Sometimes, when I take a radiator hit and want to get back to base, I will fly until the engine temp is near the red, then cut the engine, glide until near the ground, restart the engine, do a full-throttle climb until the temp is near the red, cut the engine and glide, and so on. This way, I can get a long distance. I always figured it probably wouldn't work in a real aircraft. However . . .
From "The Last of the Few: The Battle of Britain in the Words of the Pilots Who Won It", by Arthur.
Chapter 5, Hans-Ekkehard Bob, 109 pilot (
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans-Ekkehard_Bob )
While I was flying my 109 slowly alongside the bombers over Canterbury, I recieved a hit on my cooling unit. The engine's cooling system didn't work anymore, and it overheated. The engine was about to start burning, and I was forced to switch it off. In the event of situations such as this, we had been ordered to switch off the engine and to switch the propeller to the gliding position. At an altitude of 4000 meters, you might be able to glide about 40 kilometers, but over Canterbury that would have taken me either to the English coast or into the water. So, I thought, "I won't do that. I'll try something different." It occured to me to leave the engine idling until it had cooled down again and then, once it had cooled down a bit, I would switch on the ignition and accelerate at full speed, ascending as high as possible. Then when the engine overheated again, I would switch if off again, and carry on doing this. Using this method got me 80 kilometers -- as far as the French coast.
