The M-63 engine could really make 1100hp?

[Aleksander55]

I'm still surprised by how powerful the I-16 is against AI in IL-2 Great Battles. It's not an 'easy-mode noob-plane' like the Hurricane, Spitfire MkV and the Yaks, but it's still a powerful plane against the bots. For me at least it's much more powerful than it was in IL-2 1946. I know that's partly due to AI using simplified flight models in 1946 that made them harder opponents. But the airplane also feels overall more agile and powerful.

 

In 1946 the I-16-28 (with the 20mm guns) felt heavier, 'tired', couldn't climb worth a damn, less responsive, even with it's open cockpit the seating position and view out felt wrong and limited (the pilot was probably a 6 year toddler trying to look above the instrument panel), and the engine overheated easily with less than 2 minutes of use of maximal boost power.

 

In Great Battles it's one of the most agile aircraft apart from turning performance, it has great roll rate, very responsive and quick controls, the best visibility, extremely durable, simple to operate, 'bulletproof' engine that has a great boost power that lasts for 5 minutes and that as long as all radiators are all open will not overheat. This gives it great 'feral performance' (as per Bill Gunston): Great power to weight ratio that can be used for a long time in an agile airframe.

 

If I remember correctly the in game specs the 1946 I16-28 only had 900hp versus the 1100 of the GB one. Apart from remarking this I didn't really give it much thought otherwise. I know that these values can vary amongst all different documents for all sides. Different fuels, atmospherical conditions, measurement standards, operational limits/doctrines/errors and the like affecting final numbers. I also honestly didn't want to spoil my own fun. It's very entertaining to fly this little $#!t and I didn't want to let this fun be disturbed by minor things like 'historical accuracy'. 😬

 

However, a few months ago in my 'Polikarpov mania' I found these polish and czech engine makers that still produce(d) the M-62/63. The Czech one seems to have gone out of business. I was not really looking in this direction, I'm more interested in the I-180 and I-185, but the profusion of links took me to these pages:

 

https://www.wsk.kalisz.pl/en/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warbirds_ASz-62_IR

https://www.wsk.kalisz.pl/products-and-services/aircraft-engines/

So, at least in their official numbers they claim that the engines make from 1000 to 1178 hp, depending on the M-62/63 version. Incredible. The one that makes 1178hp is probably the one with fuel injection. I have to wonder what measurement standard they use compared to the original builder. I also have to think that an aircraft engine sold to european and american customers also better produce what it says in the brochure.

 

It's really cool that such an historical engine is still built to this day. I guess we have to consider that fabrication, tech, materials quality have evolved and improved from the original times, this could mean that they are more powerful than the original ones. Also probably using better quality fuel. Even just being produced in non emergency/desperation times, with all that this means, probably affects the build quality and performance compared to the originals.

 

But we also have to consider that they're probably sold for modern replicas and the like. This means that they have to have a safety factor, it's probably not run to the same extremes of the wartime. So, at least for my own fun factor peace of mind I can believe that the war time production M-63, even if at lower quality than the modern one, could produce more than 1000hp at lower altitudes with extreme 'emergency' boost settings. It would probably last less than a few dozen hours but it would give the pilot this power when he needed it.

 

It would be really nice if these fabricants still have historical documents, blueprints, etc that could help explain not only their own evolution in the production of this engine but also throw some light into it's original specs.

Edited October 14, 2024 by Aleksander55

[Art-J]

Nah, I'd say power output of modern 62's produced in Kalisz is as expected. The engine was born as derivative of R-1820, and since these were making 1100+ BHP already at the early stage of the war, its Russian "brother" could do the same. Power is mainly function of displacement, brake mean effective pressure and max RPM. None of these changed all that much throughout 80 years, because -62 geometry and basic materials remained the same, and so did avgas octane ratings. There's only so much extra one can squeeze from improving crankshaft and adding fuel injection, albeit it certainly did improve fuel consumption, which was a major factor for contemporary civilian users.

 

I don't think WSK has any documentation related to original development of the engine. We've got the licence for it together with licence for An-2, ie. about 1960, so "our" later evolution is most likely well documented but earlier one isn't, as it was simlpy none of our business. Maintenance and installation manuals? Maybe, 'cause first An-2s (still Soviet-built) began service in Poland in 1951. But actual production technology and documentation - only post 1960 I presume.

Edited October 14, 2024 by Art-J

[BlitzPig_EL]

Interesting, BMEP is not something you see mentioned much in the current day.