Guide to manual engine controls - Revision history

U44629479: Edits

2022-12-11T20:35:18Z

Edits

U57926: /* Mixture and throttle management */ clarifications with mixture control.

2022-12-11T20:23:59Z

‎Mixture and throttle management: clarifications with mixture control.

U44629479: Undo revision 129577 by U103023916 (talk)

2022-05-26T15:50:09Z

Undo revision 129577 by U103023916 (talk)

U44629479: Undo revision 129578 by U103023916 (talk)

2022-05-26T15:49:56Z

Undo revision 129578 by U103023916 (talk)

U103023916: /* Plane-Specific Advice Examples */

2022-05-26T15:10:10Z

‎Plane-Specific Advice Examples

U103023916: Added info for P-61C-1 manual controls

2022-05-26T14:53:00Z

Added info for P-61C-1 manual controls

U44629479: /* Media */ Added subsection + video

2020-10-25T17:45:38Z

‎Media: Added subsection + video

U8745385: Consistency

2019-12-02T17:19:47Z

Consistency

U8745385: Most aircraft in the gamae do not have mixture optimisation modelled and can freely sit between 20% and 100% without any performance penalty.

2019-12-02T17:18:12Z

Most aircraft in the gamae do not have mixture optimisation modelled and can freely sit between 20% and 100% without any performance penalty.

U28580205 at 05:26, 1 June 2019

2019-06-01T05:26:24Z

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 The propeller pitch is the angle at which the blades of a propeller operate. Prop control lever is used to set the desired pitch. The propeller pitch influences prop efficiency which changes vastly with airspeed. A low prop pitch means that blades are set at a low angle, the drag of rotary movement is weak and can reach high RPM. At low airspeeds, this setting gives a proper angle of attack of the blades to produce thrust. When no adjustment is made, blades angle of attack decrease with increasing airspeed, so lesser thrust is produced. It means that the higher pitch is required. The higher the pitch, the more efficient prop is at higher airspeeds, which means that low prop pitch generally means better performance at low speeds, whilst at high speeds, low pitch not only generates drag but can also lead to engine failure from over-revving the engine. One can be easily confused as low pitch implies high rpm and vice versa: '''high pitch generally implies low rpm'''. In variable-pitch propellers that most War Thunder aircraft have, the general rule of operation is to have '''low pitch (high rpm) at low speeds''' and '''high pitch (lower rpm) at high speeds'''. Prop control in full forward position (or 100% pitch in the game) corresponds to low pitch (high rpm) and full aft position corresponds to high pitch (low rpm) or "feathered" when applicable.
 Propeller pitch needs to be set as a relative control, or else the pilot will be alternating between 0% and 100%, which is nonsensical, inefficient and may lead to over-rev in some cases. In aircraft that have no 'feathering' option, such as most fighters, setting the propeller pitch to 0% when the engine is dead helps to keep the plane gliding. Setting to 0% will also consume less fuel and reduce engine overheating. On most planes with manual control for propeller pitch, setting the prop pitch to 90-100% will allow for maximum performance at combat speeds while 70-80% allows for fuel-efficient cruising and diving with less drag. Some planes will require different settings, however.
 Not all aircraft in War Thunder have the option to control the propeller pitch manually. Some have an automatic constant-speed system which can be switched to manual mode while others have a fixed pitch. Most biplanes and interwar planes use a fixed pitch propeller, allowing no manual prop pitch control. Jets also do not use propeller pitch. Automatic constant speed systems are often found in German, Italian and/or late warplanes as well as some others. The system can be switched to manual control, '''but is''' '''heavily inadvisable''' '''without prior knowledge''', especially with German planes. This is due to the constant-speed governor being disabled, possibly allowing the propeller to over-rev from high RPM. As an example, a Bf-109 (F-series onwards) will over-rev when prop pitch is more than ≈60-65% in manual mode while the throttle is at 100%, but will never over-rev when automatic control is enabled. Over-rev does not occur on all planes with a constant-speed governor. Conversely, prop pitches that would over-rev can be used very effectively as an airbrake if the throttle is reduced properly, being even more effective than purpose made airbrakes in some cases, but this requires some experience to prevent said over-rev.
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 As the [[Thermodynamics#Altitude|altitude changes]], the optimal mixture changes too; the greater the altitude, the lower the presence of oxygen and density of the air (as such, the air intake decreases). This means that the pilot will need to increase the air in the mixture (making it "lean"). In War Thunder, fuel mixture is displayed as a percentage - to have a more fuel-rich mixture, useful for top performance at lower altitudes, the pilot sets the mixture to a number close to 100%, whilst to achieve a mixture with more air in it a much lower mixture is used (however, setting it at 0% little more than starve the engine and cut it). When at high altitudes, such as 8,500 m, a pilot may be using a mixture setting close to 40%. It is possible for some planes to achieve a mixture of up to 120%. This should only be used at altitudes of less than 1,000 m, as it was designed mostly for difficult takeoffs and landings, as well as a "WEP" in certain scenarios.
-Most aircraft in the game can be left at the default 60% mixture and will fly without consequence. However, some such as the [[Ki-44-I]] and the [[P-47_(Family)|P-47]] require micromanagement of mixture to provide maximum thrust. Most German and Italian fighters use a completely automated mixture control which does not require or allow player input. Turbine engines in jets also have automatic mixture control, thus no manual control in game.  Liquid rocket reaction engines is locked to a fixed ratio between fuel and oxidizer.
+Most aircraft in the game can be left at the default 60% mixture and will fly without consequence. However, some such as the [[Ki-44-I]] and the [[P-47_(Family)|P-47]] require micromanagement of mixture to provide maximum thrust. Most German and Italian fighters use a completely automated mixture control which does not require or allow player input. Turbine engines in jets also have automatic mixture control, thus no manual control in game. Liquid rocket reaction engines are locked to a fixed ratio between fuel and oxidizer.
 Mixture defaults at 60% when MEC is enabled. The last set manual setting is saved when toggling back to auto mode and will be set to that when toggling to manual mode.

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 As the [[Thermodynamics#Altitude|altitude changes]], the optimal mixture changes too; the greater the altitude, the lower the presence of oxygen and density of the air (as such, the air intake decreases). This means that the pilot will need to increase the air in the mixture (making it "lean"). In War Thunder, fuel mixture is displayed as a percentage - to have a more fuel-rich mixture, useful for top performance at lower altitudes, the pilot sets the mixture to a number close to 100%, whilst to achieve a mixture with more air in it a much lower mixture is used (however, setting it at 0% little more than starve the engine and cut it). When at high altitudes, such as 8,500 m, a pilot may be using a mixture setting close to 40%. It is possible for some planes to achieve a mixture of up to 120%. This should only be used at altitudes of less than 1,000 m, as it was designed mostly for difficult takeoffs and landings, as well as a "WEP" in certain scenarios.
-Most aircraft in the game can be left at the default 60% mixture and will fly without consequence. However, some such as the [[Ki-44-I]] and the [[P-47_(Family)|P-47]] require micromanagement of mixture to provide maximum thrust. Most German and Italian fighters use a completely automated mixture control which does not require or allow player input. Jets do not use mixture control.
+Most aircraft in the game can be left at the default 60% mixture and will fly without consequence. However, some such as the [[Ki-44-I]] and the [[P-47_(Family)|P-47]] require micromanagement of mixture to provide maximum thrust. Most German and Italian fighters use a completely automated mixture control which does not require or allow player input. Turbine engines in jets also have automatic mixture control, thus no manual control in game.  Liquid rocket reaction engines is locked to a fixed ratio between fuel and oxidizer.
 Mixture defaults at 60% when MEC is enabled. The last set manual setting is saved when toggling back to auto mode and will be set to that when toggling to manual mode.
@@ Line 99: / Line 99: @@
 This page is to be built based on _SKYWHALE_'s guide on the War Thunder Forums. The guide is very complete, and the user has granted the permission via PM to use the guide. Link to the guide:
 * http://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/223619-my-manual-engine-controls-tutorial-with-video-updated-147/
 [[Category:Game mechanics]]
 [[Category:Control]]

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 * Manual prop pitch, oil temperature relies on it. Set to 2550-2600 rpm at 100% throttle to prevent overheating.
 * Manual water radiator, can be set to 100% for the 1st minute when climbing or using WEP. Can be set to 0-10% if trying to cool down the oil using the normal throttle.
 == Media ==
@@ Line 107: / Line 99: @@
 This page is to be built based on _SKYWHALE_'s guide on the War Thunder Forums. The guide is very complete, and the user has granted the permission via PM to use the guide. Link to the guide:
 * http://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/223619-my-manual-engine-controls-tutorial-with-video-updated-147/
 [[Category:Game mechanics]]
 [[Category:Control]]

@@ Line 89: / Line 89: @@
 '''P-61C-1:'''
-* Fully close the Oil and Water radiator.
+* Fully close the Oil and Water radiator
-* Set prop pitch to ~90-100% and hold down WEP.
+* Set prop pitch to ~90-100% and hold down WEP
-* Climb to ~6km Alt sustaining a speed of 150-170mph.
+* Climb to ~6km Alt sustaining a speed of 150-170mph
 * Overall this guarantees a climb rate far higher than 16m/s and with the plane having a automatic exhaust based turbo, high altitude performance will far exceed that of a bf109 where you can out climb them forcing them to stall before booming and zooming them back to 6km alt.
-* When cruising, 70% on pitch is ideal and you can set it to 100 with your airbrakes when you need to dive and search for planes with the radar.
+* When cruising, 70% on pitch is ideal and you can set it to 100 with your airbrakes when you need to dive and search for planes with the radar
 == Media ==

@@ Line 89: / Line 89: @@
 '''P-61C-1:'''
-* Fully close the Oil and Water radiator
+* Fully close the Oil and Water radiator.
-* Set prop pitch to ~90-100% and hold down WEP
+* Set prop pitch to ~90-100% and hold down WEP.
-* Climb to ~6km Alt sustaining a speed of 150-170mph
+* Climb to ~6km Alt sustaining a speed of 150-170mph.
 * Overall this guarantees a climb rate far higher than 16m/s and with the plane having a automatic exhaust based turbo, high altitude performance will far exceed that of a bf109 where you can out climb them forcing them to stall before booming and zooming them back to 6km alt.
-* When cruising, 70% on pitch is ideal and you can set it to 100 with your airbrakes when you need to dive and search for planes with the radar
+* When cruising, 70% on pitch is ideal and you can set it to 100 with your airbrakes when you need to dive and search for planes with the radar.
 == Media ==

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 == Using MEC in RB ==
-== Plane-specific advice ==
+== Plane-Specific Advice Examples ==
 ''This section is unfinished.''

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 An engine won't function without being turned on, of course. To start or turn off an engine, the default key is "I" and is available on all aircraft, independent of MEC settings. The throttle controls are separate from the ignition; an engine that is off won't work, even if the throttle is at 100%, whilst an engine that is turned on but at idle throttle will spin its propeller (albeit very slowly, outputting very little power). Sometimes it is important to shut down an engine mid-flight. For instance, if your aircraft is set ablaze, turning off the burning engine will cut the fuel from pumping into the burning engine, potentially extinguishing the fire. Shutting an engine down will also rapidly cool it down, but this is inadvisable except when it is certain no enemies are around.
-Engine selection is used to select one specific engine at a time or all engines at once. This allows for the selected engine to be controlled using all other MEC inputs, ignoring them for other engines. Engine selection is rarely used on single-engine aircraft, as the main engine is always selected, but can find use on aircraft with multiple engines, such as the [[B-17_(Disambiguation)|B-17]] and [[Mosquito_FB_Mk_VI|Mosquito]]. Here it becomes useful for managing a damaged engine or destroyed engine, possibly allowing the plane to limp back to the base where it otherwise couldn't. Remember to reselect all engines when needed.
+Engine selection is used to select one specific engine at a time or all engines at once. This allows for the selected engine to be controlled using all other MEC inputs, ignoring them for other engines. Engine selection is rarely used on single-engine aircraft, as the main engine is always selected, but can find use on aircraft with multiple engines, such as the [[B-17_(Family)|B-17]] and [[Mosquito_FB_Mk_VI|Mosquito]]. Here it becomes useful for managing a damaged engine or destroyed engine, possibly allowing the plane to limp back to the base where it otherwise couldn't. Remember to reselect all engines when needed.
 ===The Radiator===
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 As the [[Thermodynamics#Altitude|altitude changes]], the optimal mixture changes too; the greater the altitude, the lower the presence of oxygen and density of the air (as such, the air intake decreases). This means that the pilot will need to increase the air in the mixture (making it "lean"). In War Thunder, fuel mixture is displayed as a percentage - to have a more fuel-rich mixture, useful for top performance at lower altitudes, the pilot sets the mixture to a number close to 100%, whilst to achieve a mixture with more air in it a much lower mixture is used (however, setting it at 0% little more than starve the engine and cut it). When at high altitudes, such as 8,500 m, a pilot may be using a mixture setting close to 40%. It is possible for some planes to achieve a mixture of up to 120%. This should only be used at altitudes of less than 1,000 m, as it was designed mostly for difficult takeoffs and landings, as well as a "WEP" in certain scenarios.
-Most aircraft in the game can be left at the default 60% mixture and will fly without consequence until around 5-6,500 m. However, some such as the [[Ki-44-I]] and the [[P-47_(Disambiguation)|P-47]] require micromanagement of mixture to provide maximum thrust. Most German and Italian fighters use a completely automated mixture control which does not require or allow player input. Jets do not use mixture control.
+Most aircraft in the game can be left at the default 60% mixture and will fly without consequence until around 5-6,500 m. However, some such as the [[Ki-44-I]] and the [[P-47_(Family)|P-47]] require micromanagement of mixture to provide maximum thrust. Most German and Italian fighters use a completely automated mixture control which does not require or allow player input. Jets do not use mixture control.
 Mixture defaults at 60% when MEC is enabled. The last set manual setting is saved when toggling back to auto mode and will be set to that when toggling to manual mode.
@@ Line 50: / Line 50: @@
 * '''Turbochargers'''
-Turbochargers are auto-regulated in War Thunder with the ability to be manually controlled, which is historic in most applications. Turbochargers are used almost exclusively on USAAF aircraft intended for high-altitude use such as the [[P-38_(Disambiguation)|P-38]], [[P-47_(Disambiguation)|P-47]], [[B-24/PB4Y_(Disambiguation)|B-24]], [[B-17_(Disambiguation)|B-17]], and [[B-29A-BN|B-29]]. Turbochargers add significant weight and complexity to an aircraft but pay dividends at altitudes above 18-20k feet where their efficiency outperform traditional, mechanically driven superchargers. It is not advised to use manual mode on a turbocharger, as doing so risks damage to it, reducing high altitude performance.
+Turbochargers are auto-regulated in War Thunder with the ability to be manually controlled, which is historic in most applications. Turbochargers are used almost exclusively on USAAF aircraft intended for high-altitude use such as the [[P-38_(Family)|P-38]], [[P-47_(Family)|P-47]], [[B-24/PB4Y_(Family)|B-24]], [[B-17_(Family)|B-17]], and [[B-29A-BN|B-29]]. Turbochargers add significant weight and complexity to an aircraft but pay dividends at altitudes above 18-20k feet where their efficiency outperform traditional, mechanically driven superchargers. It is not advised to use manual mode on a turbocharger, as doing so risks damage to it, reducing high altitude performance.
 Turbochargers default at 0% when MEC is enabled, slowly increasing to a 50% default. The last set manual setting is saved when toggling back to auto mode and will be set to that when toggling to manual mode.