Hi Hazed,
>but without HT defineing for us how they made their guesstimates we will never be in the position to question how the wep system works.
I think HTC's definition of WEP times is meant to match the standard operation procedures from the manuals.
5 min of WEP is a typical value for "dry" WEP, i. e. without any injection system. You can find this value in the USAAF's P-51D manual, for example.
10 min is a typical value for "wet" WEP (called "special emergency power" in German terminology), i. e. using methanol-water or nitrous oxide injection. This is the value for the German Jumo 213A engine, for example.
However, some engines are rated differently. The FM-2 with water injection for example is rated for only 5 min of WEP. The Ta 152H-0 on the other hand is rated for a full 30 min of WEP despite not having any injection system. As an extreme example, the La-5 could only employ WEP at low altitudes and for 3 min due to problems with the cooling system.
HTC's cool-down times appear more or less random to me. The lion's share of the heat generated in the engine leaves through the exhaust, not through the cooling system, and the main benefit of MW50 is to increase this kind of heat transfer. (In fact, in German the MW50 system is often referred to as "internal cooling").
In short, an engine running under MW50 does not get any hotter than an engine running at dry WEP. After all, WEP is limited by the internal temperature of the engine.
In other words, while the WEP burst duration can vary considerably, it's reasonable to assume as a first approximation that all engines come back to normal operating temperatures in the same (short) period of time.
The Fw 190D-9 is the only aircraft for which I found a precise value given. It's 5 min and not 20 min like in Aces High.
In fact, for the simplistic way Aces High models cooling, I'd consider it a good idea to set the cool-down time for all aircraft to an equal 5 min.
The data you posted doesn't make too much sense:
>190d9 10 mins wep 20 mins cooling
Should be 10 min WEP, 5 min cooling according to hard data.
>109g2 10 mins wep 10 mins cooling
The Me 109G-2 didn't have MW50, so it should be 5 min WEP.
>109g10 10 mins wep 10 mins cooling
The Me 109G-10 had MW50, but why does it cool quicker than the Fw 190D-9? It shoudl be 10 min WEP, 5 min cooling too.
>P51d 5 mins wep 10 mins cooling
5 min WEP is in accordance with the USAAF manual.
>HurIIC 5 mins wep 15 mins cooling
>SpitIX 5 mins wep 15 mins cooling
Two more Merlin-engined aircraft, but they take 50% longer to cool down than the P-51D. I have no idea why. (And with a 1:3 ratio, they're hit even harder by the slow cool-down than the Fw 190D-9!)
5 min cooling for every aircraft and the WEP duration from the manual would appear as a consistent and realistic way to employ the current WEP timing system. The Fw 190D-9 is the first to catch the eye due to the very long cooling time, but in fact most other aircraft would benefit from an improvement as well.
Regards,
Henning (HoHun)
