Aces High Bulletin Board
Help and Support Forums => Help and Training => Topic started by: Blue Mako on March 21, 2005, 06:08:28 PM
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Guys,
After some discussion in the MA the other night, there appears to be a lot of erroneous information out there about how to handle a situation where you need to glide back to your base. This regularly arises in the MA due to (i) fuel shortage (ii) oil or engine damage and (iii) radiator damage.
Fortunately, the method used to handle each of these emergencies is the same. Before I get into that, let me state my credentials so it's easier to believe what I say. I have a degree in Aeronautical Engineering and have worked for the last eight years as an aircraft design consultant and (more recently) a professional engineer for an airline. Okay, to the theory.
In Aces High, no matter what the emergency, once it arises we cannot do anything in game to fix it. We cannot troubleshoot a problem or even restart an engine once it has been damaged. Thus we do not need to worry about maximising the time we spend gliding once we lose our engine. What we do need to maximise is our range, ie. the amount of ground we cover while gliding.
The maximum range glide speed is the speed at which the lift to drag ratio is at a maximum (ie. maximum lift for minimum drag). This is, coincidently, the same condition for the best climb rate speed. Fortunately this speed is known to us for every aircraft we use in AH. It is the default autopilot speed that we get when we hit alt-x. (Note that this speed does vary with altitude and aircraft weight but not significantly)
Thus what to do if you have an inflight engine emergency...
What to do BEFORE your engine quits:
1) DISENGAGE. Every second you spend fighting is another second that you aren't heading toward your base. Every second counts! Hopefully you'll have friends nearby to help you, if not, pray...
2) TURN FOR HOME. See above.
3) GRAB AS MUCH ALTITUDE AS POSSIBLE. Just hit alt-x, if you have excess speed, it will automatically zoom climb until your speed is the steady climb speed. Use WEP and just climb, climb, climb.
4) DETERMINE WHEN TO CUT YOUR ENGINE. An engine with an oil hit will not leak when the engine is switched off. Save some oil for your final approach and landing. Kill the engine when the oil meter gets just above zero. If your radiator is hit, don't let the temperature get to maximum! Kill the engine before it reaches the end of the dial. Let it cool into the white range then restart your engine and climb again. [edit] This was true in AH1, still true in AH2? [/edit]
What to do WHEN your engine quits:
1) HIT ALT-X. If you aren't already climbing on alt-x, hit it when your engine is cut. This sets the best L/D speed and maximises your glide.
2) REDUCE PROP RPM. Hit the - key on the number pad to reduce the prop RPM as far as possible and thus reduce drag. Note that if your radiator is damaged and you are cycling your engine on and off, push the RPM up during your climb phases and down when gliding.
3) DO NOT CHANGE YOUR SPEED HIGHER OR LOWER. Trying to glide at a slower/higher speed or lower descent rate may prolong the time you spend in the air but it will reduce your range. This is true for any speed above or below your best L/D speed, it will only reduce your gliding range!
4) CONSERVE YOUR ALTITUDE. Do not descend until you are above your field. Once you give away your altitude with your engine dead, you can't get it back.
5) PLAN YOUR LANDING. You only get one shot. Plan to land about 1/3 the way down the strip and try not to leave yourself high or low on approach. Practice glide approaches when you finish normal sorties. This is a skill that is difficult to learn but very valuable.
Following these simple steps will help you land your crippled bird. A P51 will glide for almost two sectors from 10,000 ft following these steps. Most fighters can go almost as far.
Hoping this helps.
:cool: mako
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Ok, one more thing on the landing. Often enogh i glided home and then messed up the landing. Now i had an idea, worked 2 times and i want to share.
1. while gliding, note how far you get with 500 feet of altitude.
2. when you get to the field with 500 feet or less, use a more or less direct aproach.
3. if your higher agl, look at your excess altitude. Say it is 2000 feet
4. now glide 950 feet long away from the field in a direction of a runway, turn around (loosing 100 feet) and glide back with the remaining 950 feet to touch down on the runway.
Anyone tried that or has a better system?
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An engine with an oil hit will not leak when the engine is sqitched off. Save some oil for your final approach and landing. Kill the engine when the oil meter gets just above zero.
you sure about that?
seems to me, everytime I tried that, oil keeps pouring out.
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I think that one depends on both the plane involved and the damage involved. As I've had it work both ways depending on the circumstances.
BTW from my perspective Blue Mako has it just exactly right. Nice wriiteup
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good tips Mako.
one very gamey thing i found out the other day is some planes will climb better inverted, and also glide further. not very fair or realistic but if you need to land those 8 kill sorties then its worth a try.
As far as landing personally i just head for the runway and sideslip and crab along to gain perfect speed for landing.
landing is not the hard part, its running away from the LA7s and 190s with the smoking engine in the first place. better to stay and die :)
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Great write up Mako.
I could only add that you can determine if you will make your field by noting your altitude, the altitude of your intended field, and the rate of your descent coupled with your airspeed.
By applying a little math you can determine if you will have the glide range to make the field. If you can determine your range early enough you can plan for a safe area to ditch (IE land in a field).
Cheers,
RTR
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*committing it to memory*
Maximum range glide speed... where... lifting... is great, and... climbing... is a drag. Doh, Just hit alt-x and don't make me explain it. :D
Blue Mako, I had been using this method for a long time, and had a hard time expaining it to others. Thanks for the explanation. One question, how much of a difference will it make to go level and get to maximum speed instead of climbing initially? I tend to go level and fast at first sign of trouble since I want to get the heck out of enemy range at first. Then engage auto climb when things are safe. Any way to gage how much glide distance was lost durring the time going level?
Originally posted by mechanic
good tips Mako.
one very gamey thing i found out the other day is some planes will climb better inverted, and also glide further. not very fair or realistic but if you need to land those 8 kill sorties then its worth a try.
Mechanic, this explains alot. So, that is why the spit in your avatar is shooting inverted. :)
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Originally posted by Schutt
Ok, one more thing on the landing. Often enogh i glided home and then messed up the landing. Now i had an idea, worked 2 times and i want to share.
Anyone tried that or has a better system?
As you approach the field, watch how the field moves in relation to your cockpit window frame as you are heading towards it.
If the field climbs up the window, you are undershooting (ie. not going to make it)
If the field is moving down the window frame, you are overshooting (ie. going to be too high at the runway).
Try turning towards or away from the field until the point you are aiming for stays steady in height compared to the window frame reference.
Remember too that when you drop flaps and gear your landing point will get closer so if you are undershooting, leave this till the last second or even belly it in.
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Originally posted by DieAz
seems to me, everytime I tried that, oil keeps pouring out.
Visually, yes. Physicly, no.
Also note this game has auto-feathering. If the engine is shutdown by either player or bullet, the prop feathers even though it shows it's still spinning. That doesn't count for prop bashings, though.
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Originally posted by TracerX
[BOne question, how much of a difference will it make to go level and get to maximum speed instead of climbing initially? I tend to go level and fast at first sign of trouble since I want to get the heck out of enemy range at first. Then engage auto climb when things are safe. Any way to gage how much glide distance was lost durring the time going level?[/B]
Without doing the math for each aircraft, I have found that it's best in the pony to enter a climb immediately. This is probably due to the slow acceleration of the pony. With a higher amount of excess power available, you may want to accelerate level or in a shallow climb at first to clear out of dodge. Use your judgement, you may need to fight your way out or it may be best to stay in a very shallow climb to maximise ground speed to get away from cons. There's no point setting up a glide if you are going to get shot down... The method given above is in an ideal world where no one is in a position to shoot you down, applicable mostly when you have wingmen aroudn to cover your withdrawal or you have been pinged by ack.
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I only have empirical support for this theory but it seems to work.
It appears that ground effect is modeled in the game. As a CFI-G one of the things we teach in gliders is that if it looks like you are going to wind up a little short you can trade your last several hundred feet of altitude for airspeed. Once you are in ground effect you can glide considerably farther than if you held best L/D to the bitter end. I've tried this in the game and it seems to work in situations where you are going to wind up a little short. It would be interesting to check out in the game with two identical airplanes, one holding L/D to the deck and the other using the above technique. If anyone wants to do the experiment look me up in the game and we'll give it a whirl.
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I seem to recall HT stating in another thread that ground effect is modelled.
This is all well and good but in many of the fields I've seen in AH2, the airfield contractors have forgotten to clear the trees from the approach paths to the fields!
On a side note: This topic seems to have been well received. Are there any other techniques that people would like advice/explanation on?
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Very nice write up Mako!!! I never knew the alt-x trick to set the max L/D for a glide :) I always use to guess at the proper glide angle, sometimes it worked, most times not :)
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Not sure about that "autofeather"statement in relation to player shutting down.
When i shut down an engine to glide back there is always a noticeable increase in the glide ratio when I wind back the RPM.
When i get closer to the field and think im going to fast (always am) I wind on the RPM and coarsen the pitch this helps increase the drag.
Regards
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excellent post BlueMako
Magoo
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Got a chance to put this to the test for 1st time....was over A5 and got a magical puffy ack bullet...killed engine busted oil...went straight for 15 sec to get out toward edge of ack field and hit auto climb...zoomed on auto till about 10k and almost made A10....excellent stuff.
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:D Mechanic, very cool avitar sir! (how can I make a liittle movie of ME gettin SHOT UP, cause Everyone has seen ole Miggy go down in flames to be sure... haha
Thanks for the great Glide post!
miggy "
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There's nothing like finishing a good sortie with no ammo, no fuel, broken plane and a successful glide home :)
If you have alt to spare - plan a slight over shoot, then cross controlls (rudder left stick right or the other way around). Pulling out the flaps will also make you drop faster.
This is better than planinng a nice landing and then hitting a tree or falling short.
Ground effect is very much at work in AH. sometimes it will just make the plane hover all the way across the runway. When trying to put it down, increase RPM, and plant that tail wheel into the ground while still pulling the stick (both locks the tail wheel and creates more drag than running tail up).
If the end of the runway is coming at you, zigzag while breaking to make the driving path longer.
Bozon