P-40E first impressions

[=362nd_FS=Hiromachi]

I think the fuel gauge is not working. Can anyone confirm?

There are 3, there is one on the control panel which is Fuselage Fuel tank, there is other one, on the floor right under pilot seat. Move your head forward a little bit and look down, you should see it. And to my mind, when tested, it worked perfectly fine.

Just when you dont run in 100% fuel (or whatever the exact % is when fuel tank is getting filled) the gauge does not indicate anything as tank is empty. 

Edited September 29, 2015 by =LD=Hiromachi

[LukeFF]

There are 2 ones, there is one on the control panel which is Fuselage Fuel tank and there is other one, on the floor right under pilot seat. Move your head forward a little bit and look down, you should see it. And to my mind, when tested, it worked perfectly fine.

Just when you dont run in 100% fuel (or whatever the exact % is when fuel tank is getting filled) the gauge does not indicate anything as tank is empty. 

 

3 gauges- one for the fuselage, and then 1 each for the rear wing and front wing tanks.

Edited September 29, 2015 by LukeFF

[=362nd_FS=Hiromachi]

3 gauges- one for the fuselage, and then 1 each for the rear wing and front wing tanks.

Yeah yeah, I corrected myself. I rarely look on them so remember there was one right under the seat

[Guest deleted@50488]

Apparently the lateral instability is a fact:

 

P-40K 42-9749 “Burma Rascal”

The P-40K was a development of the P-40E easily recognized by its extended vertical tail fin, an unsuccessful attempt to cure the P-40′s lateral instability issues.

 

so, I was very positively impressed with one of the movies posted above where we can actually sense that instability. Well done BoS/BoM Team!!!

Edited September 29, 2015 by jcomm

[=362nd_FS=Hiromachi]

It is, there is a NACA report for that and 4 types of rudders they tested, along with trim tabs and other stuff. 

So they hit the spot here

Edited September 29, 2015 by =LD=Hiromachi

[6./ZG26_Gielow]

Apparently the lateral instability is a fact:

 

P-40K 42-9749 “Burma Rascal”

The P-40K was a development of the P-40E easily recognized by its extended vertical tail fin, an unsuccessful attempt to cure the P-40′s lateral instability issues.

 

so, I was very positively impressed with one of the movies posted above where we can actually sense that instability. Well done BoS/BoM Team!!!

Nice to know that is historically accurate Great job Devs!!

 

If you are a German pilot and there is a P40 on your tail, just fly straight and level lol

[keeno]

Geilow, Nikko,

 

thanks for the vids. I'm on nightshift and only had 15mins of testing before I came to work. I love it!

 

The P40 has always been a firm fave of mine. The engine sound is great, I had my headphones on but I fly with the external PC speakers also on with the bass unit cranked right up between my legs, its very immersive. Anyway my son came home from school and popped into the PC room to see what was going on and told me he could hear the P40 engine from outside the house! 

 

Also, it sounds like the 109 engine sound has received some love as that sounds great too, I always thought it sounded a bit weak previously.

 

 

Thanks again guys.

[=362nd_FS=Hiromachi]

=Gielow' timestamp='1443553851' post='289832'] If you are a German pilot and there is a P40 on your tail, just fly straight and level lol

Spiral climbing ftw ! 

Edited September 29, 2015 by =LD=Hiromachi

[Hartigan]

Prop pitch does not respond any commands when cold start is selected from the option and starting point is parked. Levers move like they should but engine won´t take commands. Even when select AUTO/MANUAL. And after 5 minutes flying game crashes. (occured and tested once with cold start and parked) When choose option to start from the runway, everything works fine even when "cold start" is selected. Posted to technical page

[Kling]

In the video it looks like the all 6 MGs have the tracers completely syncronized. I hope Im wrong because it looks a bit weird if all 6 guns have their tracers syncronized.

 

Can anyone confirm?

Beautiful aircraft though!!

[AndyJWest]

The .50 cals prove effective at knocking a locomotive off the tracks. 

 

 

The damage model proved interesting too. A hit from a Ju 52 gunner disabled one elevator - leaving it in a slightly up position. I managed to pull off my standard pogo-stick-and-groundloop landing though...

Edited September 29, 2015 by AndyJWest

[Guest deleted@50488]

Prop pitch does not respond any commands when cold start is selected from the option and starting point is parked. Levers move like they should but engine won´t take commands. Even when select AUTO/MANUAL. And after 5 minutes flying game crashes. (occured and tested once with cold start and parked) When choose option to start from the runway, everything works fine even when "cold start" is selected. Posted to technical page

 

In Expert mode or Custom mode you ave to use the same controls you assigned for your Bf109 and Fw190 prop pitch manual control - the prop rpm axis is not functional.

[Jason_Williams]

In the video it looks like the all 6 MGs have the tracers completely syncronized. I hope Im wrong because it looks a bit weird if all 6 guns have their tracers syncronized.

 

Can anyone confirm?

Beautiful aircraft though!!

 

Yes this is a known issue. They didn't have time to randomize them yet.

 

Jason

[EAF19_Marsh]

Silly question, but what are the radiator controls?

[LukeFF]

Silly question, but what are the radiator controls?

 

Outlet Cowl Flaps

[EAF19_Marsh]

Outlet Cowl Flaps

Thanks

[6./ZG26_Emil]

It over-cools very easily as well from what I found in my brief test. 

[BeastyBaiter]

First impressions from me are

1) Nice cockpit

2) Requires an insane amount of right roll trim at most speeds

3) Requires a lot of left rudder trim at high speed (is the vertical stab at an angle?).

4) If the climb rate were any worse, it would never leave the ground.

5) The guns are more effective than I thought they'd be, and I always thought they'd be pretty nasty.

6) It can do some pretty crazy side slipping, much like the Fokker Dr.I in RoF.

[Zep]

Hi guys!

I wanted to reproduce the cockpit of P-40E. It was really hard, i'm the russian and don't know english so good. But i tried very hard to make this. If you will find mistakes or inaccuracies in the text, please write. Then I want to translate this in russian for forum to help our pilots better to use this plane

[6./ZG26_Emil]

 

4) If the climb rate were any worse, it would never leave the ground.

 

 

I didn't want to be the guy that said it but it's a bit like flying a big fat (albeit pretty) pig. I will have mucho respect for people who fly this online 

[6./ZG26_Gielow]

Its like a Fw190. If they come head on, you have advantage if you are a better shooter of course.

 

If you start a dogfight and the enemy keeps going down to the deck, you will have the edge.

 

But if you lose energy or is caught in lower altitudes and speeds, you lose.

Edited September 30, 2015 by =[Coffin]=Gielow

[-TBC-AeroAce]

The plane is pants!!!! (Not saying badly modeled)

[=CFC=Conky]

Hello all,

 

I haven't 'fought' it yet but a quick spin shows it to be nice and steady on take off and landing and as long as you keep a little speed it's a very stable straffing platform. The tracers are a little hard to see but that was against the snow.

 

Good hunting,

=CFC=Conky

[smink1701]

I really like the P40 but do agree that the sound of the guns could be a lit a bit louder. I also think the guns on the 109 have been toned down a bit

[Wulf]

I haven't flown it personally but I have engaged it online with my trusty (but in some respect under-performing  ) A-3.  Although it's early days, (and I haven't fought it above 3k as yet), it doesn't seem very threatening at all.  Frankly, (and again, it's very much first impressions) I think the Lagg-3 is a far more dangerous proposition.  It will be interesting to see how it unfolds over the coming weeks.  If the FM is indeed accurate, it certainly isn't too difficult to see how H-JM managed to rack-up a good tally of the things.

Edited September 30, 2015 by Wulf

[LukeFF]

Hi guys!

I wanted to reproduce the cockpit of P-40E. It was really hard, i'm the russian and don't know english so good. But i tried very hard to make this. If you will find mistakes or inaccuracies in the text, please write. Then I want to translate this in russian for forum to help our pilots better to use this plane

 

This will help you. 

Edited September 30, 2015 by LukeFF

[ShamrockOneFive]

First impression is... This is quite the airplane! I feel like the roll rate is quite a bit more sluggish than I expected it to be but I'm impressed with the dive rate (a historical plus) and the 6x.50cal hits hard and its quite useful in a dogfighting situation. Quite a change from what I'm used to. The instability will take some getting used to but I'm loving just flying the P-40 around. It looks the part which I suppose is part of the appeal.

[Comes]

I only fought it so far, because I did not preorder BOM (yet). 

But man, you need to waste a lot of ammo on those P-40s. They sure are tough. 

[SYN_Speck]

I have a strange feeling that today's lecture on using evidence in argumenative settings may be a tad rushed!! Luckily, my target audience (college students) has an innate sense of the importance of trying out new gaming experiences!

 

Hopefully you were able to keep their interest by using the example of the debate over .50 cal sounds in flight sims!

 

And the advanced class could take on the topic of their relative effectiveness...

[BeastyBaiter]

I haven't flown it personally but I have engaged it online with my trusty (but in some respect under-performing  ) A-3.  Although it's early days, (and I haven't fought it above 3k as yet), it doesn't seem very threatening at all.  Frankly, (and again, it's very much first impressions) I think the Lagg-3 is a far more dangerous proposition.  It will be interesting to see how it unfolds over the coming weeks.  If the FM is indeed accurate, it certainly isn't too difficult to see how H-JM managed to rack-up a good tally of the things.

 

Heh, I fought you some today in it and I'm inclined to agree. I never was shot down and even killed a few 109's and 190's, but the plane is at a pretty clear disadvantage. It's only real saving grace are those guns. My first MP fights in it were won largely due to the Germans being more timid than they should have been. It does have great low speed handling, but it doesn't turn very quickly no matter the speed. So it isn't like the I-16 that can dodge attacks all day. All it seems good for is high speed diving attacks on opponents and lighting them up. I'll give it more time of course, so I may find something it's good at, but right now I'm not getting much out of it. It is pleasant to fly though.

[andyw248]

I may have missed something with earlier releases but the P-40 seems to be the first aircraft where the magnetic compass is modeled correctly: Try a turn to a heading, say from 270 degrees (W) to 90 degrees (E), and compare the compass reading with the reading of the DG (directional gyro) - you will experience magnetic dip, see for an explanation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircraft_compass_turns. What an awesome addition to the flight model!

[Finkeren]

I haven't flown it personally but I have engaged it online with my trusty (but in some respect under-performing ) A-3. Although it's early days, (and I haven't fought it above 3k as yet), it doesn't seem very threatening at all. Frankly, (and again, it's very much first impressions) I think the Lagg-3 is a far more dangerous proposition. It will be interesting to see how it unfolds over the coming weeks. If the FM is indeed accurate, it certainly isn't too difficult to see how H-JM managed to rack-up a good tally of the things.

I think you've got the right idea Wulf. The LaGG really is less inferior as a pure air superiority fighter, mostly on account of its horrible climb rate and acceleration, but that's not the whole story.

The P-40 is first and foremost an overall easier plane to fly than the LaGG (especially with less than 75% fuel) and it is far more durable. In that sense it's a great beginners aircraft. Put a complete n00b in a P-40 and I'll betcha he will on average do better with it than with the LaGG.

 

Sure, it's not really a match for any of the German fighters, except in a high energy situation (which will very quickly deteriorate for the P-40) but it's got certain qualities that mean, that as a rookie VVS pilot I'd rather risk my life in the P-40 than the LaGG.

[Blooddawn1942]

They really hit the spot with the P-40. Considering the short development time, this Aircraft is simply amazing!

I hate to fight in it for obvious reasons. But as an aircraft it's a beauty and a joy to fly.

[LukeFF]

I may have missed something with earlier releases but the P-40 seems to be the first aircraft where the magnetic compass is modeled correctly: Try a turn to a heading, say from 270 degrees (W) to 90 degrees (E), and compare the compass reading with the reading of the DG (directional gyro) - you will experience magnetic dip, see for an explanation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircraft_compass_turns. What an awesome addition to the flight model!

 

What you are seeing is the directional gyro lagging behind the magnetic compass. It's something I asked about during testing, and as Petrovich wrote, it is the directional gyro lagging behind the magnetic compass if the plane's angle of bank is more than 55 degrees.

Oh yeah, as far as takeoffs go: per the original manuals, set your rudder trim to 2 degrees right and the elevator trim to the "TO" setting (it's marked on the dial). This will prevent the plane from drastically swinging to the left and dipping its nose down when full power is applied.

[Feathered_IV]

Hi guys!

I wanted to reproduce the cockpit of P-40E. It was really hard, i'm the russian and don't know english so good. But i tried very hard to make this. If you will find mistakes or inaccuracies in the text, please write. Then I want to translate this in russian for forum to help our pilots better to use this plane

 

Thanks Zep.  Excellent job!  It even shows us where to sit down. 

[SR-F_Winger]

I only fought it so far, because I did not preorder BOM (yet). 

But man, you need to waste a lot of ammo on those P-40s. They sure are tough. 

+1 for my taste a little too much. I mean its practically as tank as an IL2. Is that historically correct? Was it that armored? I mean sheer size doesnt make an armored target - right?

 

EDIT: Just read its armor has been improoved with the B-Variants (and later E-variant). But making it that tough? I mean iI am fine if its historically correct. Dont get me wrong. Just asking.

Edited September 30, 2015 by Winger

[=362nd_FS=Hiromachi]

+1 for my taste a little too much. 

That is very subjective

 

 

Was it that armored? I mean sheer size doesnt make an armored target - right?

Its not about the armor, though P-40 featured extensive pilot and fuel tank protection. It's more about the construction, thickness of various spars and other elements. In such case yes, P-40 was a tough build aircraft. This of course had a penalty of a very high empty weight and huge impact on a performance.

[6./ZG26_McKvack]

I love everything with the P-40 except the guns sound. Hope we will see some improvement there

[Kling]

Yes this is a known issue. They didn't have time to randomize them yet.

 

Jason

Thx for the reply Jason!

[SR-F_Winger]

That is very subjective

 

 

Its not about the armor, though P-40 featured extensive pilot and fuel tank protection. It's more about the construction, thickness of various spars and other elements. In such case yes, P-40 was a tough build aircraft. This of course had a penalty of a very high empty weight and huge impact on a performance.

Thanks for clarifying.