how to get the most out of the stang?

hey guys!the last few days im really enjoying to dogfight in the p51.

but i still have some trouble to understand how to get the best performance out of it during combat...

i have set both the throttle as well as the rpm control to my warthog throttle device.(left regulates rpm, right regulates mp)

now i wonder, what i should do, to get the best performance...

-probably its not a good idea to push both levers fully forward and keep them there(60mp,3000rpm)?

-is it better to keep constant rpm(3000?) and work with the mp?

-or is it better to push the mp to 60, and change rpm(reving up in climbs, and reducing rpm during dives?)

some answers on this from experienced stang pilots, or even the devs would be appreciated!

What I've done is do a level test flight and set the MP (not above 50) at certain settings and play with the prop and radiator, keep note of speeds and temps. In a DF I just open my radiators, because as you go over the top.. your engine goes into the red, and a couple top turns and the engine it phutt. - you need speed to keep it cool.

During AI practice, some say you must fly with combat flaps (one notch), but what I found is that flying with no flaps forces the AI to keep speed up as you're up there with it, and as it likes going over the top a lot and using the same FM, he starts to slow down. - Just stick on his tail for 5 minutes.. then pop him off.

This copycat maneuver teaches you to fly like the 'invincible' AI who seems to get the max out of the plane.

-probably its not a good idea to push both levers fully forward and keep them there(60mp,3000rpm)?

-is it better to keep constant rpm(3000?) and work with the mp?

-or is it better to push the mp to 60, and change rpm(reving up in climbs, and reducing rpm during dives?)

A few considerations:

Both high MP and high RPM are (even isolated) bad for your engine.

Max continuous is 45inHg@2700RPM.

High MP, low RPM -> very bad. High RPM low MP -> less bad (if below 2700 RPM, it doesn't hurt at all).

Do not under any circumstances go above 45inHg unless you are at 3000RPM or you will risk overboosting the engine, which is way more harmful than running it at take off power (61@3000). RPM and MP always need to be set in unison to obtain optimal performance (and engine life).

I usually stay at max continuous with occasional use of TO or WEP if i need it (i always try to time those, but that's not easy in the middle of a fight).

The small table on the right cockpit wall is very helpful, it lists the power settings for TO, max cont, max cruise etc. Use these as guidelines so as to not overboost the engine.

hey guys!the last few days im really enjoying to dogfight in the p51.

but i still have some trouble to understand how to get the best performance out of it during combat...

i have set both the throttle as well as the rpm control to my warthog throttle device.(left regulates rpm, right regulates mp)

now i wonder, what i should do, to get the best performance...

-probably its not a good idea to push both levers fully forward and keep them there(60mp,3000rpm)?

-is it better to keep constant rpm(3000?) and work with the mp?

-or is it better to push the mp to 60, and change rpm(reving up in climbs, and reducing rpm during dives?)

 

some answers on this from experienced stang pilots, or even the devs would be appreciated!

You should feel performance @ 46 in MP and 2700 RPM.

A good idea is to manually open both radiators and leave them in MANUAL.

How is this possible? The manual says:

"The OPEN position of the switch is spring-loaded and must be held in this position manually in order to further open the coolant flap. Releasing the switch from the OPEN position will automatically set it to the OFF position. The OPEN position can be used for ground operations or if manual adjustment of the coolant flap is necessary in flight."

I can't hold the radiators open in a combat situation! (i use clickable cockpit and need the hand for other things) :dunno:

If you have a cougar or warthog throttle, you can map them to one of the toggle switches. Actually, any non-momentary switch will work.

Assign any buttons (i use keyboard buttons).. Press and hold the key down - you'll hear 'motor' noises behind you as the flaps open/close

Why are we manually opening radiator dampers when they are supposed to work automatically in the "AUTO" mode?

thank you guys for all your answers!and special thx to yo-yo to attend in this thread!so i hear both from yo-yo and sobek, that if i change settings, i should do them simulatiously,changing rpm and mp at the same time(if i understood correctly).

btw, im pretty experienced in dogfights from other sims(ähhm sorry i mean games) just like CLOD.so im very well aware that speed is life, and to be honest, the last few days when i had some dogfights in multiplayer, i won most of the fights...but that was only because i tried to maintain good tactics,...keeping always more energy than my oponent...but while doing so, i had no idea what im doing with the engine of the stang.so my initial question is really only in regards of engine management and not overall dogfight tactics....though dont get me wrong, i appreciated every single answer in this thread so far!

ok so the conclusion from the answers above should be....

-to get the most out of plane, i should rev up up to 3000rpm, and increase mp to 60hg,....and this preferably simultaniously...

-to keep the best performance, i should carefully watch the temperature gauges, and in advance i could manually open both the rads to prevent overheating(especially in case of damage), while still at the max settings(3000rpm/60hg)

-once the critical temps are reached, or better slightly before, i should lower rpm and hg, again simultaniously, to about 2700rpm and which mp setting?(yo-yo mentioned, that 46hg is not a wise decision...so should i leave the mp at 60 and just reduce rpm?)

"Why are we manually opening radiator dampers when they are supposed to work automatically in the "AUTO" mode?"

By the way, heres a thread that already talks about running the coolers open, and temp guages that dont actually work:

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=99465

great and importent thread, few observations -

1. manual radiators work better to cool your engine at the higher speeds which means that it will take the engine abit longer to get hot in the lower speeds thous giving you an advantage.

2. trim control will add less drag in turns because as we are humans we tend to do our pulls hard meanwhile adding to AOA which significantly increases drag and lowers our energy.

3. i find that maximum mp and maximum rpm works welll (without WEP), If keeping around 250-300mph in the turns the engine will not get too hot.

4. using flaps - open more when in higher than best turn rate speed, open less when lower than best turn rate speed, this is ofcourse not definate and is subject to change according to the dogfight situation.

5. between 15-20k supercharger does not kick in, need to hold the high switch manualy to get more boost out of the engine.

questions for yoyo -

1. best engine settings for dive? and which speeds?

2. best sustained turn rate speed/altitude?

3. open radiator drag effects?

Hope this is helpful :pilotfly:

thank you guys for all your answers!and special thx to yo-yo to attend in this thread!so i hear both from yo-yo and sobek, that if i change settings, i should do them simulatiously,changing rpm and mp at the same time(if i understood correctly).

No. This is where it gets fun. :)

When increasing power, you first increase RPM, then Manifold. When decreasing power, Manifold first, then RPM. The reason is that below the MP regulator threshold, RPM has an influence on MP, so if you were to decrease RPM first, you would end up getting higher MP than what you originally set, which could be harmful to the engine.

great and importent thread, few observations -

1. manual radiators work better to cool your engine at the higher speeds which means that it will take the engine abit longer to get hot in the lower speeds thous giving you an advantage.

2. trim control will add less drag in turns because as we are humans we tend to do our pulls hard meanwhile adding to AOA which significantly increases drag and lowers our energy.

3. i find that maximum mp and maximum rpm works welll (without WEP), If keeping around 250-300mph in the turns the engine will not get too hot.

4. using flaps - open more when in higher than best turn rate speed, open less when lower than best turn rate speed, this is ofcourse not definate and is subject to change according to the dogfight situation.

5. between 15-20k supercharger does not kick in, need to hold the high switch manualy to get more boost out of the engine.

 

questions for yoyo -

1. best engine settings for dive? and which speeds?

2. best sustained turn rate speed/altitude?

3. open radiator drag effects?

 

Hope this is helpful :pilotfly:

interesting...some minutes ago, i flew a mission against two ai mustangs...we started at an altitude of 20000ft. i saw that my supercharger was in the high blow position...then when i went into turns and dives, it automatically switched back to low, and when i climbed again, it went back into the high position....HOWEVER: the lever in the cockpit is not really clickable!

when i flew the mission i could see, that the manifold pressure was pretty low sometimes, when the supercharger changed into low position...so i thought, well then i switch it manually to high, and let it there as long as im at high altitudes...to my surprise i couldnt switch it.i could click away the red safety "switch"...but the supercharger lever itself was not clickable...

then i assigned levers of my warthog throttle to it,...and then i could manipulate the supercharger lever...but still only with the warthog throttle...and not with the mouse except when

i switched it to low position, then i could suddenly click the lever, and it switched to automatic position...

HOWEVER: the lever in the cockpit is not really clickable!

Yes it is, the placement of the klick zones is a bit odd, though.

HOWEVER: the lever in the cockpit is not really clickable!

S!

Yes it is, the placement of the klick zones is a bit odd, though.

mh really? when i dragged my mouse cursor over the lever, i could see the green arrow sign, indicating that im in the right position to click it, but still nothing happened.and every time when i switched to low postion manually with the assigned button on my throttle, it was no problem to click it back to automatic position...but only that position.when i kept clicking without changing position of the mouse cursor, the lever then stayed in the automatic position.

anyway, when im back from work, i will try it again...

"Why are we manually opening radiator dampers when they are supposed to work automatically in the "AUTO" mode?"

 

By the way, heres a thread that already talks about running the coolers open, and temp guages that dont actually work:

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=99465

ok one more question, since this thread is about engine management...i had a quick look at the above quoted thread(link)

there people keep talking about leaving the rad settings on either auto or manually...this confuses me a bit, and i dont know if i understand the system, or better the cockpit switches correctly...

right now im away from home so i cannot check it myself for now, so correct me if im wrong, but for both the water and the oil radiator there is this three position switch...auto-close-open

and both are set by default to auto.you can manually push and hold them either in the close or open postion...as long as you hold the switch, it will either close or open the rad, and once you release the switch, it will automatically switch back to auto postion...so when it tilts back to auto postion, is it then controlled again by the automatic system?or will the radiators stay in the position where i left them?how do i switch to automatic position again?

i think there is an error somewhere in the above paragraph, but thats my understanding of it so far...and im confused, but im sure somebody can enlighten me. :)

oh and at least as important as understanding how the switches work would be to know, whether the drag is modeled if you have the rads opened, or if its not modeled at all, and one could fly with fully opened rads all time without any penality in speed...

oh and at least as important as understanding how the switches work would be to know, whether the drag is modeled if you have the rads opened, or if its not modeled at all, and one could fly with fully opened rads all time without any penality in speed...

Nice thread David! :thumbup: The Mustang is a bit more complicated in this aspect as it had some use of Meredith effect and the scoop was designed to produce some thrust with rads open.

Did you mean - CLOSED?

No, I mean open :thumbup: Just noting to David that the Mustang coller design was different and very specific, and some of the rad flap drag is cancelled by Meredith effect. So you don't have your usual linear case of radiator more open = more drag. Just as you stated, it gets even more complicated with the aftercooler etc.