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Originally Posted by Flanker1985
The first thing is the "Fuel content Gauge selector", and this is not the same with the fuelcock, and I have not yet used it. So I have no idea what's its for??
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This is not for selecting which fuel tank to draw fuel from (that is the fuel cock) as you've found out, it's for selecting which tank's contents will be displayed on the instruments. For example, bombers like the Blenheim and Ju88 have multiple fuel tanks but only one set of fuel gauges. Using this control you can select which tank's remaining fuel the gauge will display.
It's one of those secondary controls that are not "time critical" (things that i don't use in the middle of combat) so i don't map them directly to keys, i just click on them in the cockpit with the mouse.
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Originally Posted by Flanker1985
"Slow-Running Cut out", this is not the same with the boost cut out, I tried to press it a few times, nothing happened.
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This is used to shut down the engine in RAF aircraft after landing. I think you need to press and hold the key down for a couple of seconds. Once the propeller stops turning you can shut off the fuel cock and magnetos too.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Flanker1985
"Operate hand pump", is this the fuel pump?? How come we never get to use it??
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From whatever kind of testing i've done, it seems to me that it's not a fuel primer pump that is used for starting the engine, but an emergency pump used to lower flaps/gear when things like hydraulics fail. For example, to lower gear in the 109 after a failure, first you enable the emergency gear mechanism (there's a separate lever for that and also a keybinding if you want to assign a key to it), then you set the gear lever to lower gear (just like you would do for normal extension) and finally, you start clicking on the pump or pressing the key you've mapped to it.
Similar mechanisms exist in other aircraft as well, for example the Spitifre. Some are hydraulic in nature and some pneumatic.
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Originally Posted by Flanker1985
"Pilot Heater", is this an air condition?? What's so important to have an air condition since we are flying to outside the computer???
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This is actually a pitot heater, not a pilot heater
When flying near or through clouds and the temperatures are low, it's possible for the pitot tube to get clogged up by ice particles. Your airspeed indicator and your altimeter work by measuring outside air pressure through the pitot tube, if the tube is iced up you get incorrect data displayed on your instruments. Turning on the pitot heater gets rid of the ice and ensures you have accurate instruments.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Flanker1985
Also does anyone know where is the ignition key "I" in the cockpit?? I can't find it anywhere. And everytime I have to shut down the engine by cut the fuelcock.
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The reason the "I" key exists is that while most aircraft have a similar set of start-up actions to perform (turning on the fuel supply, magnetos, etc), most of the aircraft of the time had very different starters to turn the engine around and help it start.
To run an engine you need a fuel supply, ignition (spark plugs and magnetos) and air. To make it start however, you need a way to overcome the piston's compression and make it turn a couple of times, then all those things come together and once a first burn cycle occurs the engine can then start and turn on its own. This is the job of the starter.
Some aircraft used direct drive systems, others used inertial starters (a flywheel being spun up to high RPM, then coupled to the engine drive via a clutch), yet others used a hybrid of both, some used external sources (ground crew vehicles) and even firing blank shotgun cartridges (this was how most spitfires started, except maybe the Mk.I which had a pneumatic reservoir).
There was also a lot of variation on where the power came from to energize the starter: common systems were on-board battery power or external power via support vehicles/ground crew generators, but it was not uncommon to have manual systems too.
For example, the 109 had an inertial starter but batteries were heavy back then, so they didn't install a battery powerful enough to sufficiently spin up the starter in order to save weight. It was actually the mechanics/ground crew that did it manually with a hand-operated crank, then the pilot engaged the clutch that coupled the spinning flywheel to the engine drive and the engine would turn and start.
If you've ever seen wartime films of luftwaffe personnel in black uniforms running to a line of 109s, inserting a hand-crank into the cowling and turning it like mad, this is exactly what they did.
In yet other cases things were more complicated. To start the Blenheim, the mechanics would be standing next to the engine cowlings to turn the starter magneto on/off as needed and operate the priming pump (the pilot didn't have the necessary controls installed in the cockpit, they were only found on the engine nacelles).
As you can see, the variation is so great that it would take a lot of work to simulate 100% and it would probably need a separate command menu (like the radio commands for wingmen) just to talk to the ground crew
So they decided to go for a middle-of-the-road solution and give us the necessary controls to do what needs to be done up until the starter is engaged (setting the radiators, turning on the fuel, etc), while replacing all the variations in terms of starters with the "I" key to keep things manageable.
In other words, the "I" key represents engaging the starter but since there were so many different kinds of them and many required even more separate steps and possibly coordination with the ground crew, you won't find the equivalent of an "I" key in the cockpit.