Take off problems

[Plt Off JRB Meaker]

Fly when your own time allows you to basically mate,you'll always find some guys on during the evenings,normally 19.00hrs GMT onwards,and at weekends it gets much more busier obviously.

Flying with CEM is a must,as it is with most of the serious flying servers,so it's best you get started with that asap IMO.It might be a bit difficult to start with,but I can assure you,you'll soon get the hang of it,and it's very rewarding when you finally master it.

I use my own settings on the Warthog always have done,you'll find it easier to remember the controls if you do this to be honest

[Blackadder]

I tried out the complex engine management this afternoon using the solo flight training mission. I was able to take off and fly about no problem, I didn't get that high but I got an understanding of how it all works.


I then went to do the redux campaign (I use the team fusion mod) and in the first mission I start warmed up on the ground. I have all the CEM settings the same as the solo flight but instead of a good take off which I can achieve in solo flight, this happens.

1) The plane crashes nose down as soon as I pick up real speed
2) Sometimes I will go nose down from stand still as soon as I apply throttle
3) Sometimes I am at full throttle and still do not move.

Strangely my attempts to take off all seem to end in one of those despite doing the same thing as the solo. I even went back to solo to test and I took off yet after about 15 attempts I did not take off in the campaign.


The campaign plane is also a hurricane but it may be a different version because in the solo flight the plane only has 2 prop pitch settings while the campaign one goes in 10% increments when I increase/decrease.

At first I though there was something blocking my wheels causing me to go nose down but there is not. Any idea why take off is so tough? The overwhelming nose down tendency caused me to destroy the blade 90% of the time, other times the plane would not move at all. All with the same amount of mixture, radiator, prop pitch, throttle, rudder, etc I used in the solo flight.

I thought it might be a team fusion thing but then my solo flight hurricane would be affected. Maybe it is that the hurricane in the campaign is different but even so it feels like a completely different plane in the campaign.

[ATAG_Dutch]

Hiya mate.

Some missions spawn with the brakes on and you have to dab the brake button to unlock 'em. Make sure you have a button on your joystick assigned to 'toggle wheel brakes', and just make a habit of dabbing them each time you spawn. The nosing over on take-off is something that happens even to us old hands if we're not concentrating. It usually means you're going a bit too fast. Try holding very slight back pressure on the the stick, and as the tail comes up holding it, and you should lift off naturally at about 85-90mph. Hope this helps.

P.S. the difference in pitch control is that you are now in the 'constant speed' Rotol prop version, which is actually much easier to manage. For take-off have it in fully fine pitch, with rpms at 3000 for take-off. As soon as you're up, and the gear is up, dial it down to around 2600-2700rpm, set radiator at 50%, or 'normal' if you look down and to the left at the in-cockpit indicator. She'll fly at these settings fine until you run out of fuel.

[Osprey]

Blackadder. Get a headset and jump into our Teamspeak when you next fly. Happy to help you out - it's easier to see the problem by flying alongside. European evenings are best, particularly Sundays.

http://www.aircombatgroup.co.uk/teamspeak.php

(might not have a password, I forget)

[Blackadder]

Thanks Dutch. That was the issue in the end and the last big one I have had so far I have had a good couple of days flying the redux campaign, going from take off to landing in the hanger using CEM and having a blast.

I am learning the hurricane well but I have a couple of questions.

1) When would you use the "boost cut out"?

2) I have been trying to follow radio vectors, when I get say "home base vector 300" and I use the directional gyro to go to 300 and it ends up being the wrong direction. How should I interpret vectors?



Osprey: I have a speedlink microphone on order. Do you use the "team fusion" mod for your server?

[ATAG_Dutch]

Originally Posted by Blackadder

1) When would you use the "boost cut out"?

2) I have been trying to follow radio vectors, when I get say "home base vector 300" and I use the directional gyro to go to 300 and it ends up being the wrong direction. How should I interpret vectors?

Osprey: I have a speedlink microphone on order. Do you use the "team fusion" mod for your server?

I'm sure Osprey won't mind me saying that the ACG server does run the TF 3.01 mod.

I'm not familiar with the campaign you're flying, so I'm not sure which specific aircraft you're flying either.

But, you only need the 'boost cutout' function if you're flying a 100octane fuelled Hurricane. Usually, maximum 'boost', i.e. your throttle setting, is limited to +6.25lbs of boost. When you fly a 100oct Hurri, you can flick the boost cutout switch, and 'push the throttle through the gate' to achieve +11lbs boost. This should be considered for emergency use only. To be honest, I very rarely use it, even in close combat. It's only effective under 15,000ft too (Osprey may correct me here, coz I'm more of a Spitty pilot than a Hurri pilot, but it's the same engine).

As to vectors, you have to set up both your compass and Gyro on the ground before you take off. They are never automatically set, so you've probably been going in the wrong direction because of this. There are tutorial videos on youtube telling you how to do this. It's too difficult to describe in words without pictures I'm afraid. I did a tutorial myself some time ago, but cleared it out of my youtube channel. Maybe I shouldn't have. Good Luck!!

Edit: Here's one, although the chap actually sets his Gyro to 295, not 275 as he says, but it should give you the idea. The important part is to line up North on the outer compass ring up with the 'T' shaped end of the bar, read off the heading against the dash straight ahead, and set your Gyro to this heading. Then your Gyro is showing the correct magnetic direction. Bear in mind that magnetic north is ten degrees west of geometric north on your map. You'll need to reset your Gyro with your compass periodically, as it 'drifts', just as they did for real.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTRC0sY67Pg

[Osprey]

No worries Dutch. The Storm of War server is up to TF301 yes. Regarding the BCC, the Hurricane is almost the same to operate as the Spitfire, same engine and fuel.

Quite simply the merlin could only achieve 6.25lbs boost @SL to the full throttle height on 87 octane fuel. With 100 octane it could manage 17lbs @SL, but this knackered the engine fast so it was restricted firstly by a Boost cutout control (BCC) plus other modification. This limited the normal full throttle to 6.25lbs unless you pulled the BCC and went full power, and got 12lbs boost. Since boost falls with height this is therefore only achievable to the FTH (Full throttle height) which is documented, can't remember off hand. The point is that it's useful below 15kft or so and for hard climbs. It does strain the enjoy though so keep the temps down.

We can teach you all this mate.

[redxfred]

Originally Posted by Blackadder

I tried out the complex engine management this afternoon using the solo flight training mission. I was able to take off and fly about no problem, I didn't get that high but I got an understanding of how it all works.


I then went to do the redux campaign (I use the team fusion mod) and in the first mission I start warmed up on the ground. I have all the CEM settings the same as the solo flight but instead of a good take off which I can achieve in solo flight, this happens.

1) The plane crashes nose down as soon as I pick up real speed
2) Sometimes I will go nose down from stand still as soon as I apply throttle
3) Sometimes I am at full throttle and still do not move.

Strangely my attempts to take off all seem to end in one of those despite doing the same thing as the solo. I even went back to solo to test and I took off yet after about 15 attempts I did not take off in the campaign.


The campaign plane is also a hurricane but it may be a different version because in the solo flight the plane only has 2 prop pitch settings while the campaign one goes in 10% increments when I increase/decrease.

At first I though there was something blocking my wheels causing me to go nose down but there is not. Any idea why take off is so tough? The overwhelming nose down tendency caused me to destroy the blade 90% of the time, other times the plane would not move at all. All with the same amount of mixture, radiator, prop pitch, throttle, rudder, etc I used in the solo flight.

I thought it might be a team fusion thing but then my solo flight hurricane would be affected. Maybe it is that the hurricane in the campaign is different but even so it feels like a completely different plane in the campaign.

B/A, one thing that may help to prevent a lot of takeoff problems is to establish a routine pre-flight procedure. There are lots of them out there, ranging from "Kick the Tires and Light the Fires" up to historically correct flight manual procedures. I personally like to start the engine right away with the radiator open, then, while the engine is warming up, use the time to:

-Set the two gun sight adjustments
-Set the course indicator and DI (Compass on the instrument panel)
-Operate the brakes and observe the brake gauge for released condition
-Set the elevator trim one unit nose down on the gauge
-Set the altimeter to field elevation if you choose to.

By then, the Merlin is close to, if not fully warmed up and you won't burn up the motor on takeoff. No time wasted and no adjustments necessary during and after takeoff! How many of us have blackened the windscreen because we missed that stupid radiator lever!