Watch your fuel gauge

[Check Six]

So I got my first ever lone wolf mission (not only with this current active pilot, with any pilot). From Vert Galant I was sent NW in the general direction of Calais. Noticed a couple of two seaters tooling around WAY too far over our side of the lines. Despite being alone and outgunned (I was in a 1 1/2 strutter), I decided to investigate. I stalked these guys for a while, and had a bit of trouble catching up to them. After a shallow dive to pick up speed, I finally caught up with them. I manoeuvred underneath the closest of the two, checked my line of retreat, knew I had enough ammo 'cos neither I nor my gunner had taken a shot, so no need to bring up the heads up display.

 

My target shot skywards, giving his gunner a couple of shots at me, but I knew that this would leave him vulnerable when he neared stall speed. No serious damage. I was looking up at this unprotected underbelly. Time to strike. Lift my nose a little to put a line from nose to tail and... SPUTTER SPUTTER. You guessed it (well I guess you guessed it when you read the title of the thread). Yep. Out of fuel. At first I thought he must have hit my engine, but I was wrong. Fortunately, I was only a mile or so from an aerodrome, so I dived for safety.

 

You think that was frustrating? yep it was. But nowhere near as frustrating as the next event. I was confronted by the worst enemy of all...the much dreaded BLUE SCREEN OF DEATH!

 

This is, of course, some driver problem that I just can't get rid of, and nothing at all to do with the game. Just...frustrating, that's all. Bad enough I spend valuable rest time after work, and before my next shift on a LOOOONG mission, but I got no result from my long chase target-wise, and then to Blue Out just as I'm preparing to dead-stick land...Not even my flying time was added to my pilot log.

 

DAMN YOU BSOD!!

[+Hasse Wind]

Bad luck. It's so easy to forget insignificant things, like the amount of fuel remaining, when you are chasing an opponent. I've lost a couple of pilots when enemy fire damaged their engines and the oil run out behind enemy lines. On both times I was very close to the frontline, but not close enough. And my guys were no good at sneaking through the lines...

[Duce Lewis]

It's just too easy to lose a pilot over enemy lines

Now we get an idea how Hawker felt when the frontline was as much an enemy as MVR

 

I have 2 tactical modes

Crossing the lines, try to stay high and only engage where necessary

Over friendly territory, the fangs come out

[+Olham]

Steve - always fill in petrol for 150 % - 200 % of the total flight path (check in briefing room, panel at the right).

When you want to warp: lower your throttle to 60 - 70 %, only THEN press "X" for warp.

Otherwise you will have too little for fighting.

[+Hasse Wind]

When you want to warp: lower your throttle to 60 - 70 %, only THEN press "X" for warp.

Otherwise you will have too little for fighting.

 

Often I don't lower my throttle before entering warp, and yet I have more than enough fuel to complete the mission and also do some fighting if necessary. And I've only had one problem with warping during all the time I've been playing OFF, and that had nothing to do with fuel. I wonder if there are differences in this behaviour between various PC configurations, or something. But I also refuse to fly missions that put my flight in danger because the range is too long for our planes. Just yesterday I had to skip a mission that required my flight of Alb. D.IIs from MFJ I to fly something like 250 miles to attack a British airfield - I couldn't get much closer targets than that even with using the optional flight.

[Launchbury]

Maybe I'm old fashioned but I'd never fly with anything less than full tanks, especially when flying an aircraft type that doesn't have speed to get away and you only option is to fight like a madman for 10 mintes.

[Duce Lewis]

Often I don't lower my throttle before entering warp, and yet I have more than enough fuel to complete the mission and also do some fighting if necessary.

Ditto, I warp alot and never have any fuel problems

Similar to Olham

150% fuel load for missions our side of the lines

200% whem crossing over

 

Sometimes land back at base low 10-15%, if circumstances require deviating from the planned route

But watching the fuel gauge adds another bit of immersion/risk to the sim

[+Olham]

Depending on the aircraft, less fuel load can bring you advantages, Launchbury.

I believe to notice, that my Albatros behaves much lighter with 50% or less filled in.

Definitely, the trimming is different. Less fuel = more nose down trimming.

[Check Six]

I also look at my fuel requirements before take off, as I did in this particular mission, and generally take 2 x the range of my expected mission in case I get into a fight.

 

But I haven't reduced throttle before warping and seem to do ok on fuel. This patricular mission had a long range anyway, and as it was all on our side of the lines, I figured that at least I could land at any friendly air base and still survive. I didn't really need to fight prevailing winds or cross over no-man's land and the subsequent flak when I was low on fuel.

 

As it was, this was a lengthy chase because I was in a Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter, and I could only climb at about 50 knots. If I levelled out, my targets would slowly get closer. In a slight dive, I'd start to look like catching them, but I was in danger of being dangerously low to fight two two-seaters alone. I thought I might get some assistance from the gunners at a friendly air base.

[+Olham]

Throttle back before warp seems to help some people - I'm one of them. Don't know why that is, but it's true.

Steve - in case you should be in the "nowhere" with no base around, and out of petrol: you can land anywhere

as long as you are your side of the line; don't worry.