Engine Management Problems

[Faman]

My Blitz settings seem to work except I have to keep the flaps button pushed to lower or raise.

In Tobruk hower when I try to fly the 109 engine management except throttle and pitch often is not working.

 

Anyone encountered the same problems and found a solution for it?

[Volant_Eagle]

Not enough information here to know exactly what your problems are.

 

Aircraft during this period (and honestly still today), have all different types of systems to operate their components, and these different systems often require completely different input methods for the pilot to operate them.

 

Cliffs is designed to be relatively faithful to these different methods of input in different aircraft. The sim has many different keybinds and axis, and some of these appear to be different ways to accomplish the same thing. In fact, these different keybinds for what looks like the same item, are actually aircraft specific ways to operate that system depending on how that system worked in the real aircraft.

 

For example, all real bf 109s had flaps that were oprated by a hand-crank wheel. Physically moving that wheel was the only way the flaps could be moved. Therefore in Cliffs, keybinds that would "toggle" an aircraft's flaps down with a single button press or switch flip, do not apply to the 109. Only keybinds that must be held down to move the flaps will work in the 109 in Cliffs, because that's the way it should be.

 

Other examples would be the keybinds for left and right toe brakes. These will not do anything in aircraft that didn't have toe brakes (essentially anything British, French, or Italian). These aircraft do have differential brakes, but they are not operated via seperate right and left brake pedals. Instead the total brake force is determined by squeezing a lever or pushing a button, and deflecting the rudder determines how much of that force goes to each wheel.

 

Not sure what you mean by "engine management" in the 109. But since you say the throttle and pitch work, I assume you mean the cooling system. I'm also guessing that by "blitz" you mean the 109E, and by "tobruk" you mean 109F. (Even though the E-7 is tobruk). Please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

The real 109F had all automated cooling. In the Emil, it was all manually controlled by the pilot. So if you can't control the cooling in a frederick, that's because you're not supposed to be able to control it. You can switch the water radiators to manual mode if you would like, but the plane will always spawn into the game in auto mode. You will need to select the manual keybind or click the cockpit switch to manual before the open/close commands will do anything. The oil radiator in the Frederick is automatic only, and there is no way to switch it to manual control.

 

Hope I read your question correctly. Happy to help if you still have questions.

[Faman]

Thanks for your reply. I understand everything is okay while I was comparing the 109E with the 109F. The 109E has manual engine management but with the 109F it is automated. I do have lower/raise flaps by keeping the button pushed. But the propellor pitch control is not so reliable with the 109 and often results in an engine cutoff..

[Volant_Eagle]

Do you use a keybind for the prop or an axis?

 

You should be using a button/key for prop in Daimler-Benz engined planes, not a lever/slider. The real airplane just has a toggle switch to move the prop. It only has move towards fine, move towards course, or neutral. You can get funky behavior if you try to push a toggle switch with an infinitely variable lever or slider.

 

They really should have disabled the pitch axis for all DB engined planes in this sim to avoid confusing people. And not only does it work when it shouldn't, but they inverted it for some completely unknown reason on these planes too. The keybind is not inverted for these planes but the axis is. That's just another reason to use the keybind with DB planes, and the axis with all other planes. If you use the axis for DB powered planes, you'll have invert it. But that means you'll then have to go and un-invert it every time you want to fly something powered with a Merlin or a Jumo for example. If you just use the keybind for DB planes, then you can leave the axis normal for use with all other planes.

 

I'm not sure this is your issue though, as you didn't explane exactly what's happening (and maybe you don't know). The above explanation only has any relevance if the prop is in manual mode. That's the only time the system will take any inputs from the pilot in DB airplanes. In auto mode, it's not a constant speed system like in most other airplanes where the pilot sets the desired rpm for the system to keep. Instead, the system reads your manifold pressure and is pre-set to pair a specific pressure level with a specific rpm. There is no way for the pilot to adjust what rpm is related to what manifold pressure level, this is all hardwired into the system. So if you have the prop in auto mode, your problem is likely something other than the prop, because this system 100% automated in auto mode, and there is no way for you to mess it up.

 

Of course if you're flyung an E-1 or E-3, then you don't have an auto mode. Those planes are probably the hardest to manage in the entire game, because essentially every single aspect of the systems are manual.

 

If you're flying an E-4, E-7, or an F, then these planes always spawn in with the auto mode turned on and activated. So your pitch control inputs won't be doing anything at all. You could switch to manual mode if you want in these planes, but I highly suggest staying in auto mode unless you really know what you're doing.

 

Oddly enough, although the Bf 110s that have an auto mode do spawn in in this mode, but the mode is not activated initially like it is in the 109s for some reason. You will have to switch to manual, lower the pitch past 11:30, then switch back to auto. If you don't do this before starting the engines then the auto mode won't work. No idea why you need to do this in 110s but not 109s. It should be the exact same system so this seems to be an inconsistancy in the modeling. The real pilot manuals do tell you to do this routine before starting, but I highly doubt that means it has anything to do with "activating" the system. It looks to me like it's just procedural "test" you're supposed to do verify it isn't broken before you start, not something necessary to do for it to work. I could be wrong though. I'm not an expert on that system.

 

I don't remember off hand whether you need to do this in the C.202, but I think you don't need to. It's like in the 109s.

 

Make sure you are closely following the manifold pressure limits with DB engined airplanes. I think this is more likely your problem. E model 109s have a max sustained of only 1.15 ata. In F models I can usually leave it at 1.30 ata with no issues. Any higher than those values and you'll have to watch your temps like a hawk. These engines will overheat very quickly.

 

 

[343KKT_Kintaro]

On 8/14/2025 at 11:27 AM, Faman said:

My Blitz settings seem to work except I have to keep the flaps button pushed to lower or raise.

 

 

This is normal in all variants or (sub-variants) of 109, not in a Hurri nor in a Spit.

 

Please be sure of what type of plane you fly, and how she needs to me be managed.