Originally posted by Urchin
As far as I understand it, here goes.
When you turn your engine OFF, it creates more drag than an "idling" engine because the propellor (which is not feathered, or turned into the wind, in either case) forces the engine to do... engine-stuff. If the throttle is at idle but the engine is on, the engine provides its own power for the .... engine-stuff. Manually lowering the RPM will REDUCE drag in either case ('idle' throttle or turning off engine).
However, when your engine gets DAMAGED, or you lose your radiator or your oil and the engine seizes, the game "auto-feathers" your prop. This makes it so the prop turns into the wind (and no, i don't understand what this means) to reduce drag. THAT is why you will glide for a very long time when you take engine damage, but fall like a brick if you just turn your engine off.
Here's a supposedly true story coming from the 55th Fighter Group:
A section of 55th P-38s have finished their escort assignment and are heading home on the deck, shooting up anything they see. Suddenly over the radio they hear a panicstricken voice:
"Mayday, Mayday, I took a flak hit and I'm losing Prestone (coolant)!"
A P-38 pilot responds, "Calm down, go through your engine shut down checklist and secure the engine."
"SECURE THE ENGINE!?", the frightened pilots bellows.
"That's right, feather the prop and we'll escort you home." replies the P-38 jock in a calm, reassuring manner.
With mounting terror in his voice, the reply comes, "feather it my ass, I'm in a P-51!!!!"
My regards,
Widewing