(contd.)
Flying a plane wasn't for fun of combat for real life pilots. In most cases the pilots were trained not to even go near the circumstances where they might need flaps for fighting an enemy.
They would stick to the simplest of maneuvering, rely much more in teamwork than personal skill. Only a handful of experts would ever use flaps on a regular basis, but even those were limited to certain conditions - ie. when they think they could get a firing solution momentarily by deploying flaps and hanging in the turn, without having to bug out and extend.
What would usually happen if a pilot found out that his limited use of flaps was to no avail? Would he still attempt to stick to the bogey's six? Definately not. They would just extend out, and let the wingmen do their job until he has regained his alt/speed status to attempt a second attack. Only when it was a 1vs1 duel(which was extremely rare in real life) which one side would die if he lost, would the pilot risk so much, just so he could survive.
Now, to that situational fact, add in the difficulties and complications of controlling multiple position lever systems during a stall-fight which required tense concentration.
Hold the stick with two hands, let left hand off and adjust throttle, grab the stick again, let right hand off and move flap lever, grab stick again, woops the airspeed changed, let right hand off again, grab flap lever again and pull flaps up.. and over and over again.
Again, to all that, add another fact, that pilots did not gamble with their lives by breaking SOPs. They had strict limitations and responsibilities to take care of their aircraft.
Its fairly easy to manage landings and takeoffs in simulation games. We manage 200mph ditches everyday in the game. However, in real life, if anything that is requried for a landing procedure was damaged and inoperative, it could mean life and death for the pilot. We hear unfortunate tales of airshow pilots with engine troubles of their vintage planes crashing to death even in relatively flat terrains. Ditching was a dangerous thing to do, and a normal landing procedure being impossible meant you had to try and ditch - or bail out.
Flaps, are basically not for combat use. It is a secondary flight control used for stabilizing the plane under certain conditions. They were most frequently used in takeoffs and landings. A 'combat flap' wasn't built for combat purpose in the first place. It is nothing but a normal flap with an intermediate position which could be considered useful in certain combat situations - hence, the name. Combat flap is not a flap type, only a certain position on a normal flap. A stuck, damaged, unevenly deployed flap would mean a very dangerous landing for the pilot.
So, would a pilot, for sake of combat, risk damaging his flaps on purpose? If he sees an enemy plane trying a desparate split-S, will he try and follow it with his flaps down, despite the danger that the increasing speed could damage his flap?
Or would he have tried to play it safe, and keep his plane under the recommendations of what the manufacturers told you to abide by? Not follow the split-S at all, let the wingman take the pass, or retract the flap before going into a speed-gaining maneuver?
What happened in Il2/FB with that kind of 'full control' modelling? Well, like Karnak mentioned, the game turned into a 'flapfest'. Deploying flaps is a mandatory procedure for every bit of maneuvering in Il2/FB. They know the absolute line where the flaps take damage is set, so they will exploit every mile and kilometer per hour they can, before they have to retract flaps.
They will keep the flaps down as airbreaks in overshoot/extreme low speed maneuvering . Who cares if it goes over 100km/h of its recommended setting?
Besides, even if the line is crossed and the flap is jammed stuck, you would still be able to retain the effect you needed by the flaps. So, you will shoot down the enemy plane, and then you can rtb to safety, right?
Why try to abide by the real life recommendations, or try to fly in the manner resembling that of real life... when you can just go through unnecessary risks that might damage your plane.... but still get satisfying results by shooting down the enemy plane?
What's there to lose?
It's only a flap jam in the worst case!
I can risk that much.. I don't need the flaps to land.. right?
All thats important is keeping the flaps down so they control my speed, whether or not I damage it in the process, right!?
I mean, this is technically possible and realistic, right?
There you have it.
The EXACT reason why HT will not allow flap use in any kind of form other than was sanctioned in real life recommendations.
Even jamming the flaps once they go over the limit, is not an option. It's either autoretract, or complete destruction and loss of flap flight effects.
In whatever way it could be set up, the penalty must be severe or influential enough to make people think twice before doing something they were not supposed to do. Nobody is going to overwork the flaps and gonna get away with it.
Basically, that's the whole reasoning behind it. If your flap autoretracts, you crossed the line which you shouldn't have even approached in the first place.
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Comments
If you think you are in a situation where your momentary use of flaps would backfire, and not achieve the results you thought it would, then you should be thinking of getting out of that situation and try again, instead of thinking of how you can push the flap to its limit and risk a deadly stall.
I don't think this is too hard to understand... is it?
Why so obsessed in staying at the target's six o'c? If the flaps cannot hold anymore, then you've failed in your intent. Time to back off and try another pass. Isn't this the normal course of action every fighter plane should take?
Or is their some subliminal willing inserted into the P-38, that its pilot should always try the harshest of maneuvering, always try to grab the bogey's six and never let go, and always outmaneuver a superior turning Spitfire or a Hurricane and beat them in their own game and gloat about it?
This is an obsession IMO.
