Supercharger / spotting AI

[JtD]

Originally Posted by Jumpy

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?

2000m is probably an outdated recommendation. It's about true at high speed with lots of ram pressure when flying without water injection. With water injection, or at lower speeds, you need to switch earlier.

Higher MP doesn't always mean more power, because the higher gear supercharger consumes part of the extra power. So while MP might go up for the F4U at sea level, the engine actually delivers less hp until you're at about 1000m altitude, the exact figure depending on atmospheric conditions and your engine settings.

[The Stalker]

Originally Posted by JtD

Higher MP doesn't always mean more power, because the higher gear supercharger consumes part of the extra power. So while MP might go up for the F4U at sea level, the engine actually delivers less hp until you're at about 1000m altitude, the exact figure depending on atmospheric conditions and your engine settings.

This is modeled in the game?

[JtD]

Yes, it is.

[Laurwin]

Originally Posted by The Stalker

This is modeled in the game?

Jtd is correct on that, I believe.

You can still though, switch back and forth between supercharger 1 and 2, to see if there's any notable increase in manifold pressure.

I'm not sure about low lever supercharger gear 2 myself, I don't seem to recall using it at low level AND having it increase manifold pressure significantly, and sustainably.?

What happens to your airspeed, rpm and manifold pressure if you go to supercharger 2, right at 600m altitude?

I think Jtf is of course correct about less horsepower available, this is true for regulard superchargers, which exist in aircraft such as F4U corsair.

From wikipedia:
P-47 on the other hand has turbosupercharger. Turbocharger is powered by a turbine that is driven by the engine's exhaust gas.

Regular supercharger is mechanically driven from the engine, often from a belt connected to the crankshaft

In real life this sort of regular supercharger operating procedure - switching back and forth between supercharger gear 1 and 2, would not be good for the safety of the engine (but this, is not modelled in game)