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Winston DoRight

less than 100% fuel loadout?

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If you choose less than 100% fuel at the briefing screen, is this truly modeled as a lighter aircraft to fly? It would seem the thing to do to get a lighter aircraft and better performance, for example on a scramble mission if this is the case.

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Yes, it is. I always do that. When I read 60 miles total round trip, I fill in petrol for 90 miles,

to have some reserved for fighting. If you want to warp, you might even take petrol for 100 -

110 miles with you. Warp doesn't seem to manage fuel control too well.

But try it - you'll see.

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Yes, but also if you get your tank holed, what's left of your fuel has to get you back home.

Not quite so important for the German flier, but still could put you in trouble near the lines, near enemies.

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It's another realistic aspect of this sim. Before I fly I carefully look at how far I'm going and where. I carry fuel to get me there and home, then add more to account for the forming up 3 times round the field, a little extra for high altitude climbs, and some extra for fighting. If I'm going over enemy lines, I'll carry more still to help make it back to the friendly side if I get hit in the tank. Fuel is weight, so I try to carry as little as I'll need without killing myself, just as in real life.

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One also needs to keep an eye on mission parameters. My last mission was a balloon attack, and I noticed that the total distance involved far exceeded the range I had on a full tank. "Alternate Flight" (or whatever the exact wording is on that option) was the solution to that one.

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Guest British_eh

For Scramble Mission choose 10 % Fuel load. It will be all over one way or the other, before you run out of fuel. You'll probably be near a base, if you have to put down. LOL

 

 

Cheers,

 

British_eh

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Until a few days ago I never noticed that the fuel level could be adjusted. In one of the posts someone mentioned it so I started lowering my fuel to suit the mission. The plane did indeed feel lighter. There are sooooo many aspects to this sim its incredible. I started loading bombs when flying ground missions. Saves my ammo for the trip home.

 

 

Back when I was flying at 100% fuel I got peppered hard by ground fire. My engine cut out while returning. I thought perhaps my fuel tank had been hit and was out of petrol. Checked my fuel level (F5) and my tank was empty. I am thoroughly impressed at what the Devs have done with this sim.

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has the ability to change change the fuel loadout been changed with the latest patch? on the mission ive just flown i was unable to change it.

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so it seems thats its based on whether i choose a personal skin then? think il just stick with a default skin then as i prefer adjusting my fuel load.

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To be historically accurate you should always fly 100% fuel in a Fokker triplane. Mainly because they always did, for the aeroplane had very little endurance. I read the other day that 'only an experienced pilot could keep it in the air for more than 80 minutes', whereas all British fighters could do at least 2 hours.

 

Out of interest, what was the fuel load in gallons or litres or whatever of the aircraft we fly in OFF? I know these engines were not particularly efficient and tended to use fuel to cool the motor by running very rich by later standards. The specs I find of WWI aircraft rarely mention the fuel load. (In fact the specs I find of most aircraft don't mention the fuel load).

 

I have an interest in this because I spent ten years refuelling aircraft when not doing other more interesting stuff :cool:

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JimAttrill, the fuel loads where only given in percent;

you just decided, if you filled in 50% 0r 70% or 100% - no gallons or litres given.

 

tone12, the ability to manage fuel has gone sown the drain (so to say) through changing

the sim so we can have real personal skins.

But - as far as I know - even using a default skin won't give it back to you; it's gone.

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that seems a strange design choice, is there no way of at least givin us the option?

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Not yet, tone12 - it happened accidently. But they are investigating the problem.

Let's hope, they find it.

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.

 

JimAtrill wrote:

Out of interest, what was the fuel load in gallons or litres or whatever of the aircraft we fly in OFF? I know these engines were not particularly efficient and tended to use fuel to cool the motor by running very rich by later standards. The specs I find of WWI aircraft rarely mention the fuel load. (In fact the specs I find of most aircraft don't mention the fuel load).

 

I have an interest in this because I spent ten years refuelling aircraft when not doing other more interesting stuff.

 

 

Jim, I can tell you that the Camel carried 26 Imp gallons of fuel and 5.7 Imp gallons of oil which gave it about 2 1/2 hours of flying time. If you use the average density for an Imperial gallon of petrol as 7.39 pounds and of castor oil as 9.7 lbs at 72 degrees F, (because it changes with temperature), that would mean the Camel carried about 192 pounds of fuel and 55 pounds of oil when topped up. That is a significant portion of its usable payload as the kite weighed only 957 pounds empty and 1455 pounds fully loaded. I have no doubt that fuel loads were played about with in efforts to improve performance of these aircraft during the Great War. Hope this info was what you were looking for Jim.

 

Cheers!

 

Lou

 

.

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Wonderfully explained, Lou - as always.

 

I was wondering, why some people seem to get almost angry about this question.

Nobody must experiment with it, but I'm almost certain, at least the German pilots

did so. For the British and French, who had to cross the line, it is a very different

matter. I would possibly not have dared to fill my tank only half, flying Entente.

 

But in a German Jasta, close to the front, mostly flying over "own" terrain, I would.

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Olham CAN also fly and fight with tank filled 100 % - I just did so. Wanted to fly

"my" new Jasta 21 skin (well in fact OvS', with my modifications) in OFF HitR,

and therefor had to accept the full tank.

The Albatros is quite heavy already, but here comes the stronger engine of the

D V into play. So it may not be any better with a full tank, than a D III with 60%

fuel, but also not much worse.

Not sure what had happened, if they had been aces, but these N 24bis where

lost against Rudolf Matthaei, Karl Thom and me.

 

(Now, this doesn't mean, you devs shouldn't search for the solution anymore!) :grin:

 

 

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