I have (2) two concerns that bug me about the fuel fires or fuel leaks in this game.
1. The US planes claim to fame was having self sealing fuel tanks and armor plating around the pilots. The bladder tanks shrink to contain the liquid fuel only and limited or no air, reducing the chance of a fire from the gas vapor. These bladder tanks obviously weigh more than non-self sealing tanks, therefore, making a plane heaver and less maneuverable. The planes without self sealing tanks caught fire very easily because the gas vapor inside the tank would ignite from one round. I saw a demonstration on the History Channel the other day. I think it was about the Midway invasion. The demonstration included a 5 gallon plastic water gallon bottle with a couple of liters of gas. I believe a .30 cal round (non-incendiary) was fired through the bottle. The fuel and vapor in the bottle immediately burst into flames (no large explosion). I also caught another episode about a historic dogfight over Y-29, an allied air base in WWII. The Germans attempted to strafe a US airfield (Y-29), but were intercepted by a jug mission. One of the jugs’ wings received a few German rounds and caught fire. The fire extinguished itself (probably ran out of fuel) without seriously damaging the aircraft. The jug pilot then continued to shoot down enemy fighters after the fire flamed out.
I know for fact that HTC is modeling the extra weight for the self sealing tanks and armor, but is HTC allowing planes with self sealing tanks and armor to take more hits?
There have been many times that I attacked a field with a F4U and take one and only one hit in the main fuel tank. Not good considering most of the F4U’s have only one internal tank.
2. I am wondering if an EMPTY self sealing tank could cause a catastrophic fire as often as in the game? I could see a tank inside the fuselage (with a bit of unused fuel) igniting a deadly fire inside the cockpit and seriously burning the pilot. An EMPTY wing tank, however, may be less likely to cause major damage, especially to an all metal wing. Any hits to a non-self sealing tank could cause a fire most of the time.
