[Gaston]

Quote AndyJWest:

"David603, unless you are above best-turn-rate speed, downthrottling a Fw 190 seems to me to have no measurable improvement in sustained rate - in fact it seems to make it worse, as theory predicts."
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-LOL... And what was the serial number of the FW-190A you flew that "proved" this??? That was funny though...

And if you listen to an actual serious test, by actual test pilots using modern instruments (the only such test ever made in fact), you will find the "best unsustained turn rate" speed in WWII fighters is most often "very close to the maximum level speed" (1989 test of 4 types by "The Society of Experimental test Pilots")...

So basically, downthrottling is only helpful while above level speed in a dive?!? 'Scuze me: I think your logic demonstrably sucks...

But let's not listen to what actual pilots say about downthrottling: Like I said before, what do these guys know compared to simmers for God's sake!:

""I learned to fly with the "Cannon-Mersu" (MT-461). I found that when fighter pilots got in a battle, they usually applied full power and then began to turn. In the same situation I used to decrease power, and with lower speed was able to turn equally well. I shot down at least one Mustang (on 4th July 1944) in turning fight. I was hanging behind one [2-4 full 360° circles in another interview about the same dogfight], but I could not get enough deflection. Then the pilot made an error: he pulled too much, and stalling, had to loosen his turn. That gave me the chance of getting deflection and shooting him down. It was not impossible to dogfight flying a three-cannon Messerschmitt."
" When the enemy decreased power, I used to throttle back even more. In a high speed the turning radius is wider, using less speed I was able to out-turn him having a shorter turning radius. Then you got the deflection, unless the adversary did not spot me in time and for example banked below me. 250kmh seemed to be the optimal speed."
- Kyösti Karhila, Finnish fighter ace. 32 victories. Source: Interview by Finnish Virtual Pilots Association."
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-Yes you are correct: 250 km/h (160 MPH) is a terribly high speed that does make downthrottling helpful: You just know the wings are about to fall off right then...


As to why engineers and propeller aircraft designers don't know about downthrottling, excuse me, but last time I looked, these guys were not experts at putting bullet holes in other people's aircrafts...

Even Hartmann never mentions downthrottling, and was hostile to turn fighting, so it seems it was one of those counter-intuitive things that never got universally acknowledged, even among those who DID put bullet holes in other people's aircrafts...

But I have to agree: Simmers put a lot more combat flying hours than those people ever did: What could they possibly have to learn?!?

Gaston