Lousy wind cost me a safe landing :(

[Krusty]

This is a delayed post from last Friday. USMC/71 sqn were around (I think) 11,18 and I was the next sector west from there (11,17 I think? I'd have to see a map to recall). Anyways, a 190 gets a lucky HO on my oil, I'm in a f4u1a. It's a really slow leak, and my pressure is holding, so I head out due West to my home carrier (C127) and climb for all I'm worth. I get up to 20k and over a sector from my start position, and chop RPM, kill engine and glide.


Only, I'm not gliding well at all. I'm losing a lot of ground and getting nowhere fast! I even had a tail wind helping me!

It turns out there was a damned 7mph downdraft the entire time, making me sink over 2000fpm the entire time!!!




WHY?

What purpose would this ever serve!??!

I *KNOW* I could have made it home. I've done far longer distance in the MA before. I've perfected the art of making it home without oil. I had a 20k start, a 50lb reserve of oil (which I was saving for final approach and landing at c127) and I barely got 2 sectors.

I ditched almost 2 sectors from my fleet after wasting my reserve oil to keep myself going a little longer.


Quite a disappointing end to an otherwise fun sortie. Done in by a completely illogical wind setting.

[Nefarious]

Originally posted by Krusty
Quite a disappointing end to an otherwise fun sortie. Done in by a completely illogical wind setting.

There was to be no wind below 2K feet.

[TracerX]

I think he was commenting on the downdraft of 7mph that was present from 18K or so down to 2K.  Maybe this was unintentionally entered (error) as it was the same value as the regular wind direction setting at those altitudes.  Either way, it effected both sides equally, but I think Krusty is looking for the rational if the setting was deliberate.

[Krusty]

That, and had to vent a little.

A lowly ending to a very eventful sortie. I notice I got 4 bloody assists, though! Theiving so-and-so's in the 71 Sqn!!!

[Nefarious]

Originally posted by Krusty
WHY?

What purpose would this ever serve!??!

I *KNOW* I could have made it home. I've done far longer distance in the MA before. I've perfected the art of making it home without oil. I had a 20k start, a 50lb reserve of oil (which I was saving for final approach and landing at c127) and I barely got 2 sectors.

I ditched almost 2 sectors from my fleet after wasting my reserve oil to keep myself going a little longer.

Well honestly this is the first time I have ever had varying wind in my settings, and after some trouble in frame 1 we nixed wind below 2K. Maybe I'll change the settings to throw in some updrafts as well.

Actual wind from Frame 2:

0-2K  NO WIND
0-10K W TO E, Speed 7,  Rise -7
10-14K NE TO SW, Speed 14,  Rise -7
14-28K SE TO NW, Speed 10,  Rise 0
28-30K E TO W, Speed 27,  Rise -14

Either way, whether there was updrafts or not, you probably wouldn't have made it. Which brings me to another point, this is not the Main Arena this is FSO - Where settings are more realistic or even more difficult than the main arenas.

[Krusty]

I realize the settings were different, but I've been in the FSO enough to have a "meter" of sorts, and my meter was saying I could have made it

[forHIM]

Ah Krusty,  you should have flown to the north shore and enjoyed the company of those icelandic ladies.  

[Krusty]

They don't allow them in POW camps, mate!

[Sled]

Originally posted by Nefarious
Actual wind from Frame 2:

0-2K  NO WIND
0-10K W TO E, Speed 7,  Rise -7
10-14K NE TO SW, Speed 14,  Rise -7
14-28K SE TO NW, Speed 10,  Rise 0
28-30K E TO W, Speed 27,  Rise -14

THIS POST EDITED

I was wrong on my earlier statements.

The downdraft was intentional, it was a downdraft of 7mph or (-7).

Why? That is a very possible and realistic situation in real life. Anyone who has done real life flying (I have) will tell you that winds trying to push you down do happen.

Can you glide 100 miles in an F4U in the MA? probably yes. Can you do that in real life? Not likely, it would depend on the wind. FSO favors the real life possibility in this case. And in this case Krusty, the wind was not with you.

[Krusty]

Is that why I have 15 minutes of film from frame 1 with my squad laughing our entire arses off as every plane off the CV deck crashed but ours?

Or was that not wind-related?

[Sled]

I edited my last post ^^^

[Krusty]

^-- see my other question

[Sled]

Originally posted by Krusty
Is that why I have 15 minutes of film from frame 1 with my squad laughing our entire arses off as every plane off the CV deck crashed but ours?

Or was that not wind-related?

Yes, it probably was.

Although I have tested this wind Offline, and I didn't have any problem launching AC from carrier.

But in frame 2 there was no wind bellow 2K.

[Dantoo]

OK this explains why our run to the fleet took so long.  We had heavily loaded Ju88s.  We were in a situation where we almost couldn't climb at all.  If I had selected the bomb load I had originally planned for, we may simply have not been able to fly.

As it was we had to go on max throttle the whole way on auto climb which restricted our speed accordingly.  In the end we only just made it to the target area in the allotted time.  I didn't (wasn't able) to divine that there was a downwind from the arena display.

We got away with it this time.  If there is a plan to use up and down winds in future could this please be spelled out in bold?  Another 500kg on those JU88s and there would have been no action for a couple of squads.  7mph doesn't matter a fig to a fighter, jabo or air launched heavy but it seriously makes it tough for buffs trying to meet a schedule.  That's 616 feet per minute down draft and would exceed some heavy's ability to climb at all.

[Nefarious]

Gotcha Dantoo.