Engine Fires

[Wes14]

i thought there was only Fuel tank fires in AH?

[CAP1]

Originally posted by Wingnutt
ive been pinged, suffer no damaged.. but yet im on fire and then explode..  happens all the time:huh

well....if you've been pinged, then you obvioulsy DID suffer SOME form of damage.....and i'd tend to think the flames comming from under your engine cowling would be the result of said damage.

[hubsonfire]

Maybe I'm just crazy, but won't we need engine fires before we need creative ways to put engine fires out?

[colmbo]

Originally posted by Krusty
Blowing out a candle just adds more fuel. Same principle. The flame goes out.

Real world it hasn't been found to be truly effective using high speed to put fires out.  What it does do is intensify the fire with the increase risk then of more/quicker structural damage from the fire.

That being said, If I'm on fire I'm getting my butt on the ground!!

[Latrobe]

From what I've experienced, and I'm not sure if this is right, when you catch fire in AH2 it's a fuel fire. When the fuel tank that is leaking runs out of fuel you blow up.

I'd like to see some kind of change to fires, be it you can't fly anymore, or some way to put the fire out. Anything new is something good.

[CAP1]

Originally posted by Latrobe
From what I've experienced, and I'm not sure if this is right, when you catch fire in AH2 it's a fuel fire. When the fuel tank that is leaking runs out of fuel you blow up.

I'd like to see some kind of change to fires, be it you can't fly anymore, or some way to put the fire out. Anything new is something good.

actually, i think you may be right......if you think about it, the engine really can't catch fire........the oil spewing out of a ruptured line can,,,,or the fuel leak....or the fuel tank leaking.....but...well....the engine is one big hunk of metal parts.......

[AquaShrimp]

B-17s could put out engine fires by diving at over 300mph.

[DaddyAck]

B-17s were equiped with fire supression systems IIRC in the form of extinguishers in the nacelles.  The diving thing makes no sense as more air makes for an O2 rich enviroment in wich fuel fires thrive.  To become too rich to burn one needs to add MORE gasoline not O2 to the extent that it goes from the LEL into the UEL at wich point it will not burn as more O2 is added to the point where LEL and below is maintained fuel will burn readily.

[dkff49]

My only WWII pilot source past away several years ago and I have been unable to find any written sources to confirm or disprove the diving theory. But I would not discount that diving maybe a possibility because it does sound as though getting enough speed and air passing through the engine compartment may drop fuel below the LEL (lower explosive limit).

However I would not expect anyone in RL in thissituation in a single engine fighter to attempt this because it will most likely increase the fire momentarily and an already hot cockpit will most likely get hotter. But for the multi-engine planes this may have been a possibility.

To add one more note though.This would not help in AH due to the fact that if you would experience an engine compartment fire it is because you have a mechanical problem and this would effectively put your aircraft out of the fight

[AquaShrimp]

Originally posted by DaddyAck
B-17s were equiped with fire supression systems IIRC in the form of extinguishers in the nacelles.  The diving thing makes no sense as more air makes for an O2 rich enviroment in wich fuel fires thrive.  To become too rich to burn one needs to add MORE gasoline not O2 to the extent that it goes from the LEL into the UEL at wich point it will not burn as more O2 is added to the point where LEL and below is maintained fuel will burn readily.

http://books.google.com/books?id=Kj54qUKgvrgC&pg=PA21&lpg=PA21&dq=%22b+17%22+diving+to+put+out+engine+fire&source=web&ots=ll6wq8cNtL&sig=9vlNMxXEaLpCBVpyYu0zZFlgGRU

An account of a B-17 putting out an engine fire with a dive.

[SirLoin]

Originally posted by AquaShrimp
http://books.google.com/books?id=Kj54qUKgvrgC&pg=PA21&lpg=PA21&dq=%22b+17%22+diving+to+put+out+engine+fire&source=web&ots=ll6wq8cNtL&sig=9vlNMxXEaLpCBVpyYu0zZFlgGRU

An account of a B-17 putting out an engine fire with a dive.

Good read!:aok

[dkff49]

nice job finding this.i was hoping that someone find something like this to confirm or disprove the dive as a fire extinguishing method. but the diving method would still be kind of worhtless in AH due to the fact that in this case and most others the plane would still be out of the fight  due to damages done in the attack and from the fire itself.

thanks

[Saxman]

So? At least you'd have the opportunity to either get home, or at least get far enough from the fight to put down somewhere.

[BaldEagl]

Beyond the adding air/fuel to the fire debate, my guess is that any pilot in a real-life fighter on fire would be bailing as quickly as possible, not trying to put the fire out.  

Only in a game where there is no consequence to health or well-being would you try to extinguish the fire or ditch safely.

I think it's modeled correctly.  You either die in a blaze or bail.

[Shuffler]

Kid the other night was teaching me how to fly  and was telling me if I was ever in a "bomber" and the engine caught fire I could dive and put it out.  

I didn't have the heart to tell him I fly a "bomber" all the time....