Increase /Decrease keys for radiator - Request for 4.11.1 or 4.12

[TheGrunch]

I would appreciate this too as I'd love to use the throttle mousewheel on my X-52 for radiator settings.

[WTE_Galway]

The axis mapping is a great improvement but not everyone has a spare control axis.


The current problem is this ...

Very few aircraft have a visual indication of radiator settings. yes, the Hurri does on the floor and in early 109s you can look at the wing and see the radiator opening and closing - but most IL2 aircraft provide no way of telling radiator position from the cockpit just by looking.

Hence if you are limited to keyboard controls only for the radiator and turn HUD messages off you have no way from cockpit view to tell the current radiator position once you forget what you last set it to.

[EJGr.Ost_Caspar]

The wish for +/- keys for radiators is acknowlegded. Personally I would find such step just logical in face of the latest radiator changings.

[Jumoschwanz]

Any bell or whistle that adds to realism is always welcome and applauded.

I never use intermediate radiator settings in fighters though. I am either cruising along with the radiator closed trying to save fuel while on patrol to or from a target or the front, or I have it wide open and am fighting or climbing to the altitude I want to cruise at, so the lack of radiator control never was an issue for me.

Didn't some famous fighter pilot talk about how his missions were long hours of tedium interrupted by second of terror and adrenaline? It is the same for my engine....

[jameson]

Originally Posted by WTE_Galway

The axis mapping is a great improvement but not everyone has a spare control axis.


The current problem is this ...

Very few aircraft have a visual indication of radiator settings. yes, the Hurri does on the floor and in early 109s you can look at the wing and see the radiator opening and closing - but most IL2 aircraft provide no way of telling radiator position from the cockpit just by looking.

Hence if you are limited to keyboard controls only for the radiator and turn HUD messages off you have no way from cockpit view to tell the current radiator position once you forget what you last set it to.

You could use the temperature guage, if you're not looking at it, why would you want to change the radiator position?

[WTE_Galway]

Originally Posted by jameson

You could use the temperature guage, if you're not looking at it, why would you want to change the radiator position?

It would be simpler (and historically more accurate) to just know your radiator is fully open rather than fly around watching the gauge trying to work out what it is set too.

[jameson]

Originally Posted by WTE_Galway

It would be simpler (and historically more accurate) to just know your radiator is fully open rather than fly around watching the gauge trying to work out what it is set too.

WTE not having a pop at you btw! It seems that the solution to this problem is for the lever, or whatever's responsible, to be animated in the cockpit, (Open or Closed, kind of thing). This would then permit 'flying by the book', and implementing the +/- keys for control would then be logical and whether the rad is open or shut would be apparent. But it would be some work, given the number of aircraft in the game, for TD to do this. Although the bonus of flying with increased historical accuracy, might tempt them to make the effort. Allied pilots might not appreciate the added workload though!
Are there penalties in game from flying around with rads open aside from drag, like having water and oil too cold fed into a hot engine? The reverse of overheating? I have no idea.

[WTE_Galway]

Originally Posted by jameson

Are there penalties in game from flying around with rads open aside from drag, like having water and oil too cold fed into a hot engine? The reverse of overheating? I have no idea.

Historically it was forbidden to use take-off power in many aircraft until the oil had reached operating temp. (One nice touch in the Lagg 3 is the engine temp warning light is lit on start-up and stays on until the engine reaches operating temperature)

Over-cooling was a common problem at altitude. Both the p47 and the p38 suffered mechanical failures related to over-cooling. I suspect it was a key factor in the p38 being withdrawn from European operations (the story about lack of cockpit heating giving the pilots cold toes is just silly). The LA5F also had over-cooling issues at one stage.

Note that it is quite possible for the same aircraft to suffer overheat problems under climb at sea level and then have over-cooling issues at altitude.

However I do not think over-cooling is modeled in game.

One issue that actually is modeled in game is the effect on low speed handling of some radiator cowls. A good example in game is the Lagg 3 once again, which wallows about like a pregnant hippo with the rad open at slow speed.

[Luno13]

It may be worth mentioning that sudden reductions in power could cause shock-cooling, and cracks in the cylinders.

Also, one could destroy his engine in a heartbeat if RPMs were set too low while manifold was too high. For this reason some planes had a stopper to prevent the throttle from moving past the RPM lever.

[Blackjack]

Originally Posted by WTE_Galway

However I do not think over-cooling is modeled in game.

Some many versions of il2 ago I dimly remember reading that restarting the engine could be impossible if the engine was undercooled, but if it was implemented as probability or otherwise I dont remember (and never really tested it).

Is it even possible to start a seized/damaged engine in game if it went out ?
Was it historically possible that a engine gave out and could be restarted ? (Or turn of because of fire, then on again)
In case of fire we have the "ethernal flame" modelling , after dropping speed it will burn 100% again even if turned off, so no point in turning it off and not going 100% power to get to safety and bail out