You might be better off finding a warbird forum to lurk on for the rest. I was just passing along a few high points off the top of my head.
(The radial engine in my avatar notwithstanding. I hate to be such a disappointment
)
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Could a T-6B defeat a P-51 in a dogfight?
- Thread starter Deven Bolding
- Start date
(The radial engine in my avatar notwithstanding. I hate to be such a disappointment
)Roger; thanks. Did find this PDF providing what appears to be a decent overview:You might be better off finding a warbird forum to lurk on for the rest. I was just passing along a few high points off the top of my head.
(The radial engine in my avatar notwithstanding. I hate to be such a disappointment
http://www.flagshipdetroit.org/refs/RadialEngineThreats.pdf
You set the RPM for phase of flight and then set the manifold pressure for speed. So if they were maneuvering, they would set the RPMs and them leave them alone manipulating the throttle/manifold pressure.
Leaning is for fuel economy and best combustion at a given altitude. Normally for t/o and landing you just go full rich. I'm sure they probably did something similiar during a dogfight.
Leaning is for fuel economy and best combustion at a given altitude. Normally for t/o and landing you just go full rich. I'm sure they probably did something similiar during a dogfight.
That may be true, but outside of the Reno racers I don't know of anyone flying 'em today who has actually had the opportunity to treat any of them that way. They all get babied around at reduced power settings and with as gentle power changes as possible to keep them healthy between TBO.
Witchcraft!
I asked Robin Olds once what kind of transition training he had between the P-38 and the P-51, and he said, "I strapped into it, and the crew chief stood next to the cockpit on the wing and showed me how to start it up."
Mandatory "me and Robin Olds" pic:
This closes the thread for me. The T-6 will win, because the P-51 driver is worried about TBO money and airframe life.
RPM=prop pitch
Manifold pressure=throttle
Correct?
I'm guessing that a dogfight situation would result in a combination of max RPM and max throttle...or "balls to the wall?"
If you want a deep dive on practical radial engine management, Google "Randy Sohn's Warbird Notes".
Got some reading for the throne for the few days. Thanks.
Correct.
As far a dogfighting, I don't know what would be the best pitch. Climb pitch gives better climb. Cruise pitch gives better speed. I've never dogfighted but I assume since cornering is not balls to the wall and going vertical takes climb performance it would be climb pitch. But then fighter types always say speed is life....
It would be interesting to know what they set the mixture to on the ground. If they knew they were going to be dogfighting at some block of altitude, they'd have to be at some setting less than full rich for max power if it was set conventionally. Basically akin to having to reduce mixture when taking off from a higher elevation airport to get max airport.
Mostly me thinking out loud, but I'm sure the mechanics of the era knew how to eek out any performance gain they could.
While the mechanics of the motor are obviously different, it's the same basic idea as the T-34. Condition lever is your Prop RPM lever and Manifold is like your PCL. The FCU took care of fuel mixture for you, so that's why you didn't have that third lever.
I'm sure there's that, but since they were mass producing so much of these things I bet they weren't too worried about running them ragged and swapping them out when necessary.
I'm certain they were taking off in full rich and then modulating it as needed in the climb.
Remember that these engines (depending on type) also had internal superchargers or turbochargers to give more sustained power at altitude, so mixture control wasn't exactly the same as typical normally aspirated air-breather pistons.
Although we today see this kind of engine management to be complicated, it was part and parcel with being a pilot then -- sort of like how flying a taildragger is some mystical voodoo to many pilots these days, but was just "flying" to a half-century's worth of aviators.