Engine startup randomness

[B4Buster]

A perfect example why you don't play games with your normally operating engine and the only time you shut it down is after landing, parked in the chocks.

Agreed. I can understand wanting to create a good simulation, but that's taking more risk than necessary, imo.

[hitech]

Why is there any advantage to  cutting the engine vs throttle back? Both have the same effect unless the props can feather.

HiTech

[FLS]

Why is there any advantage to  cutting the engine vs throttle back? Both have the same effect unless the props can feather.

HiTech

Controller setup? For some players it may be faster or easier to just push a button, particularly if they only fly with full power or no power.

[Wiley]

Controller setup? For some players it may be faster or easier to just push a button, particularly if they only fly with full power or no power.

There was a brief period before I got my HOTAS where I had my stick on the right, and had full throttle and no throttle mapped on a couple keys on my keyboard.  Not in AH though.  Some people do it.  If I'd have thought of it, I could've just used E for one button achieving the same functionality...

Wiley.

[wil3ur]

You're trying to solve a problem that isn't a problem. Probably all of 1-2 people in this game (player base in the 10,000's no doubt) toggle engine in fights. Some do it because they don't have a good throttle on their stick, and they say it's how they chop throttle. Better than full power 100% of the time, right?

You're really taking off on this idea that toggling the engine off is breaking the game somehow... but it's not. It really isn't. You want to model in human error, well howabout the pilot scrambling to get into the cockpit forgot his maps? No clipboard for you! How about an armorer screwed up and the first cannon round out of your guns plugs the barrel and the next one starts a chain reaction that blows your wing off, through no fault of your own. Whether you want complex engine management or not, that's another topic. But random failures? HTC doesn't do that, and for good reason.

You've suggested a punitive measure against folks that are not to blame. It does nothing to help and only annoys people trying to fly and fight. I would suggest turning your problem-solving juices to the larger problems we have in-game.

I have... and am looking for a new game.   

[MachFly]

Vapor lock occurs when fuel in the injection lines vaporizes.  For that to happen you have to have some heat -- vapor locks most commonly occur on a hot day after the engine is shut down.  The lack of cooling air moving thru the cowl allows the fuel lines to heat up, fuel boils/vaporizes and voila!  it won't start when you finish lunch.

In Hitech's case the engine is hot, he's on the ground taxiing so little to no cooling air and at idle you're moving very little fuel through the lines.  It doesn't take much to disrupt the correct fuel/air mixture.

That's exactly the way I understand it. The problem is that when the engine is already on (and not idling) your fuel lines are pressurized, therefore there should not be any extra room. Because there is no extra room the gas can not form as in order for the fuel to evaporate it would need to expand.

And I think I just understood why you had that engine failure. As you decreased power to descend the fuel pressure in your fuel lines dropped and created room for the fuel to evaporate. Causing gas baubles that would later cause an engine failure. 

[MachFly]

post deleted

[MachFly]

A bit off topic...

I knew of an instructor who used to simulate engine outs with his students by leaning the mixture until the engine cut out. One time, him and his student were practicing landing in a field. At about 500', the instructor put the mixture back to full rich to start a climbout, but the engine didn't come back to life. They made a real forced landing in the field. Instructor and student were unhurt.

I personally would not do it (if I have only one engine) but I heard about plenty of instructors that do it to provide more realistic training. Yes it's riskier but it would give the student more experience that might come in handy.

[MachFly]

Why is there any advantage to  cutting the engine vs throttle back? Both have the same effect unless the props can feather.

HiTech

I can understand why people do it, it's stupid though. Even when the engine is idling the prop still produces some thrust. Theoretically turning the engine off would decrease that thrust and you'd slow down faster, but what they don't understand is that it makes such minor difference that there is no point to it.

[guncrasher]

I can understand why people do it, it's stupid though. Even when the engine is idling the prop still produces some thrust. Theoretically turning the engine off would decrease that thrust and you'd slow down faster, but what they don't understand is that it makes such minor difference that there is no point to it.

one thing is real life the other is what happens in the game.  it may not be the same thing for the sake of not wasting coading time for no reason.


when the engine is turns on some people thing about gas flowing, spark plugs... etc ( am not a pilot so i dont know how it goes)  but it could be that it just engine starts and it it takes a while to go full throttle while in the ground, however up in the air it may or may not be the same thing.

of course I dont know either how the game is coaded or how the engine works in real life.  but one thing I know for sure is this.  I seldom see anybody turning the engine off while in flight.  and actually the only time i seen it down in past couple of months was while doing a memorial flight in the TA.

so I dont really see point to fix something that either isnt a problem or doesnt happen ofter enough to fix anything.  or it may go of the way of the other "problem" that got fixed.  people turning off engine sound so they can hear other planes.  surround sound doesnt sound as awesome as it did before.


semp

[MachFly]

one thing is real life the other is what happens in the game.  it may not be the same thing for the sake of not wasting coading time for no reason.


when the engine is turns on some people thing about gas flowing, spark plugs... etc ( am not a pilot so i dont know how it goes)  but it could be that it just engine starts and it it takes a while to go full throttle while in the ground, however up in the air it may or may not be the same thing.

If the prop is still spinning it would be easier to start the engine in air. But there is a possibility that the engine will not start so you don't want to turn it off mid flight.

[colmbo]

I can understand why people do it, it's stupid though. Even when the engine is idling the prop still produces some thrust. Theoretically turning the engine off would decrease that thrust and you'd slow down faster, but what they don't understand is that it makes such minor difference that there is no point to it.

With any speed at all an idling (turning) engine will provide more drag than a shutdown (prop stopped) engine will.  Both in game and real life.  In game if you're trying to produce as much drag as possible shutting the engine off is not what you want to do if the prop stops.

When I see an opponent do this during a fight I relax a small bit because I realize my opponent either doesn't have a throttle OR doesn't fully understand flight.  Either way it's an advantage for me.

[JunkyII]

Controller setup? For some players it may be faster or easier to just push a button, particularly if they only fly with full power or no power.

If a player only uses full or no power would he really be that effective at dogfighting?

[MachFly]

With any speed at all an idling (turning) engine will provide more drag than a shutdown (prop stopped) engine will.  Both in game and real life.  In game if you're trying to produce as much drag as possible shutting the engine off is not what you want to do if the prop stops.

Yeah but that's only if you feather the prop after turning the engine off.

[icepac]

A spinning prop still creates more drag than one stopped....even when not feathered.

This is also modeled in game.

Check your glide in a typhoon with and without prop stopped.

If you've got enough altitude, it pays off to stop the prop.