4.11 and Engine Overheat

[mmaruda]

Treetop is right, I've seen many post saying that people experience overheat too early and then at some point they state they were running 80% pitch in a dive or something. I'm not an expert in IL-2 prop mechanics, but with the P-51 for example, if you really want the thing going, at optimal RPM, the pitch would be around 55%. That is something to keep in mind - proper RPM at a given situation. Another thing is the general engine operating conditions, if you push the plane real hard and the engine is quite hot already, don't expect to go for too long before you experience overheat. Real pilots did everything they could to keep their engines cool before engaging in a fight, that means radiator and pitch management, which most gamers don't care about.

Again I believe this an issue with wrong pitch management. I have read many posts and articles trying to explain how it works in the game, but most of the were general and mentioned stuff like "100% in combat as you need full power", which is just wrong since you need speed in combat and the prop generates a lot of drag. It also affects you maneuverability in some planes. I never use 100% pitch unless for landing and take-off or in steep climb and I have never ever damaged my engine in 4.11. The key is watching the temp indicator not the overheat message. That is what real pilots do, since they don't have a virtual hud to tell them everything.

I think it would be nice if the devs wrote some detailed guide as to how to manage you engine in various planes in different situations.

Anyway, though not being an expert on IL-2, I strongly believe that most of the complaints people make about FMs, engine management and other stuff really come from lack of knowledge on how to do it properly, rather than something being porked.

In other words, it's not the software, it's the user.