Technical questions

[FTC_Streaks]

Not sure the correct category, but I have a few technical questions as I've recently made the switch to online play from SP (And I'm definitely exposing myself as a novice flier). 

 

1. How do you taxi turn a 109 to the right? I know the prop torque pulls really hard to the left, which makes turning left super easy with the wheel brake. But to turn right, is there a secret? If I unlock the tail wheel I just end up in a ground loop, is it just a little bit of finesse to get the plane to turn right on the ground or is there a secret i don't know? (I ended up doing a 540 to the left and making it to the runway but looking for an easier way)

 

2. Later the same flight (109F4), I was chasing a mig3 in a dive from about 3k to about 1km in altitude at 600+kph for about a min on 100% throttle, and with no combat damage the engine suddenly seized and cut out. I thought the engine in the 109 was automated to drop throttle back to combat mode when the boost runs out? Any ideas what happened? 

 

This cost me what could've easily been my first air kill on MP so any possible insights or advice from anyone would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

[R33GZ]

I'd say what you're finding is probably the difference between full real settings and what ever you were using in SP.

 

yes, you sometimes need to unlock the tailwheel in the 109 to do tight turns, but go easy on the pedals and throttle as it's easy to groundloop. However, if it's just gentle turns you need, just use the opposing wheel brakes and you should be fine. Having said that, both the 109 and spitfire, due to their narrow undercarriage gait, have quite sensitive ground handling characteristics... go easy on the throttle and ground speed.

 

As far as cooking your engine goes, there is no safety automation to the throttle system. Sounds like you just left it a full power for too long I'm afraid. With complex engine management on, you are fully responsible for the life or death of your engine ?

 

Welcome to online flying, the challenges are what make it fun.... most of the time ?

Edited September 23, 2023 by R33GZ

[=FI=Blue2]

One thing to add on taxiing a 109:  adjust the prop pitch.

I'm no expert by any means & it's been a while since I drove one around the tarmac, but IIRC you need to select manual prop pitch, then wind it down until the pitch indicator shows something close to "12 o'clock" on the dial.  Should make taxiing quite a bit simpler.  Pretty sure the story is similar for FW-190s.  If I'm wrong, someone will respond & give us the correct details.

 

Agree with our Kiwi friend on the engine.  Almost all the motors will punish you for abusing them in this game.  You have to get familiar with those limits for each plane, and honor them or suffer accordingly.    If not sure how to find those details, start with the "Manuals, Tutorials and Guides" section of this forum to get started, and keep asking for help as needed.  This community will always lend a hand.  Happy flying!

[ShamrockOneFive]

14 hours ago, StreakStreaks00 said:

Not sure the correct category, but I have a few technical questions as I've recently made the switch to online play from SP (And I'm definitely exposing myself as a novice flier). 

 

1. How do you taxi turn a 109 to the right? I know the prop torque pulls really hard to the left, which makes turning left super easy with the wheel brake. But to turn right, is there a secret? If I unlock the tail wheel I just end up in a ground loop, is it just a little bit of finesse to get the plane to turn right on the ground or is there a secret i don't know? (I ended up doing a 540 to the left and making it to the runway but looking for an easier way)

 

2. Later the same flight (109F4), I was chasing a mig3 in a dive from about 3k to about 1km in altitude at 600+kph for about a min on 100% throttle, and with no combat damage the engine suddenly seized and cut out. I thought the engine in the 109 was automated to drop throttle back to combat mode when the boost runs out? Any ideas what happened? 

 

This cost me what could've easily been my first air kill on MP so any possible insights or advice from anyone would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

 

1) You need to have separate keybinds or axis (If you have rudder pedals with a brake axis) for left and right brakes. Take the tailwheel lock off, gently give it a bit of power with the appropriate brake on and wiggle your way back and forth. It takes some practice but its manageable with a bit of work. In the days before I had pedals, I used a couple of keys on the keyboard to do the same. Its workable. You just tap the brake on and off and can get the same effect.

 

2) There's no automation here. You were probably playing with Normal mode in single player and that does have an AI assist to make sure that you don't bust the engine. In Expert mode that servers use almost universally you'll be needing to pay attention to engine limits which are all marked in-game in the map screen (there's a tab for specifications for your airplane). With the Bf109 its really simple as you just need to worry about ATA. I don't remember what the Bf109F-4's limits are but 100% throttle is typically not something you can maintain for more than a minute or two and diving in at max throttle may be an issue for the governor as it could exceed maximum rpm before the system has a chance to keep up with the speed increases.

Edited September 24, 2023 by ShamrockOneFive

[FTC_Streaks]

Got it, thank you all!

 

And yes, I was doing SP on normal/moderate so I guess I took the engine saving AI for granted. Super fun jumping into online play and realizing how much more there is to know. Learning fast....? 

[ShamrockOneFive]

Enjoy the learning process!

[RossMarBow]

Bind tailwheel unlock to something easy to press.
Keep double tapping it and you will be able to swing the other way easily without losing control