Did the fighters have auto level pilot?

[Bomred]

It is a useful toll, but is it realistic?

[AndyJWest]

No. not in the slightest.

[6./ZG26_5tuka]

Level bombers usually had a mechanical computer calculating the rudder and elevator movement for horizontal flight. During a bombing pass the pilot owuld leave controll of the plane to the bombadier letting him correct the flight patch via small adjustments.

 

On fighters and other planes it's surely fantasy, though no nessecarily bad considering the limitations we have to struggle with ingame.

[Bomred]

Thank you, and forgive my mistake (tool, not toll, of course).

 

So how did they flight strait forward in the middle of a thick cloud?

 

I suppose the leaning toward one side was noticed by the pilot, but it is pretty dificult when you don´t feel gravity and other forces at the other side of the screen...

[DD_bongodriver]

 

 

So how did they flight strait forward in the middle of a thick cloud?

 

Avoid it if they could, flying in cloud can be very undesirable, particularly at high altitude or with ambient temps below 10 Deg C ice can be a problem, if you do fly in cloud then fly on instruments.

[39bn_pavig]

Flying straight and level in cloud is a matter of paying very close attention to your instruments. Horizon and slip for any changes in orientation, compass to doublecheck orientation. If you are lucky there may be some sun coming through the cloud to aid in keeping straight by keeping the glow in the same general direction. 

 

In Rise of Flight I even learned to fly straight in cloud by listening to the engine - changes in prop noise could indicate upward or downward aspect, and combined with compass slip you could ensure you got through cloud at the same altitude and heading. Not easy though.

[Lusekofte]

Autolevel is a simplified autopilot for bombers , it actually works like a autopilot did back then. But without the routine to get it work, like setting the course manually and such things. 

And as I know English bombers did not have it connected to the bombsight, German loft had, Noden bombsight had German bombers and 110 had a cruel form for autopilot witch needed aid when change of course 

[HeavyCavalrySgt]

Thank you, and forgive my mistake (tool, not toll, of course).

 

So how did they flight strait forward in the middle of a thick cloud?

 

I suppose the leaning toward one side was noticed by the pilot, but it is pretty dificult when you don´t feel gravity and other forces at the other side of the screen...

 

 

That is still something that kills pilots today...

 

You just have to watch your instruments (turn coordinator, artificial horizon, directional gyro, vertical speed indicator, altimeter and airspeed indicator) to make sure the plane isn't doing anything you don't want it to be doing.  What your body is telling you is far less reliable because a shallow, coordinated turn feels just about identical to level flight.  There are times when it is a mental battle to ignore what your body is telling you and trust your instruments.

 

In these planes it is especially hard, because the instruments are in odd locations, hard to see, in a language I don't understand and are pretty basic in many cases anyway, and the controls are sensitive and the planes don't always trim up well.The one upside is that your body isn't lying to you about what the plane is doing.

 

If you are curious, Google "Inadvertent IMC".  Clouds really can be scary if you are not planning on being in them, but suddenly are.

[Sokol1]

"And as I know English bombers did not have it connected to the bombsight, "

 

The game dont have English bombers, but have the Pe-2... not fited with autopilot... 

[Lusekofte]

I obviously know that, but level bombing just by trimming the plane is un doable. So a level auto pilot is not a bad idea if you do not have a human bombaimer and a human pilot.

You can imagine the auto level pilot to be your pilot while you aim. 

And the technology was there rough and primitive but it was there

 

By the way, I use it in fighters also, it is nice to be able to fetch a cup of coffee on transport bits

Edited November 5, 2014 by LuseKofte

[Helyi]

 

 

I suppose the leaning toward one side was noticed by the pilot, but it is pretty dificult when you don´t feel gravity and other forces at the other side of the screen...

It's probably already been said but not necessarily.

There have been many deaths and crashes throughout aviation history due to people flying through cloud. Even planes that are equipped with artificial horizons and bank/turn indicators have had pilots mistrust them and flown into mountains/ground etc.

 

For all intents and purposes the vestibular system of your ear is nothing more than fluid which pushes on tiny follicles in your cupula, irrespective of the angle of bank if you're pulling 1g that fluid will be maintained as though you were standing upright on the ground. Thus you physically have no clue what orientation you (and therefore the plane) is at..

Imagine taking a cup of water in a plane, it gradually banks and turns until a perfect degree angle of bank [one wing towards the sky one towards the ground] and pulling 1g [not far fetched for a plane slowly rolling around in cloud]. The cup of water will remain perfectly level and in the cup because the centripetal force acting on the water is relatively 1g.

 

Now take your eyes playing tricks on you with a false horizon which can make it "appear" as though you can see the horizon when the plane could actually be on a 45 degree inverted roll and pulling 1-g towards the ground... Your eyes think you're straight and level your balance system is tricked into thinking you're straight and level.

 

You can replicate the false horizon effect in many games, just go for a fly through cloud for a solid minute or so and ignore everything else, you'll probably pick out a false horizon. Now predict which way you think you're going vs which way you actually are when you come out of the cloud  

[Crump]

The FW-190 series R11 Rustzustand not only had an autopilot, IIRC, it had the ability to slave it to the navigational compass to hold a heading or follow a navigational beacon.  The FW-190A*/R11 is the all weather fighter variant.  Basically it was a Focke Wulf Fighter set up to operate in Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC).

[1Sascha]

Apart from practical problems with weight/size/cost of the equipment necessary, I would imagine that during the early war at least, an autopilot just wasn't deemed necessary for a single-engined fighter. Early 109s had pretty limited endurance (like 90 minutes or something like that?). Heck, pre-G2 they didn't even have a complete set of instruments, lacking essential stuff like an artificial horizon.. :D

[Crump]

Apart from practical problems with weight/size/cost of the equipment necessary, I would imagine that during the early war at least, an autopilot just wasn't deemed necessary for a single-engined fighter. Early 109s had pretty limited endurance (like 90 minutes or something like that?). Heck, pre-G2 they didn't even have a complete set of instruments, lacking essential stuff like an artificial horizon.. :D

 

 

If you have ever done any real IFR....an autopilot is just about essential for IFR flight.  SE fighters in World War II were not set up or able to effectively conduct IFR flights.  They were "dayfighters" designed to operate in daylight VFR conditions even late in the war.

 

They could penetrate a thin layer or follow a nav beacon in a cloud for a short periods but were not ever intended to fly in real IFR conditions.  Just like World War I, The Mk I Eyeball was still the predominate positive guidance in the aviation world.

Penetrating a frontal system would be problematic without an autopilot that can follow a heading or a beacon.