Hints & Tips for complex engine management

[Fighterace]

Hey fellow Il-2 pilots,

I'm just after some good advice for using engine management for all planes in Il-2. I've been looking for a particular thread which showed what percentage to have the throttle at for crusing, mixture and prop pitch settings but I couldn't find it.

Any advice would be most appreciative.

Thanks

[JtD]

Don't worry about it too much, it's not really that complex. Adjust mixture down when you start losing power, trailing smoke. Adjust it back up when you can, it cools the engine and appears to not increase fuel consumption. Reduce rpm along with power, you'll might be faster while keeping the engine cooler. Try to keep radiators closed, they cost speed and range. It might be necessary to open them when using high power settings, otherwise the engine blows.

Personally I tend to cruise at around 60% pitch/power radiators closed, climb at around 90% radiators open. In combat I do what's necessary, usually 95% pitch and 105% power with rads open.

[[URU]BlackFox]

Im my personal experience, it's a matter of getting to know your aircraft. Settings now are very different in each plane, so you have to actually get a flight manual if you can, or just get into a free flight and start some trial and error.

It adds a lot of realism, and I particularly like it. The days of 110% rad open for as long as you like are finally over.

BTW: I was a lousy pilot before, and that hasn't changed patch after patch.

[fruitbat]

i tend to fly at max 90% pitch unless take off and landing or in a 90 degree vertical climb.

loose very little performance, and drops the revs nicely out of the red for 90% of planes.

[Luno13]

Flying with less than 100% pitch can actually improve performance (top speed), and lowering the pitch in a dive will reduce drag.

Il-2's CEM isn't all that complex once you practice and get used to it. You'll be making mistakes at first, but you'll get the hang of it in no time.

[Bearcat]

Originally Posted by Fighterace

Hey fellow Il-2 pilots,

I'm just after some good advice for using engine management for all planes in Il-2. I've been looking for a particular thread which showed what percentage to have the throttle at for crusing, mixture and prop pitch settings but I couldn't find it.

Any advice would be most appreciative.

Thanks

You can stat by looking at the Temp_Guide_4111 file inside your IL2 46 main folder. It should be at the bottom. Also look at the Aircraft guide.

[-)-MAILMAN-]

Since more emphasis has been placed on temperature management and overheating the method of controlling the temperature needs to be addressed.

Right now opening the "Radiator" causes the Cowl, Intercooler & oil cooler flaps to open together. This causes a lot of drag. We should be able to open only the flaps that have an affect on the associated heat problem. On the planes where these flaps had separate controls they should be separate. If certain or all of these flaps were combined then they should be combined.

Here are some examples straight out of the Pilot Manuals for the below aircraft:

Corsairs
Cowl Flaps had its own operating lever to help with Cylinder Head Temperature
Intercooler Flap had its own operating lever to help with Carburetor Air Temperature
Oil Cooler Flaps had its own operating lever to help with Oil Temperature from Prop RPM

F6F-3
Cowl Flaps had its own operating lever to help with Cylinder Head Temperature
Intercooler Door and Oil Cooler Flaps had a combined operating lever to help with Carburetor Air Temperature and to help with Oil Temperature from Prop RPM

F6F-5
Cowl Flaps had its own operating lever to help with Cylinder Head Temperature
Intercooler Flap had its own operating lever to help with Carburetor Air Temperature
Oil Cooler Flaps had its own operating lever to help with Oil Temperature from Prop RPM

In each of the manuals there are multiple options for dealing with each type of heat such as reducing or increasing climb speed, opening the corresponding flap, reducing throttle or rpm and changing blower speeds. On most American birds we do not have the option of lean or auto-lean for the mixture, just auto-rich or full rich nor are we given the ability to switch from automatic pitch to manual pitch of the propeller. All of these are factors and contribute to the control of the temperatures.

[Bearcat]

It would be nice if those features were implemented .. along with fuel management as well but the code can probably do only so much.