ENgine overheat

[Treetop64]

Originally Posted by Luno13

What is your power setting? Prop pitch? Radiator?

If you're cruising, you don't need to fly at full power. It depends on the situation, but around 50% power makes a good "economy" cruise, and 70% for "combat" cruise.

When diving, reduce power and prop-pitch. You don't need 100% prop pitch all the time in combat either. A coarse pitch will actually get you a higher top speed, although with slower acceleration. Fine pitch (100%) is used for climbing or quick acceleration.

With these tips you should be fine. Of course, open the radiator if you must, but it will degrade performance.

^^ Pretty much this, in a nutshell. ^^

I'm willing to bet that most of the people who experience frequent engine overheating are almost universally those who mismanage their RPM settings. Some even firewall the throttle and prop in all flight regimes, and leave it there, even in a dive, thinking "the mostest means the fastest", then wonder why things break.

My wish for v4.13? Compulsory ground school for new players. You don't get to fly squat until you can demonstrate that you understand the basics in how planes fly, how engines and propellers work in aircraft, and how to get the most out of them. Hell, even throw in a bit of math and make 'em work on propeller efficiency and advance ratio, and so forth...

[sniperton]

Originally Posted by Treetop64

My wish for v4.13? Compulsory ground school for new players. You don't get to fly squat until you can demonstrate that you understand the basics in how planes fly, how engines and propellers work in aircraft, and how to get the most out of them. Hell, even throw in a bit of math and make 'em work on propeller efficiency and advance ratio, and so forth...

Take it easy, mate. As it goes now, attraction comes first, learning afterwards. More effective and motivating than the other way round. After all, we are only risking our nerves, not our lives.

[MaxGunz]

Anyone who drives a motor should know that running close to redline no matter what gear is going to heat up the engine fast.

Back RPM off to 90% and see how long it takes for the engine to begin to cool. Then try 80% and 70%.

edit: Joystick tip: in the stick settings, add FILTER to pitch/elevator/Y-axis. Try 50% just QM test flying with no other planes to see how it feels and if it improves your acceleration and speed. It makes you smoother but a liitle slower, move your joystick the red and green blocks show the actual vs filtered (what IL-2 sees) control move. It isn't much delay even on fast full deflection which is "jerking the joystick" in classic flight sim fashion, it only goes a short way to lessen the damage. Hmmm, I never tried 100%. Repeat: it makes you fly smoother.

When two opponents meet, a good energy fighter pilot can run less power and still move faster than pilots who fly without as much regard for energy use, budget, and the vertical, often making speed-wasting hard flat turns instead. The energy fighter can be running cool with heat reserve to run or climb hard if need be while the turn fighter runs all-out and won't be turning so hard in a while.
The energy fighter doesn't like to pull more than 2 G's for more than short times and spaces those out. The energy fighter changes direction by rolling while flying up or down then pulling out in the new direction, can "turn" 180 in a few seconds.
The energy fighter employs lag pursuit to chase an enemy. If the enemy changes direction much, the path of the target will become longer than the path of the hunter. You can run down a faster target if it is turning just because of that. Follow a point behind his tail and you will be on a lower energy path, then do lazy yoyo's until you get a sure shot. Repeat as necessary.

[Treetop64]

Originally Posted by sniperton

Take it easy, mate. As it goes now, attraction comes first, learning afterwards. More effective and motivating than the other way round. After all, we are only risking our nerves, not our lives.

Yeah, yeah, I know. It was a bit on the surly side. But I regret nothing, I tell you! NOTHING!!!

[IceFire]

Originally Posted by Treetop64

Yeah, yeah, I know. It was a bit on the surly side. But I regret nothing, I tell you! NOTHING!!!

Here... have a beer!