How to everything

[Brimstone]

Hello!

 

I have been playing this simulator for a while now, (probably not too long compared to most you) and want to move up from standard to expert.  Unfortunately, I don't have any idea how to operate my engine, at all, or anything really about expert mode.  So I'm going to ask you all, for tips, guides, anything that will help me be able to take off, stay on course, complete the mission, return and land.  I will be looking at the forums manuals section, and try to learn from that.  But anything you could tell/show me, would be very much appreciated!

 

Thanks in advance!

-VinylFlyer

Edited May 7, 2015 by VinylFlyer

[CAN_Yeager]

Download and read this

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/20586543/Chuck%20Il-2%20Battle%20of%20Stalingrad%20Guide.pdf

 

I am new here too but the short answer is your pushing your engine if you run it over 80%. Russian planes you have to manage prop pitch In accordance with performance charts. Temperature control ie cowl flaps/radiator's can be manually controlled too.

 

And locking tail wheel for take offs and landings is important too.

 

o7

[AbortedMan]

[SpaydCBR]

You need to check out this Youtube playlist:

 

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnyigzFtHeNquPvKFr3mazkk_VK0JpxUw

 

Watching these videos helped me a lot when I was getting started, along with the document Yeager provided

[Finkeren]

Requiems short tutorial vids on youtube are a great place to start.

 

Engine management is fairly straightforward anyway. The German fighters have automatic systems for practically everything, and all you have to do really is watch the manifold pressure: cruise below 1.20 ATA, combat setting under 1.30 ATA (Fw 190) 1.32 ATA (Bf 109 F4) never slam the throttle fully open unless in an emergency and only for maximum 1 minute. The Bf 109 G2 has a locking its throttle and can be cruised continuously at 1.30 ATA and you can open throttle fully for about 30 mins without risk.

[Finkeren]

The Soviet engines all function pretty much the same way but have different temperaments and can occasionally be difficult to keep cool even on winter conditions (we are so screwed when we get the summer maps)

 

Most Soviet aircraft in BoS (Yak-1, LaGG-3 and Pe-2) uses a supercharged version of the Klimov 105 engine, which is very easy to oprate. Cruise at max. 90% throttle and set prop RPM to 5500 to keep it cool. Switch from supercharger gear 1 to 2 once you pass 2000m altitude and remember to chance it back once you go lower again. Combat setting can be anywhere from 93% to fully opened throttle and 2600-2700rpm (the lower setting gives you extra time before needing to open the radiators but obviously provides a little less power)

Mixture is something you don't really need to worry about if flying below 4000m (the supercharger will supply enough air to keep up with the lower air pressure. Above 4K you need to lean and do so fairly rapidly. The best indicator for mixture (except on the Pe-2) is sticking your head out the cockpit (if the air speed permits) and look at the exhaust flames. Ideally you want a mixture of blue and orange flames, then the mixture is balanced. When cruising it can be a good idea to lean a little extra (blue flames) it improves fuel economy and keeps temperatures down)

 

Other than that, it's all about keeping temperatures down. There is only one way to do this: Keep an eye on the gauges, learn which ones are oil temp and which are coolant (water) they have individual radiator control and mostly don't need the same amount of cooling. There are different min/max values for each plane, but if you try and keep both gauges between 70 and 100 at all times, you are safe. Check temps once every 20 sec during cruise and as often as you can during combat. Keep it as cool as posible during cruise so that you can start combat with radiators closed and only gradually have to open them.

 

Remember that all cooling is just about cold air flowing through your engine, so airspeed is extremely important. If you fly at 250 km/h in a turnfight with your throttle open for a long time, you cannot keep temperatures down no matter how much you open your radiators. Likewise remember to close radiators before initiating a dive (especially if you also pull back on the throttle) to percent over cooling.

 

That's pretty much it for the Klimov.

 

The AM-38 on the IL-2 functions pretty much the same way, but with two major differences: First it has no supercharger, so no need to change gears and you have to start adjusting mixture right away (not really a problem since you'll seldom be flying higher than 2000m in the IL-2 so you'll hardly ever need to lean to more than 80%) Second, the AM-38 is a bit more sensitive. It overheats easily (primarily due to the low air speed you're flying at) and pushing the throttle beyond 93% will send the engine into a 'boosted' mode which can potentially damage the engine and causes it to overheat rapidly (never had any damage from it myself) If you just keep throttle below 93% and check your temps it's really about the easiest plane to fly.

 

The Ash-82 on the La-5 again is quite similar to the Klimov but can be a bit more temperamental. There are two diffences though: First, it's an air cooled engine, meaning the temperatures on gauge are much higher (they're showing cylinder temps - not coolant temp) I forget the values but from the gauge it's pretty clear where the needle needs to be. The air flow is controlled by two sets of cowl flaps to the front of the engine (letting air in) and the back (letting air out) NOTE: Each set has their own controls, you need to operate both! Supposedly you can have them set at different settings for optimal performance depending on air speed, I just mapped them both to the same slider and have had no trouble. The second difference is, that the Ash-82 has a special button which when pressed provides extra boost for the engine. It only works in supercharger gear 1 and loses effectiveness with altitude, becoming completely useless around 2500m so only use it down low. There's no set limit on the use if the boost button, but it does make it almost imposible to keep the engine cool so switch it off when not absolutely needed.

 

Hope this helps.

[361fundahl]

Thank you finkeren! I'd like to see the historic in/out cowl settings for the La-5 if you know where to find that.

[Finkeren]

Thank you finkeren! I'd like to see the historic in/out cowl settings for the La-5 if you know where to find that.

 

I have no such sources, I just do what seems to work tbh.

 

If you want detailed numbers for settings (not necessarilly the historical ones, but the ones that work in BoS) you can take a look at Chucks excellent guide here:

 

http://forum.il2sturmovik.com/topic/10268-chucks-aircraft-guide/?p=157599

[Brimstone]

Download and read this

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/20586543/Chuck%20Il-2%20Battle%20of%20Stalingrad%20Guide.pdf

 

I am new here too but the short answer is your pushing your engine if you run it over 80%. Russian planes you have to manage prop pitch In accordance with performance charts. Temperature control ie cowl flaps/radiator's can be manually controlled too.

 

And locking tail wheel for take offs and landings is important too.

 

o7

 

I will be sure to check that out, and keep the other that in mind, thanks.

 

You need to check out this Youtube playlist:

 

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnyigzFtHeNquPvKFr3mazkk_VK0JpxUw

 

Watching these videos helped me a lot when I was getting started, along with the document Yeager provided

 

Thank you

 

Requiems short tutorial vids on youtube are a great place to start.

 

Engine management is fairly straightforward anyway. The German fighters have automatic systems for practically everything, and all you have to do really is watch the manifold pressure: cruise below 1.20 ATA, combat setting under 1.30 ATA (Fw 190) 1.32 ATA (Bf 109 F4) never slam the throttle fully open unless in an emergency and only for maximum 1 minute. The Bf 109 G2 has a locking its throttle and can be cruised continuously at 1.30 ATA and you can open throttle fully for about 30 mins without risk.

The Soviet engines all function pretty much the same way but have different temperaments and can occasionally be difficult to keep cool even on winter conditions (we are so screwed when we get the summer maps)

 

Most Soviet aircraft in BoS (Yak-1, LaGG-3 and Pe-2) uses a supercharged version of the Klimov 105 engine, which is very easy to oprate. Cruise at max. 90% throttle and set prop RPM to 5500 to keep it cool. Switch from supercharger gear 1 to 2 once you pass 2000m altitude and remember to chance it back once you go lower again. Combat setting can be anywhere from 93% to fully opened throttle and 2600-2700rpm (the lower setting gives you extra time before needing to open the radiators but obviously provides a little less power)

Mixture is something you don't really need to worry about if flying below 4000m (the supercharger will supply enough air to keep up with the lower air pressure. Above 4K you need to lean and do so fairly rapidly. The best indicator for mixture (except on the Pe-2) is sticking your head out the cockpit (if the air speed permits) and look at the exhaust flames. Ideally you want a mixture of blue and orange flames, then the mixture is balanced. When cruising it can be a good idea to lean a little extra (blue flames) it improves fuel economy and keeps temperatures down)

 

Other than that, it's all about keeping temperatures down. There is only one way to do this: Keep an eye on the gauges, learn which ones are oil temp and which are coolant (water) they have individual radiator control and mostly don't need the same amount of cooling. There are different min/max values for each plane, but if you try and keep both gauges between 70 and 100 at all times, you are safe. Check temps once every 20 sec during cruise and as often as you can during combat. Keep it as cool as posible during cruise so that you can start combat with radiators closed and only gradually have to open them.

 

Remember that all cooling is just about cold air flowing through your engine, so airspeed is extremely important. If you fly at 250 km/h in a turnfight with your throttle open for a long time, you cannot keep temperatures down no matter how much you open your radiators. Likewise remember to close radiators before initiating a dive (especially if you also pull back on the throttle) to percent over cooling.

 

That's pretty much it for the Klimov.

 

The AM-38 on the IL-2 functions pretty much the same way, but with two major differences: First it has no supercharger, so no need to change gears and you have to start adjusting mixture right away (not really a problem since you'll seldom be flying higher than 2000m in the IL-2 so you'll hardly ever need to lean to more than 80%) Second, the AM-38 is a bit more sensitive. It overheats easily (primarily due to the low air speed you're flying at) and pushing the throttle beyond 93% will send the engine into a 'boosted' mode which can potentially damage the engine and causes it to overheat rapidly (never had any damage from it myself) If you just keep throttle below 93% and check your temps it's really about the easiest plane to fly.

 

The Ash-82 on the La-5 again is quite similar to the Klimov but can be a bit more temperamental. There are two diffences though: First, it's an air cooled engine, meaning the temperatures on gauge are much higher (they're showing cylinder temps - not coolant temp) I forget the values but from the gauge it's pretty clear where the needle needs to be. The air flow is controlled by two sets of cowl flaps to the front of the engine (letting air in) and the back (letting air out) NOTE: Each set has their own controls, you need to operate both! Supposedly you can have them set at different settings for optimal performance depending on air speed, I just mapped them both to the same slider and have had no trouble. The second difference is, that the Ash-82 has a special button which when pressed provides extra boost for the engine. It only works in supercharger gear 1 and loses effectiveness with altitude, becoming completely useless around 2500m so only use it down low. There's no set limit on the use if the boost button, but it does make it almost imposible to keep the engine cool so switch it off when not absolutely needed.

 

Hope this helps.

 

It does immensely, remind of me of one thing though.  Do I want the mixture rich or lean when I take off?  I thought it was rich when climbing, leaner when diving and you already have airspeed coming from gravity.  Also, any tips on shooting more accurately (if you have any) would also be appreciated.  Thanks!

[Finkeren]

remind of me of one thing though. Do I want the mixture rich or lean when I take off? I thought it was rich when climbing, leaner when diving and you already have airspeed coming from gravity. Also, any tips on shooting more accurately (if you have any) would also be appreciated. Thanks!

Mixture is simply the ratio of fuel vapor to air that's pumped into the cylinders (the fuel needs the oxygen from the air to combust) As the plane climbs to higher altitude the air gets thinner (thus containing less oxygen per volume) so it's necessary to add more air to the mix (and consequently less fuel) this is called 'leaning' the mixture. Normally you'll start with full rich mixture on the ground and gradually lean as you climb, and then enrich it again as you descend. In BoS most aircraft (except the IL-2) are equipped with a supercharger which compresses the air that goes in the mixture and therefore negates the need to lean. This goes up to about 4000m when the supercharger can no longer keep up with the thinner air, and you have to start leaning.

 

The consequence of running the engine too 'rich' is that there is insufficient oxygen in the cylinder to completely burn the fuel, so some fuel will remain and foul the spark plugs and posibly enter the exhaust system and detonate there (this is known as 'backfiring' and is not modelled in BoS) The consequence of running too lean is not as serious but simply means slightly less fuel is burned than could be leading to lower power output but also less heating and posibly better fuel economy. If you lean significantly too much however, you'll starve the engine which will begin to struggle, have trouble keeping rpms up and eventually choke and stall completely.

 

On all German aircraft, the mixture control is an integrated part of the engine and therefore there is no mixture control.

 

As for gunnery it's really something you have to develop a feeling for. If you've played IL2 1946, there's really nothing left to learn. Just remember to use deflection, preferably shoot at convergence distance and get up close and personal. Your first kills will likely happen from <50m distance, until you develop a sense for it.

Edited May 7, 2015 by Finkeren

[Brimstone]

As for gunnery it's really something you have to develop a feeling for. If you've played IL2 1946, there's really nothing left to learn. Just remember to use deflection, preferably shoot at convergence distance and get up close and personal. Your first kills will likely happen from <50m distance, until you develop a sense for it.

I've played the original IL-2, as well as some RoF.  I am a much better gunner in both of those, than here, guess I will just have to practice.

[LukeFF]

There's no set limit on the use if the boost button, but it does make it almost impossible to keep the engine cool so switch it off when not absolutely needed.

 

It has a 5-minute continuous usage limit. 

Edited May 7, 2015 by LukeFF

[Finkeren]

It has a 5-minute continuous usage limit.

Really? I oughta have blown my engine many times over then

[Sunde]

Really? I oughta have blown my engine many times over then

Same.. I guess my plane was simply not aware of this 5 min limit. 

[LukeFF]

Really? I oughta have blown my engine many times over then

 

That's according to the team, yes. 5 minutes, use only below 3,000 meters in supercharger stage 1. It's part of the engine operating data I've gathered from the engineers for the user's manual.

[Finkeren]

That's according to the team, yes. 5 minutes, use only below 3,000 meters in supercharger stage 1. It's part of the engine operating data I've gathered from the engineers for the user's manual.

Ok. Best keep within the limits set by the devs then.