Posted By: wraith444
Spitfire Mk I prop pitch - 05/10/14 02:54 AM
Every source I can find indicates the Spitfire Mk I has a 2-setting prop. When I fly it, however, it treats my prop pitch as a full axis that at full power varies my RPM from 3200+ RPM at full fine to well below 2000 at full coarse.
Was this recently changed? What's the proper way to fly it if you do indeed have full pitch control?
Posted By: PV1
Re: Spitfire Mk I prop pitch - 05/10/14 05:30 AM
Note that historically, in the Battle of Britain, there were a considerable
number of spits and hurris that initially had 2-pitch props, but these
were swapped over in the field to constant speed, so that by Aug 15th
essentially all british fighters had the Rotol constant speed prop installed.
There has been much discussion of this in the BoBWoV forum
http://www.a2asimulations.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=12029
Posted By: SlipBall
Re: Spitfire Mk I prop pitch - 05/10/14 10:55 AM
I hope over time that TF will be able to fix the prop feathering that was broken by the devs
Posted By: wraith444
Re: Spitfire Mk I prop pitch - 05/11/14 01:06 AM
That's the thing, though, it's not behaving like a 2-setting propeller like the De-Havilland 2 speed propeller OR like the Rotol constant speed propeller. Here's my description for how each one behaves for me:
De-Havilland (on the Hurricane Mk I): Adjusting my prop pitch axis causes the prop pitch to jump between 2 settings, one fine and one coarse. It takes a few seconds to transition between the two settings. Leaving it in one setting and adjusting the throttle causes both boost pressure and RPM to rise or fall as appropriate.
Rotol (On the Spit Mk IIa): The prop pitch control behaves as an axis, allowing me to make minute adjustments to the RPM. Leaving it on one setting and adjusting the throttle results in the boost pressure increasing or decreasing, while the RPM bumps up or down slightly (100 RPM or so) before readjusting back to the setting I selected earlier.
Contrast those to how the Spit Mk I behaves:
The prop pitch behaves as an axis similarly to the Rotol, allowing me to make slight adjustments. Adjusting the throttle results in the boost pressure increasing/decreasing as normal, as well as the RPM spiking/dipping dramatically (thousands of RPM).
With this in mind I seem to have a fair bit of success setting the boost pressure to a desired setting with the throttle, then flying entirely with the prop pitch at that point to control the RPM. I doubt it's the "right" way to do it, but it works until I find out the right way with whatever type of prop the Spitfire Mk I has (because it's almost certainly not the De-Havilland or Rotol as far as I can tell.)
Posted By: Sokol1
Re: Spitfire Mk I prop pitch - 05/11/14 03:12 AM
Well talk to Buzzsaw in ATAG forum, is he who knows about it.
http://theairtacticalassaultgroup.com/fo...ll=1#post100405Sokol1
Posted By: KodiakJac
Re: Spitfire Mk I prop pitch - 05/12/14 12:58 AM
With this in mind I seem to have a fair bit of success setting the boost pressure to a desired setting with the throttle, then flying entirely with the prop pitch at that point to control the RPM. I doubt it's the "right" way to do it, but it works until I find out the right way with whatever type of prop the Spitfire Mk I has (because it's almost certainly not the De-Havilland or Rotol as far as I can tell.)
I've been trying to figure out CEM both in SP and on the ATAG server and one pilot who helped me on the ATAG server taught me to fly almost entirely with prop pitch to manage RPM and air speed (whether Spitfire or 109). Is that historically accurate? I thought prop pitch was adjusted for climb out and different altitudes but not managed continuously while dogfighting as the primary engine control.