Anyone knows how did formation leaders call the settings back in the days? Boost and rpm? Or leader just called an airspeed and the wingmen chose the best settings for that airspeed?
I think back in the day that strict radio silence was the order of the day, everything I have ever read points to that. But also pilots knew their aircraft and engines and they also knew what would cause the engine trouble. The engine data plate in the cockpit normally provides cruise data, sometimes 2-3 settings such as max endurance cruise, max range cruise, fast cruise. In the air I suspect it was just a case of follow the leader with the emphasis being on the following pilots to match the leaders speed without constant RT chatter.
Thanks Classic
I was thinking the other day that we are used in IL2 to always call throttle and pitch %, and thinking how to do it in CoD. My thinking was that if the wingman is not able to keep formation without knowing settings from the leader…he needs more training 
Of course leader should not change airspeed often, or chaotically.
We worked a bit on this in 602
takeoff being on 60% throttle until tail lifts then 100% ( this lets aircraft taking off en-mass spread out and prevents collisions )
A set regime of settings might be an idea…
Climb
Economy cruise
Combat cruise
?
Sporran
It will be necessary with the new engine management. But as Classic said, each plane has written the best settings (in the pilot’s notes and also in cockpit), we should stick to them.
Oops, yes, Classics post… :o
Heads somewhere else at the moment.
Back in 1940 while not in combat, all speed and throttle pitch and mixture settings would have been tested by the Boscoombe pilots. From their recommendations all aircraft would have used the those particular settings while flying.
A test pilots life wasn’t always about pushing the envelope, most of the time it was mundane stuff like finding best cruise settings and what was the minimum land need to put the things back down on the ground.
For example: the test pilots would have tested the Hurricane and decided optimum cruise setting for 10,000 feet would be full course pitch, throttle at 80% and mixture set slightly weak. That would produce very similar speed output with very minor adjustment from pilot to stay in formation. Full power climb would be full throttle, rich mixture, 8lbs boost prop pitch 0% coarse (just made up off the top of my head to illustrate what mean)
These settings would be drilled into the trainee pilots. So that there would be no need to break comms or constant massive throttle adjustment from the flight.
Once in the air SL would just say power climb to angels 10, heading 150, at height optimum cruise. All pilots would then know exactly what setting to use and what speed to be expected. Once in comat, everything goes out of the window of course it’s a dangerous world up there
For EAF purposes we’d all need to go back to school. After putting in 2 hours in Hurricanes now, I think CoD is the sim that will challenge OTU and the training schedules. Just getting a Hurricane up in the air and keeping it there without blowing a gasket is 80% of the job, let alone attacking Dorniers.
What is it Phil always says to new recruits. “…10 hours in Spits…”
Despite CoD being about as rough a sim as you can get, in full real it is a challenge and I’m starting to see more positives in there. The EAF have a hill to climb to master these A/C.
Caveat as long as I dont look outside of the cockpit 
After many years building and maintaining these machines I have ever more respect for the pilots that flew them, particularly now that we are building a pair of Hurricanes as it is evident just how simple they are. Just a simple system such as thermostatically controlled radiator flaps (as fitted to later Mk. Spitfires or BF109’s) could take an enourmous load off of the pilot. Of course any pilot has only a certain amount of attention and when half of that is spent monitoring instruments it could be argued that his combat effectiveness is reduced as more time is spent looking in rather than looking out.
I think Brigstock’s post has hit the nail on the head really, when the pilots were fresh from training school they would fly ‘by the numbers’ as experience grew so would the pilots confidence until he was at one with his machine and then he would fly by the feel and on instinct.
For CoD it will be interesting to see if real life facts/figures and engine settings translate into accurate in-game performance, IL2 was quite inadequate when comparing real life to virtual life
how complex is the sim ?
IE: are gimbals lockable, do you need to use the pilot heater ( for airspeed ? )
What are the implications for OTU… the proposed Type Approval Section in particular…
Should we be thinking of training pilots in specific types ?
Sporran
In full real for the Hurri. It’s a nightare.
I struggled at first.
Here’s my Hurricane Checklist.
Fuel on
Mixture full rich
Prop full fine pitch
Throttle set at 10%
Magnetos on
Carb heat on for a few seconds
Pump fuel around 5-10 times(pump on right hand side of pilot seat)
Hit the start button (I use I-key, can’t find the clickable start button yet!)
Hope the engine catches (pray it catches!)
Gently tease with the throttle until ticking over.
Shouldn’t need Pitot heat on the ground.
It took me an hour to get it right last night, and even now I sometimes need two attempts to get the thing started.
This is something I like very much about CoD, the terrain still makes me wince, but learning the Hurri was fun.
I think type approval is very neccessary… for all of us. Including the instructors
This flying a plane CoD malarky isn’t easy in full switch
Gareth, you’ll be pleased to know I found feck all on starting the Hurri in CoD manuals or online. I had to revert to a reproduction WWII pilots manual for the Hurricane MkII I bought from the BoB memorial when I visited the other year. After reading through that and a bit of experimentation I managed to kick me MkI into life
So fair to say that most pilots wont just be jumping from one type to another ?
How similar is the Hurricane Checklist to the Spitfire Checklist ?
I think type approval is very necessary… for all of us. Including the instructors
I have been leaning in that direction for a while Brigs.
Some questions as to direction though.
Do we train pilots for the Hurricanes ( historically the most numerous type ) with talented pilots then being trained in Spitfires ?
Do we split type approval into different paths ( Fighter command, Bomber/coastal command ) with different training for both ? ( and if so, who gets assigned to what ? most want to be fighter pilots, do we just forget about the Blenheim ?.. or does OTU make recommendations when pilots pass through basic flight school, based on a trainee’s/pilots performance ?)
How will this effect EAF squadron structure in the long run ?
IE: will it become desirable to have separate fighter squadrons and bomber squadrons ? Will we need separate Hurricane and Spitfire squadrons ?
This all assumes ( perhaps incorrectly ) that we will in the long run be flying Cliffs of Dover as our main flight sim.
As there will be occasions when aircraft choice won’t be an option.I think type approval on all will be neccessary. I know that if I’d had 10 minutes with someone who knew how to start a Hurricane I wouldn’t have spent 2 hours last night scouring the internet and reading me manual.
First time I sat in the hurri. Fuel on, Rich mixture, full throttle, magneto’s on. start engine. In my mind the engine would catch and I’d knock the throttle back to 1,200 and warm up. In sim it fired once then stopped. Over and over I tried. No throttle half throttle etc. the biatch just wouldn’t have it 
Wasn’t until a read the MkII Pilot notes that I saw pump fuel.
From the Pilots Notes:
(i) Set Fuel cock to main
(ii) Set Controls as follows
Throttle - 1/2 inch open
Propelor Control - fully forward
Supercharger control - moderate
Radiator shutter - Open
(iii)Work the priming pump until the fuel reaches the nozzles; this may be judged by a sudden increase in resistance(no resistance in game, but 5-10 pumps seems enough)
(iv)Switch on the ignition (magneto’s) and press the starter
It goes on to describe how many strokes it should take to start at different temps and fuel types. Point (vii) states you need to slowly set revs at 1,000 and warm up.
There is carb heat in the cockpit too. I wacked that on for good luck. But it could probably be left off for starting. I think priming the fuel and not flooding the engine is the most important part.
I found feck all on starting the Hurri in CoD manuals or online.
Didn´t find much useful in the manual either.
Did find this on good ol Youtube how to cold start the spitfire.
There is carb heat in the cockpit too. I wacked that on for good luck
If in doubt, switch it on. I worked on this principle in DCS Blackshark.
Carb heat should only really be used if you fly into cloud as it prevents icing in the carburettor. Switching it on without the engine running wouldn’t have an effect as it works by diverting some of the heat from the exhaust back into the carburettor.
Sounds just the sort of sim we’ve wanted for a while. How did you get the mouse to change the fuel pump? I know its clickable, but it wont move for me.
It looks like we’re going to have to get used to mnemonic checklists.
e.g OBUMMMPFFITCHH or BUMMMFITCHH which is a pre-landing checklist
O - Open carburettor heater
B - Brakes free
U - Undercarriage down and locked
M - Mixtures
M - Magnetos.
M - Master switch
P - Propeller Pitch
F - Fuel
F - Flaps
I - Instruments
T - Temperatures and Pressures
C - Close carburettor heat
H - Hatches or doors
H - Harnesses
Back to the point about transmissions, Angels 10 wouldn’t necessarily translate to 10,000ft though, as “angels” would be a different offset height every day. Pilots would have to add the angels offset value of the day to the number stated.
e.g angels could be 2000ft, so angels 10 would mean the lead aircraft/ground comms were referring to an altitude of 12,000ft.
In theory early Spits and Hurris should be almost identical to start as they share standard aircraft parts in terms of fuel primers, magnetos etc etc. Also of course they have the same powerplant.
I wonder if the batteries can run flat? There should be a large ‘power switch’ in the cockpit labelled ‘grd’ and ‘air’ the grd side of the switch would draw power from the auxillary trolley that ground crews would plug in for starting, once started the pilot has to switch to ‘air’ side of the power to start using his onboard battery. With the engine running the generator is also running and therefore the onboard battery is saved from the most strenuous task of starting the engine, but I’m sure during BoB most starts would be performed off the batteries. I guess if enough ‘trolley acks’ were available then the ‘erks’ would have them plugged in and ready to go at a moments notice of a scramble.
Brigstock was almost right. The key was the choice of fuel tank. I just cheated and looked into the Pilots Notes of a Hurricane Mk. I
Start and warmup - confirmed
Fuel Selector: Reserve Tank
(Main tanks are below the engine and there are no fuelpump)
Mixture: Full back (Rich)
Throttle: 1/2 Inch forward
Pump, if cold: x5
Pump, if warm: x0-2
Magnetos: Both On
Press the starting switch in max 30 sek (just press ‘I’ once in the game)
(The button are not were it is supposed to be according to the manual 
Nurse the throttle in order to keep the prop turning.
Warm engine to an oil temp of 15’C+ and Coolant temp. of 70’C+
Before taxi - confirmed
Mixture: Push forward so it is short of the middel.
(The RPM won’t go higher than 1800 if you don’t and there will not be enough thrust.)
Pitch: Forward (only have two settings in the oldest version)
Takeoff - confirmed
Fuel Tank Selector: Consider moving Fuel Tank selector to Main IF Main tanks have more than 50% fuel.
Flaps: 28’ (it will reduce TO run with 90-120 yards)
RPM, Max: 2850 (max. 3 min)
Boot, Max: +6 1/4
TO Speed Min: 80 MPH
Flaps Up min: 90 MPH
Fuel Selector: Change to Main tanks if you haven’t done yet.
Climb - Not confirmed
RPM, Max: 2600
Boost, Max: +6 1/4
Maximum Cruise - Not confirmed
RPM: 2600
Boost: +4 ½
Mixture: Rich
Economical Cruise - Not confirmed
RPM, Max: 2600
Boost: +2 1/4
Mixture: Weak
All-out level (max 5 min) - Not confirmed
RPM, max: 3000
Boost, Max: +6 1/4
Max Dive - Not confirmed
RPM, Max: 3600
Boost: +6 1/4
Other important Info - Not confirmed
Oil Pressures
Normal: 60lb/sq.in
Emergency(max 5 min): 45lb
Oil Inlet Temperatures
Minimum: 15’C
Max for continious cruising: 90’C
Max for climb: 90’C
Emergency Max (5 min): 95’C
Coolant Temperatures
Min: 70’C
Recommended Cruising: <90’C
Maximum: 120’C
GOOD NIGHT !
Source: Hurricane I Aeroplane Merlin II Engine page 44. Air Publication 1564A, voloume I
I have inserted the pictures from the real Pilot’s Notes
1 - Mixture
2 - Throttle
4 - Starter (Does not work in the game)
24 - Coolant temperature
25 - Oil Temperature
33 - Magneto switches
38 - Fuel tanks selector switch
67 - Radiator control (The long pump-like-thingie)
74 - Primer pump
Sounds like a proper sim
Sporran, hopefully most trainees that join us will have at least started up the planes, hopefully Reading Nepe’s post then another was describing how each plane was very different then type approved would be very useful. Early days and I’m still waiting for my version to turn up…
Been flying ROF on full real and having to change mixture, RPM and rad settings while in a DF adds another level. Great fun.
I’m surprised they did not include the ‘BS’ switches to start the merlin
The Mk.IX Spitfire we built last year went something like this to start
press and hold boost for a few seconds, then press start so now holding both buttons, when the engine turns over one blade then turn the mags on