Prop Pitch

[Ash]

It's my understanding that the prop pitch controls are now activated and will affect the performance of your AC. Can someone explain the dynamics and how pp affects my performance. My main reason for this questions is to maximize my "Hang Time" during a hammer head in my G10. Would changing the pitch allow me to stay up a little longer?

Thanks in Advance,

Old Ash
I./JG2

[popeye]

Set the prop to maximum RPM for combat, takeoff, and landings.  That will produce maximum thrust.  Lower RPM settings are to maximize fuel economy for long range cruising.

I'm not sure how it works in AH, but I'd guess that low RPM, and just enough throttle to maintain level flight at the "best climb" airspeed, will produce the best fuel economy.

I have also read that low RPM will maximize glide in AH, but haven't tried that.

popeye

[Ghosth]

Ash,

I cruise at 20k a lot in 190A5 & have found that 20 to 25 RPM and about 40 man will take you a LONG ways!

Keypad + * - to control RPM. Also a tip, anytime you hit wep, it automaticly sets rpm back to full. Exceptions being the A6m & Yak of course.

[LLv34_Snefens]

The prop pitch is the angle the propeller blades meet the air. The more ortogonal the blades meet the air, the more lift (thrust) they produce, but at the same time their drag is increased as well. If the blades was parallel to the airflow they would produces little lift (thrust), but also little drag.
Most planes in WWII used a constant speed propeller which would maintain the same ammount of rotational speed no matter how much power was open up. The way this was accomplished was by changing the prop pitch so the blades would be more ortogonal to the wind (this was done automatically and is too in the game) and that way increase the thrust when more power came from the engine .
The idea of economical flight is to find the spot where the thrust from the proppelers is biggest compared to the drag the blades create. This was something the pilot would control himself and also so in the game (Numpad - and +).
Now when engine is stopped there is no need to let the proppelers keep turning as they only produces drag. Therefore the pitch is changed to as much parrallel to the wind as possible (Numpad -), making them turn slow.

As for the use of changing pitch in the zoom climb in the G10 I would say that it has little use. The main force slowing the plane in such a situation is gravity, and the little gain achieved by reducing drag is negleted by the loss of thrust.
However what is a good idea in the manovuer is to reduce the throttle at the top of the hammer head. This may seem odd, but the 109G10 has a nasty torque that would be more than happy to take over the control of your plane as it slows down at the top of the manouver. By reducing throttle you will be able to control your hammerhead yaw much better, instead of turing into a spinner hanging in the prop.

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"Head-ons are for pilots that don't know what their next move should be"

Ltn. Snefens
RO, Lentolaivue 34

[Andy Bush]

Lt Snefens

May I suggest you change your sign off quote to:

'Head ons are for those wanting to get out of Dodge.'

Your quote might win a few beers at the bar for its 'pithiness', but it is way too simplistic.

BFM was not designed as an airshow...the point is to get into a firing position as quick as possible and then get away without getting shot yourself.

In the context of the sim, if you don't like the gameplay aspects of a HO, fine...just don't make it sound so authoritative when you pass along your one-liners.

Andy

[leonid]

And remember, Snefens, Andy Bush's opinion is just that, one man's opinion.  I say keep it as is.

No offense, Andy Bush.

[LLv34_Snefens]

Andy,

To clear things up I consider the HO's the situation where both planes have had the guns pointed at each other for some seconds, that be either in the vertical or horizontal, and not the snapshot you get in for instance in a two-circled turning where you get around faster and shoots before the enemy can. Thats what I call a front aspect shot.

BFM was not designed as an airshow...the point is to get into a firing position as quick as possible and then get away without getting shot yourself.

You can practise HO's and get so good that you take the enemy down a fair ammount of the times, but that doesn't take away the point that he DO gets to take a shot at you too.

In the context of the sim, if you don't like the gameplay aspects of a HO, fine...just don't make it sound so authoritative when you pass along your one-liners.

I have nothing against the HO aspect of the game and I don't try to raise myself above all other pilots with the quote, saying they are idiots if they do it.

I do my fair share of HO's too, but basically just when things turn against me. That is, multiple bandits, to damaged to get other than just that one shot, the enemy wasting his advantage to come right at me or sometimes just when I rush in with my head under my arm   .

Thx Leonid, I will.

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"Head-ons are for pilots that don't know what their next move should be, as they have their mind on the free beer that awaits them back at the pub"

Ltn. Snefens
RO, Lentolaivue 34

[This message has been edited by LLv34_Snefens (edited 07-16-2000).]

[Andy Bush]

Lt Snefens

LOL!!

Good post! I like the revised last line...now if I had only remembered to do that more often!

That was a well written reply...good reasoning without any ego pretentiousness to go with it.

Andy

[RAM]

LOL...about HOs...

I do them. When I am at a gross disadvantage (agaisnt multiple cons, or when my E is seriously lacking).

I die to that kind of HOs a lot of times when attacking lower E cons... and I give a big S! to those who kill me that way because, bassically I have blewed my attack while they, being in a less E situation, survived by the only move at their hand.

Said that, I know some guys here...specially one (no names,he will know that I am speaking of him) that in his Hog-C comes from 10K avobe his preys and all he does is to do a vertical headon. If you meet him co-E he doesnt merge...he shoots   . Lacking as he is in ACM he will always come from 25K in his blue turbolaser hog to HO all the world, and when I accepted the vertical HO (I strictly respawned to kill him by his own means) with a Mk108 in my 109G6 then he shouted that I was warping.  

(bad luck guy I had ping plotter running and my connection was perfect at the moment   lier!   ).

Differences between the first example and the second?...in the first I salute the guy, in the second I laugh at his HOs. Of course that pisses him a lot,but well thats the way life is  



[This message has been edited by RAM (edited 07-16-2000).]

[Andy Bush]

Leonid

None taken.

After all, opinions are like 'you know what'...we all have them!

Having said that, with regard to BFM, there are educated opinions and then there are opinions from folks that shoot from the hip just to sound 'cool'. I saw plenty of this in my RL fighter career...someone was always too ready to impress his buddies with some 'off the wall' tactic or maneuver...too often, this was a case of 'one-upsmanship' at the bar.

We used to have a saying in RL..."BS will do for skill, but not consistently!".

A smart pilot chooses his attack type to get in and out with max effect and least exposure to danger. The simple fact of the matter is that the HO is just as tactically appropriate and viable as any other form of attack.

Anyone who makes blanket statements to the contrary is just blowing smoke.

Andy  

[LLv34_Snefens]

"BS will do for skill, but not consistently!"
I like that one, maybe I should start using that as my sig.  

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"Head-ons are for pilots that don't know what their next move should be"

Ltn. Snefens
RO, Lentolaivue 34

[Ash]

Popeye, Ghosth, and Snefens,

  Thanks for your help. I'll play around with the settings and see what works.

  Andy, next time please resolve your personal agenda with an email, and not on my post for information. Thank you.

OTR,
    Ash
    III./JG2

[Andy Bush]

Sorry, Ash...

It's hard for me to stop being the BFM Police!

Andy

[Sparks]

Ash
Interested in your post but I haven't found how you separate Prop pitch from power setting. The throttle is on my stick and people have said that the pitch is on the + and - keys but they seem to have the same effect as the throttle. As I understand it if I set say 30 inches of Manifold Press then the RPM would be adjustable by prop pitch (thats the constant speed bit).
Example:-
1.Set 25 ins MP, at full coarse. Decrease prop pitch should increase RPM but MP should stay the same untill prop is full fine.

2.Set 25 ins MP, at 50%fine pitch setting - increasing throttle should increase MP but RPM should stay the same untill prop at full coarse.

Is my understanding of this correct??
If it is what visual indication do you have of your pitch setting as we have no prop pitch lever in the cockpit?

Confused ......  

[This message has been edited by Sparks (edited 07-18-2000).]

[Ash]

Andy,

   Np! I understand :-). Thanks.

OTR
   Ash
   III./JG2