Can anyone tell me how to switch tanks??

[Noah17]

I'm just getting started here.

I normally fly F4U-1A. I know that there is a "shift F" function. My tank shows yellow when I shift F. If I shift-F again it's back to white.
I know the -1A had wing tanks and I've always heard that the right one should be drained first. Then the left before going to the main. That would be 3 shifts.........

Any ideas?

[Soulyss]

I'm not a F4U driver but I can't think of any benefit that would be derived from draining one wing tank before the other within the confines of AH.  Maybe one of the more dedicated hog drivers can say otherwise but I would probably just leave the fuel system in auto management (the tank selector being white rather than yellow) and go look for bad guys to shoot down.

If you do want to experiment with the fuel management as you hit Shift+F the game will cycle through the available fuel tanks the F4U-1A has LW, RW, and MAIN (left wing, right wing, fuselage).

[Vudak]

Some guys like to leave a little fuel in the right(?) wing tank to counterbalance the right wingtip wanting to stall first, etc...

I know several good F4U pilots who like to do this, and several good F4U pilots who don't bother.  The difference will likely be negligible...

[shiv]

I make sure to burn them off manually- first LW then RW - except for a tiny bit in the RW to get home case the main tank gets hit.  Having too much in the wing tanks hurts performance it seems. 

Edit: knew I had seen this recently:

Fuel load in the 1a
http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,266399.msg3330202.html#msg3330202

[stran]

if you're only carrying 50% fuel in the f4u-1a then it will only be stored in the main tank. yellow means you will only burn from that specific tank. white is automatic tank cycle.

[Noah17]

Lol...... I meant left then right.....

That was great information.

Thanks for your help!!!

[AWwrgwy]

Also, if it says MAIN in white and you shift + F and it only will say MAIN in yellow then you have no fuel in your wing tanks.  You are probably taking off with 50% total fuel or less. 

Taking off with 100% fuel will give you ALL full tanks.

Taking off with  75% fuel will give you 100% full MAIN tank and 25% full RW and LW tanks.

Taking off with 50% fuel will give you  75% full MAIN tank and empty RW and LW tanks.

So, less than 75% fuel gives you fuel only in the MAIN tank of the F4U-1A and it's not even full.


wrongway

[Banshee7]

People really bother with manually draining tanks?

[TonyJoey]

People really bother with manually draining tanks?

 

[Banshee7]

I was being serious.

[Delirium]

Absolutely, aft tanks in the 190 and one of the wing tanks in the F4U are two great examples.

[Noah17]

I'm serious.
I didn't know if Aces High was that realistic...It appears it is. In real life you always drained the left wing tank on a Corsair first. At least if you were serious about having the plane at its best balance.

I have also seen some interviews w/ p-51 pilots that talked about which tank to drain(sorry I forget which one).... It was a concern on take off. You had to be a little careful until it was drained then maneuverablity was much improved.

With the corsair I was concerned about the wing dipping on a stall and not sure if it would affect "rolling over the top" of a loop or Immelman. It seems to get really unstable for me if I'm looping under 250. In the corsair training video that's all over the internet the original F4U-1 (not the A) could loop easily at less speed....At least in the video......

[Delirium]

I have also seen some interviews w/ p-51 pilots that talked about which tank to drain(sorry I forget which one)....

Aft tank; it was behind the pilot and behind the CoG as well.

[RTHolmes]

Absolutely, aft tanks in the 190 and one of the wing tanks in the F4U are two great examples.

where is the 190's aux tank located? I've always assumed that the tanks burn off in the most CoG/polar interia efficient way when on auto.

[Vudak]

I'm serious.
I didn't know if Aces High was that realistic...It appears it is. In real life you always drained the left wing tank on a Corsair first. At least if you were serious about having the plane at its best balance.

With the corsair I was concerned about the wing dipping on a stall and not sure if it would affect "rolling over the top" of a loop or Immelman. It seems to get really unstable for me if I'm looping under 250. In the corsair training video that's all over the internet the original F4U-1 (not the A) could loop easily at less speed....At least in the video......

The Corsair takes a steady hand, use of flaps, and especially use of rudder to keep her stable throughout the speed range, but once you get that down she's one of the best low-speed birds in the game.  Being able to use that stall to your advantage helps immensely, too.

9/10 times that I'm flying a Corsair, I take 50 fuel plus the drop tank.  That gives you more than enough time to get to a fight, have some fun, and get back home (at that setting, there is no gas in the wings).  If I want more time to loiter, I take 75 and a drop tank, and then burn off both of my wing tanks first.  That gives you a few more minutes on the main.

Some guys like to leave a little fuel in the right wing tank to both help stabilize the plane, and to give them an emergency reserve.  I don't do this for a few reasons:

- I never did before, and I learned how she "feels" without it; and
- It is not an economical way to practice in the DA (it takes time to burn it--time that could be better spent learning to fight).