THANK YOU.

That bloody texture was throwing me for a loop. I kept reading all over how it needed rich for takoff, but always ended up putting it as "lean" as per the label.

Either the label was wrong, or all the manuals were.

Anyway, reality makes sense again.

That said, I was flying the second WvsD mission, doing some land navigation (something which isn't really a problem for me, I've done plenty of that for BoBII, using some ordinance map... I love how beautiful the countryside is in CloD), when suddenly my engine went Very Wrong. Started sounding like badgers were wrestling with wrenches in there, and I have no idea what I did wrong. Looking at the various checklists and guides I think I was within parameters (RPM < 2800, oil < 90, rad < 120). Might have been the mixture that messed me up, though I try and pay attention to the flames.

That's with the ole two-pitch prop, incidentally.

Anyway, thank you. Just that peice of info, that the label is wrong, has made the world make sense again.

Itkovian

For the Hurricane DH50 (2 pitch) I'd say about 3000 for take-off is fine, but actually try to keep about 2400 RPM for sustained flight. The oil at 80 rather than 90 is ideal too. The checklists are very good, but I'm not sure if they are figures taken from the period where the higher 100 Octane fuel was assumed, while we seem to just have the cheap stuff (80OCT) in CloD.

PS If you enjoy the engine management, check out the Blenheims - it's like balancing a baby on a ball.

I have a couple more questions, concerning the 2-pitch hurri and engine management:

1- What is the best way to manage oil temperature? Say I'm flying along and realize I'm running at 92 degrees, what should be my best course of action? Reducing throttle and opening the radiator?

Now the reason I ask i I know that radiator position is not necessarily a open-get cooler sort of thing, at least not in real life. I've got the A2A Accu-Sim Spitfire, and certainly there's something of an art involved: opening the radiator can actually heat up the oil because it slows down the aircraft, actually reducing the airflow in the radiator instead of increasing it. Is that modeled in CloD? Or is opening up the radiator the way to go in general (and just eat the speed reduction)?

2- Under what circumstances should I switch to Coarse prop pitch?

From what I can tell so far, coarse pitch is mostly for cruising. But is there a time when it gives actually better performance than fine pitch?

Or if you prefer, if I need to climb quickly, what pitch should I use? What pitch should I use in a dog fight?

This is using the two-pitch prop, not the Rotol.

Thank you.

Itkovian

I don't think that engine temps vs radiator position is fully integrated into the game yet, radiator position doesn't seem to have much effect other than being opened or closed, so if you are too heated, with radiators open, then throttling back is your only bet.

Coarse prop pitch is used for cruising, or when diving to gain speed. At fine prop pitch, your props create drag once they get spinning fast, so use the coarse to allow gravity to speed you up faster. 90% of the time, you'll be using fine pitch in a dog fight, but see above, it's all speed dependent, so don't allow your pp to become a drag factor and reduce aircraft performance, especially in a dogfight when you need it.

I see. Thanks for the reply. That's quite helpful.

Any thoughts on the radio, when flying this module?

Itkovian

A couple of other questions:

1- is there a way to toggle aircraft labels/icons? I mean during a mission (I understand the option is in the realism settings, but I rather dislike them, but like having the option to turn them on when needed).

2- What's the best configuration to maximize speed with the hurricane (2-pitch prop)? I find myself unable to keep up with the AI and maintain formation, unfortunately, and I'm not sure what I may be doing wrong. Has to be a complex engine management setting, but all my attempted configurations have been futile. Help would be appreciated.

Just about the ony way I can see I could keep up with them would be to put the throttle to full, but that will surely cause some trouble if I do it too long.

Thank you.

Itkovian

For (1) I don't think do, but one compromise is to allow map icons so you can see red/blue icons and sneak a peek that way. Nobody will tell

For (2) if it's the case of the AI then it's worth popping on the autopilot and watching what it does with the CEM. What can be frustrating is that the AI keeps the trim very nicely while humans struggle to get the same feel.

Ah, so it could be a trim issue, and not necessarily a CEM issue?

Itkovian

I will try and experiment a bit, though I don't want to take too hard a hit in realism for the WvsD missions (and really, I don't want map icons, because I absolutely love navigating manually).

That said, any suggestions on how to properly trim my hurricane for maximum speed? Letting the autopilot do its work wouldn't help, since trim is not easy to see on the controls.

Or is it that the old agage - trim for speed, throttle for altitude - actually works in CloD? In which case I should trim nose down to increase speed?

Thank you.

Itkovian

That's not quite what I understand that adage to mean.

Getting your trim right is a constant process, trimming just the elevator to stay in level flight is almost an art, its in a constant state of change with speed, altitude, air pressure, etc. Then work on your rudder trim, get that ball to stay centered, and plane to stay level. If you are trimmed out, your plane is a sleek and settled as it can be for that speed, and that's what it means. If you are constantly fighting the trim (not properly trimmed out) you are adding forces and drag, and your plane isn't as fast as it can be. IF you need to gain/lose altitude gradually, do it with slight adjustments of the throttle. More throttle to gain altitude, and reduce throttle to lose altitude, then when you reach the altitude you want, trim the plane out again.