i need some complex engine management tips (spitfire and hurricane)
 

the sim just became playable for me since the last beta patch (touch-wood, baring any unforeseen new show-stopping bugz i have yet to encounter), so time to dust of the old HOTAS

i need some complex engine management tips for the spitfire and hurricane, but cant find any in the original pdf manual (? right), what i have figured out so far, to get aircraft started
- open fuel switch
- magneto on (seems to be by default for the hurricane, is this a bug ?)
- radiator open
- mixture to lean
- prop pitch to fine
- throttle set to idle
- fire engine up, and should idle then

then wait to see temp rise to around 30%, and from there start to taxi with low throttle setting (by the time i taxi to the runway the engine is fully warm),
- then turn mixture to rich for takeoff (and then only use lean setting for higher altitude flights).
- keep prop pitch at about 85 for most normal flight (except at 100$ during takeoff)

have i missed anything, or are there any bugs in the spitfire or hurricane that prevent this correct use ?

My Hurricane startup procedure:

- fuel-cock switch on
- magneto1 on, magnito 2 on
- radiator closed (until engine warms up sufficiently)
- prop pitch to 0%
- throttle to 10%
- fire engine up, and should idle

- While warming up:
- Set mirror off (doesn't work anyway)
- Set gun sight distance & width 109's (42ft)
- Set compass (optional)
- turn gun sight illumination on
- turn on instrument ilumination (primary & secondary) if needed

- throttle up to 20% when engine temp > 40 degrees
- Keep radiator closed until temp > 60 degrees, then open rad's (warms up quicker)
- Prop pitch to 100%
- set rudder trim for takeoff

- ready to roll when engine temp > 70 degrees
- throttle up > 40%, (engine dies if throttle 20-35%, new game bug)

Mixture to Rich (lever to the rear) but the pre-patch Spitfires had the control and cockpit graphic reversed so you had to put it fully forward for Rich. They may have fixed that though, I haven't tried the Spit post-patch yet.

btw, pre-patch the magnetos switched themselves to 'On' when you pressed start, they shouldn't but they did (do?).

A salmo says you can leave the radiator closed until it warms up - but its surprising how often we forget to open it before take-off :(

Currently you can taxi safely at RAD temp 40 but don't take off or apply any real power until 60C.

You guys are too gentle! ;)

The procedures are pretty much spot on but I leave rad closed and just taxi and slam the throttle on once the water temps about 20c. :cool:

As soon as im airborne/gear up i open rad and go to 80% pitch to get some acceleration.

Lol, same here mate. Got to get the bird up. Sitting there for too long makes one a great target. :)

The CLOD Merlin is overly critical in the climb with Oil and Rad Temps especially in the Spit MKII IMO.

This works for me:

Before start Prop pitch 3 blips back from full fine ... will give you 2850 in the climb.

1. After start Smooth idle Rad Closed till 60C Coolant. (no increase in throttle at all till 60C RAD ... thanks Klem))
2. At 60C Rad Full open.
3. Get airborne ASAP get to Climb IAS (160 ASAP)
4. Climb +9/2850 (Spit II) +6/2850 Spit MKI at 160MPH
5. Eyes on Oil Temp and Rad
6. Dont exceed 95C Oil, 120 Rad
7. If Oil temp at 95C Set RPM 2400 (or less) till Oil temp under control (94C is ok)
8. If Rad temp 120 set Boost +6(Spit MKII) +4 Spit MKI immediately (Aim for max 110C in the climb)

If >120C Rad you WILL get engine damage almost instantly.
if > 95C Oil Temp you most likely will get engine damage.
Oil temp main variable is RPM
Rad Temp main variable is Boost.
Dont exceed 2850RPM at any time.

Using these techniques in a spit MKII you can climb all the way to 17,000ft without issue. With perhaps a single
adjustment to RPM and Boost.

+1

Also interesting as we're talking Merlin III which is in the Hurricane MkI 100octane, my Level Speed tests showed that full throttle and full rpm, with and without BCO, will cause engine failure within the following:

30-60 seconds
OIL Temp 89-95
RAD temp 118-131

in various combinations

Combinations with temps below IvanK's limits were ~58 seconds 92 OIL and 118 RAD and another was ~60 seconds 89 OIL and 121 RAD so although I agree with IvanK's temperature limits there may be other issues modelled at fully fine pitch/max rpm (mechanical failure over time? ~60 Seconds if temp limits not reached?) so I suggest you don't use max rpm and max throttle for more than around 30 seconds. Sometimes you may want to just to stay with the 109s long enough to get the shot.

Another confusion is that I flew the Spitfire MkIa 100 octane for the first time (this patch) last night at around 15,000 feet with high throttle (boost 4 - 6) and 2550rpm in a long attack on a bomber group and the Oil temp was nailed to 100C without failure. (?!).

I have found 2550 rpm to be a 'safe' rpm under almost all conditions in the Hurricane. Last night was the first time in a SpitIa-oct so I can't be so confident on that but 100C Oil? Wow!

thanks for the feedback guy's :)

good to see a few things i can correct and improve !

Another thing worth adding is that Hurricane rotol is actually better than the 100 octane for general fighting. 100 octane just blows the engine too easily with overheating whereas you can keep it nailed all the time in the rotol with rpm at 2800.

i don't want to be booted, but the engines are garbage above 16,000 feet.. it's like the the developers purposely thought of screwing the Brit planes at high altitude (I can't believe it actually slipped by, and they said ooops !,, too lame, for us to believe..)... as soon as they stop screwing up the Brit planes, they really should post the patch as official... on Steam... stop screwing the pooch, stop the excuses,,, finish the last few remaining show stoppers,, then move on to BOM. I would never consider any type of expansion, with a flight sim that has a core model set that is totally fraked up...

IMHO

You guys that are making COD could accomplish so much if you tried..... but it seems you are sabotaging your own work...