Improvements to aircraft fuel systems- What are we getting?

[Enceladus828]

Ever since November 2017 when Bodenplatte, Tank Crew, Flying Circus, etc. were announced, the devs have stated that they plan to improve the aircraft fuel systems and add droppable fuel tanks ‘drop tanks’. Now they’re planning to add drop tanks in an update with an improved fuel system. 
So. What exactly are we getting in this improved system other than drop tanks?

 

- Fuel selector valves (Both, Auxilary, Left, Right. etc)

- Fuel pumps
- Fuel shutoff valve

 

Salute

[[DBS]Browning]

No one knows until the devs tell us in their own time. 

Some possible things are:

Fuel pumping out of compromised tanks of the plane allows it. 

Manual fuel pump controls. 

More advanced fuel tank damage model. 

Manual Tank selector controls for fuel displays. 

More fuel grades. 

Ability to select which tanks to fill in the loadout menu. 

Carb heart/ice systems. 

 

All these things are wild guesses and my hunch is that only a small number (if any) will be included. We just have to wait and see. 

[RedKestrel]

As far as user controllability, the most I expect is the ability to switch between main, auxillary, and external tanks, and the ability to trigger the fuel amount indicators manually in the planes that have them (i.e. the Spitfires and the I-16). 

 

I think most of the improvements will be the underlying systems modeling - self-sealing fuel tanks functioning better, better damage model for fuel tank leaks and fires, etc. Which for me is more important.

[Chief_Mouser]

I'd be happy with

 

Drop tanks

Manual fuel tank selection

Manual fuel tank gauge selection

Ability to select which tanks to fill in the loadout menu (thanks Browning, hadn't thought of this one ?)

 

Cheers.

Edited June 22, 2020 by 216th_Cat

[danielprates]

5 hours ago, Novice-Flyer said:

- Fuel pumps
- Fuel shutoff valve

 

I would guess not those two. They make more sense as a part of a hands-on engine start/stop procedure, which iirc has been totally ruled out.

[Yardstick]

Carefully what you wish for - the Bf110's fuel system is a real phaff.  Just tried it in CloD.

[Jade_Monkey]

They already said it's not going to be hyper realistic, so I would not expect shut off valves.

 

Drop tanks, selectable tanks, and better modeled damage to fuel tanks, breaking them out into individual tanks instead of a universal tank that we have at the moment.

 

I believe API rounds will also be added as part of that work.

Edited June 23, 2020 by Jade_Monkey

[Garven]

Hopefully hand pumps for FC planes that had them for when you get a fuel tank leak.

[Field-Ops]

I hope they add modeling of G influence on the fuel gauge. So in maneuvers the fuel gauge should bounce around and only really be legible in level flight. 

[76IAP-Black]

Would be ok for me to select from external tanks to internal and than drop the external load 

 

[Soilworker]

I'm wondering about the viability of drop tanks in the sim, I mean how many of us are going to fly long enough to actually make use of them? Even in the Bf-109? I won't be unless I start using time compression + autopilot (which I might have to to start doing anyway owing to frequency of my PC BSoD-ing during extended VR sessions ?). 

[Yogiflight]

Especially in PWCG you can have escort bomber missions in which drop tanks would make sense, but most players, who want them, want them to go hunting in MP with less than 50% fuel on board, by enlarging their flight time with a drop tank.

[vonGraf]

Visible bubbles in the plexiglass-pipe right beside you in a 109 when the drop tank is empty would be a nice touch..

 just kidding.

[Dutchvdm]

1 hour ago, Soilworker said:

I'm wondering about the viability of drop tanks in the sim, I mean how many of us are going to fly long enough to actually make use of them? Even in the Bf-109? I won't be unless I start using time compression + autopilot (which I might have to to start doing anyway owing to frequency of my PC BSoD-ing during extended VR sessions ?). 

 

The Bf-109 unit's on the Rheinland map for the careermode that are further from the front-line can definitely use them. Same for the new P-47 units that are going to be on the Normandy map. The earlier version had 70 gallon less and with climb and some combat that is gone very quickly. 

 

Grt M 

[41Sqn_Skipper]

1 hour ago, Yogiflight said:

but most players, who want them, want them to go hunting in MP with less than 50% fuel on board, by enlarging their flight time with a drop tank.

 

Most likely that, but is that even possible on every aircraft historically? Some might need to pump the external fuel into an internal tank first and not directly supply the engine.

[Bremspropeller]

1 hour ago, Soilworker said:

I'm wondering about the viability of drop tanks in the sim, I mean how many of us are going to fly long enough to actually make use of them? Even in the Bf-109? I won't be unless I start using time compression + autopilot (which I might have to to start doing anyway owing to frequency of my PC BSoD-ing during extended VR sessions ?). 

 

You'll run into fuel-issues pretty quickly when flying career-missions.

I have returned on fumes more than once in the D-9...

[ZachariasX]

2 hours ago, Soilworker said:

I'm wondering about the viability of drop tanks in the sim, I mean how many of us are going to fly long enough to actually make use of them?

Food for thought: Put in 100 litres of fuel in your main tank and put on a full belly tank. This way, you'll have never more than 80 kg or so added weight in combat. With the Mustang, you can do the same. Put in 100 litres and use full drop tanks. That lets you fly two hours or so. But as soon as there's troubles, you're down to 100 litres. The remaining 50 litres will still bring you half way across the map to get home.

 

You gotta see the forest, not just trees.

 

 

[Ribbon]

I guess it'll help when one of the wings/f.tanks damaged and leaking we can use it untill empty and later switch to undamaged tank preserving fuel and helping us to get home, right now once leaking we lose all the fuel from all installed fuel tanks.

I guess this new fuel system improvement will affect FM also!

Edited June 23, 2020 by =VARP=Ribbon

[II./SG.1-MarkWilhelmsson]

3 hours ago, ZachariasX said:

Food for thought: Put in 100 litres of fuel in your main tank and put on a full belly tank. This way, you'll have never more than 80 kg or so added weight in combat. With the Mustang, you can do the same. Put in 100 litres and use full drop tanks. That lets you fly two hours or so. But as soon as there's troubles, you're down to 100 litres. The remaining 50 litres will still bring you half way across the map to get home.

 

You gotta see the forest, not just trees.

 

 

 

Will dropping the tank and having only a small amount of fuel internally offset the performance loss of having a hardpoint mount for the tank?

[AndytotheD]

8 hours ago, Yogiflight said:

Especially in PWCG you can have escort bomber missions in which drop tanks would make sense, but most players, who want them, want them to go hunting in MP with less than 50% fuel on board, by enlarging their flight time with a drop tank.

This shouldn’t work for German fighters, the drop tank for them typically feeds into the internal tank. For allied fighters I see this being viable, but decidedly dumb: in a Spitfire I’d kill for more gas overall, and the American fighters have enough tankage and performance that doing so would yield little advantage

[ZachariasX]

3 hours ago, II./SG.1-MarkWilhelmsson said:

 

Will dropping the tank and having only a small amount of fuel internally offset the performance loss of having a hardpoint mount for the tank?

That will depend on how devs do things. But hardpoints for tanks are not much of an issue, as they are far lighter than bombs. It would also depend on the specific tank, whether it is a slipper tank or regular one.

 

Drop tanks were standard issue, they all had the mounts in place whether you used the tanks or not. 

[sevenless]

The possibility to use drop tanks and switch between tanks would be all I am asking for. Nothing overly complicated. Keep it simple.

[II/JG17_HerrMurf]

Just guessing but I suspect there will be a review of the DM for the fuel systems as well.

[=621=Samikatz]

The I-16 is a plane that would genuinely benefit from drop tanks right now. Due to its slow speed you often have to RTB early on escort missions in career

[Luftschiff]

While I will happily take drop tanks because of its necessity for the pacific, I have really never felt a need in the sim as it stands - and I'd rather not fight more jockeys of the 5% fuel Dr.I breed you saw a lot in RoF, but c'est la vie. I hope and wish for some added complexity/revision of fuel DM, as well as 'Manual fuel tank- and gauge control. Looking forward to whatever we get!

 

Now, torpedos...

[RedKestrel]

On 6/23/2020 at 8:19 PM, =621=Samikatz said:

The I-16 is a plane that would genuinely benefit from drop tanks right now. Due to its slow speed you often have to RTB early on escort missions in career

For escort missions with the I-16 I found that low mixture, low RPM and low MP and keeping pace exactly with the bombers allowed you to make it all the way to the target and back, with a small amount of fuel for fighting. But the main issue is that your squad mates do not seem to alter their mixture settings to allow for economic flight, so they will often run out of fuel well before you do, leaving you alone to deal with enemy fighters. 

I love the Ratta but she has short legs...