Hs 129 barely flyable

[1984]

[II./JG1_Britchot]

The Hs-129 is one of my favorite planes in Il-2. Definitely a plane that you have to be gentle with to get the best results. It worked for Rudolf-Heinz Ruffer

[Rabb]

Originally Posted by Kittle

One thing I do in all aircraft when I am trying to preserve E is to slack off on prop pitch in a dive. When making your diving approach to a target in the 129, cut the pitch back to 45 - 50%. Your airspeed will climb rapidly as the prop is cause far less drag. Near the bottom of the attack, crank the pitch back up so you can grab more air and make the most of your gained airspeed in converting it to altitude.

Well, it is actually the other way around.

Prop pitch (together with throttle) is reduced in dives to prevent engine over-revving and subsequent damage, an to slow a dive a bit. Increasing prop pitch should reduce drag (propeller blades are more aligned with airflow), and thus enable (just for a bit) better speed gain. But it has to be controlled within engine RPM limit.

Of course, exact relations depend on aircarft's speed and throttle setting.

[RPS69]

Originally Posted by Rabb

Well, it is actually the other way around.

Prop pitch (together with throttle) is reduced in dives to prevent engine over-revving and subsequent damage, an to slow a dive a bit. Increasing prop pitch should reduce drag (propeller blades are more aligned with airflow), and thus enable (just for a bit) better speed gain. But it has to be controlled within engine RPM limit.

Of course, exact relations depend on aircarft's speed and throttle setting.

You both actually stated the same thing.

[Rabb]

Actually, no. Reducing prop pitch increases drag. At high speeds to be exact.

Increasing prop pitch at high (dive) speeds enables you to gain even more speed, but if you're not careful you can over-rev the engine and destroy it.

[Bolelas]

I am in confusion. You mean reducing(reducing rpm) pitch in a dive creates more drag? When you reduce pitch, the blades are more like feather prop, correct?

Or you mean, if you also reduce throttle, and the engine starts windmilling, that means it is the drag that keeps rotating the engine, and (correct) more drag(but minimal.
(i gess,i am no expert just curious

I think in a dive if you are with limit revs (not over-rev) the engine is slowing you down. Like in a descent with a carr, if you put low gear in, it will slow you down.

[Kittle]

LoL, this is easy to get confused on, cause I did. Rabb and I were indeed talking about the exact same thing. I did, however, have my terminology backwards. To 'bite' more air and get more power, you reduce the pitch. It is counter intuitive cause it seems in the mind that you are reducing. In this case, consider the blades being as wide as possible from the cockpit being reduced to 0 pitch. And when the blades are edge on to the cockpit being 100% pitch.

So, in order to go accelerate faster in the dive (within the limits of that particular aircrafts RPM range) you would increase the pitch.

In order to grab as much air with the prop as possible for maximum raw thrust, the pitch would be reduced to almost 0 degrees. It throws me off since, in civil planes anyway, pulling backwards on the prop pitch lever increases pitch, pushing forward reduces it. In my head, pulling back should very well be reducing, lmfao!!!

In my own head, i say reducing when I am actually increasing, hence the confusion. Hope this clarification helps, lol.

@ Rabb - Thx for keeping me on my toes! Aviation is, and always has been, about getting it right the first time since second chances are so rare in this field.


Like gramps used to say, "There are old pilots, and there are bold pilots, but there aren't any OLD & BOLD pilots!"

[RPS69]

Originally Posted by Rabb

Actually, no. Reducing prop pitch increases drag. At high speeds to be exact.

Increasing prop pitch at high (dive) speeds enables you to gain even more speed, but if you're not careful you can over-rev the engine and destroy it.

In game, you reduce percentage... to increase pitch. He is talking in game terms, you are talking in formal terms. But both are stating the same thing.
I don't know why IL2 implemented it that way, but it generates this kind of confussion.

Maybe the original intention was to reduce pitch effect, or increase it, not to actually reduce or increase blade pitch.

Originally Posted by Kittle

LoL, this is easy to get confused on, cause I did. Rabb and I were indeed talking about the exact same thing. I did, however, have my terminology backwards. To 'bite' more air and get more power, you reduce the pitch. It is counter intuitive cause it seems in the mind that you are reducing. In this case, consider the blades being as wide as possible from the cockpit being reduced to 0 pitch. And when the blades are edge on to the cockpit being 100% pitch.

So, in order to go accelerate faster in the dive (within the limits of that particular aircrafts RPM range) you would increase the pitch.

In order to grab as much air with the prop as possible for maximum raw thrust, the pitch would be reduced to almost 0 degrees. It throws me off since, in civil planes anyway, pulling backwards on the prop pitch lever increases pitch, pushing forward reduces it. In my head, pulling back should very well be reducing, lmfao!!!

In my own head, i say reducing when I am actually increasing, hence the confusion. Hope this clarification helps, lol.

@ Rabb - Thx for keeping me on my toes! Aviation is, and always has been, about getting it right the first time since second chances are so rare in this field.


Like gramps used to say, "There are old pilots, and there are bold pilots, but there aren't any OLD & BOLD pilots!"

Actually, pulling back the prop lever does reduce ... the rpm. It is the RPM controller: Back reduces rpm and forward increases it ... up to 100% (redline), with the throttle, of course, controlling manifold pressure the same way.

[Kittle]

@ zipper - Exactly!!! But you are in technically increasing pitch, the results are less drag caused by the prop and lowering the RPMs. I think they did it right in IL2, so people will know the effect their having on their aircraft without ground school, lol.