed Propeller since by definition a CSP maintains a constant engine rpm.

-Raven

[na85]

Okay, I would very much appreciate if someone can clear up some of my questions:

If I'm in an American plane (p47, p51) and I want good level acceleration, should I be at about 80% pitch or so or should I do 100%?

If I'm in the same plane and in a hurry to get somewhere, or to get away from someone, should I be at 100% pitch, 110% throttle? Or should I be at lower pitch?

Does the same thing apply for Russian planes and FW190's (in manual mode)? (I'm aware the 109 has a different manual pitch system)

Thanks

[JG53Frankyboy]

Originally Posted by II./JG1_Krupinski

I do so exclusively, here are two tracks one with a CSP (P51) and one without (190A9). You will see changes in throttle do not change RPMs in the 51 (auto OFF) while changes to throttle in the FW produces engine RPM differences of 300 RPM or more between 2300 and 2600 RPM.

http://www.fly-eaglesnest.com/downloads/FW190A9.ntrk
http://www.fly-eaglesnest.com/downloads/P5120DNA.ntrk
http://www.fly-eaglesnest.com/downloads/CSPvVPP.zip

The zip file is just both files zipped up and all are provided in case of file corruption of the zip.

While there are minor fluxuations in the RPM of the P51, that's to be expected: Reasoning the engine is producing more power faster than the hydraulic system can adjust for, but it does definitely settle and maintain engine RPM, 2650 I believe: Even down to about 50% power.

On the other hand, the FW setting of 40% pitch (Auto = OFF) is turning about 2600 RPM @ 100% throttle. Reducing throttle in this case reduces engine RPM; @ about 70% throttle ~2300 RPMs. Definitely NOT a Constant Speed Propeller since by definition a CSP maintains a constant engine rpm.

-Raven

true, there is too much rpm loss while reducing power in the Fw190 on manual mode compared to other CSP planes in game . so we "have" to say the Fw190 in manual mode has a very bad CSP moddeled in game
or however you want call that thing in front of the engine.

anyway, in combat the manual mode is the choice over the auto mode in the BMW driven Fw190s.

[Rama]

@Krupinsky
The rpm stay relativelly constant for small change of throttle. it's a kind of CSP, With some limits (like all CSP). The limits being tighter than on other planes does'nt change this for the in-game comportment (this is also the case for some russian planes).
In any case, the lever control rpm, not pitch, which is typical of a CSP...(good or not, it isn't the question)

@Frankyboy
Yes, "manual" mode is better in combat for FW190. Since you can set RPM much higher than with kommandogerät. With rpm at 100% you get better acceleration and better climb rate (like you would do with using highest rpm with a CSP).