Question AC Range

[DOCUP]

How do you all put in data for AC normal range, Ext Range, and Max range? I'm using Pilotfriend website

Example Stirling 4E bomber

Max range 2606 nmi 58 Hexs
Ext range Not for sure what to put here
Normal range 1746 nmi 22 Hexs reduced bombload 3,500lb load

What am I missing or doing wrong?

[JanSako]

Reduced load would be the 'extended range'.
'Normal range' would be how far they can fly with a full bomb load.

[PaxMondo]

DOCUP,

Jan gave you the simple answer, but this gets incredibly complicated. The Sterling is a good example. They had the ability to trade bombs for fuel cells in the bomb bay. That would give it incredible re-deployment range. There were different sizes of external fuel tanks, different combinations of bombs/fuel tanks/rockets/ etc etc.

The devs have never, to my knowledge ever stated the exact rules that they used. What they have said is that "some ranges to adjusted to allow historical events to occur". This was not clarified with specifics by them.

My interpretation is that they had to do this because of the large number of "local" modifications made to most aircraft in this era. the local maintenance crews could and would make adjustments to aircraft load-outs and armaments to optimize the aircraft for their location. Whether and to what degree that still happens is debatable, but what is factual is how prevalent this was in ALL armed forces of the era.

So, the dev's created some internal rules as to how to set these numbers. This has not been shared (don't blame them, who would want to open that box?). So as modders, all we have is that second paragraph above to work with along with whatever source(s) we have.

Me? In my mod, I've gone back to some of my NASA roots and gotten a bunch of equations that I am able to use to "fit" each aircraft based upon some arbitrary datasets that I have access to. With these equations, I can play with each plane and do things that ground crews did back in this era: armament changes, bomb load, temp internal fuel tank for ferry, external fuel tank size, etc etc etc. In this way, I can get historically accurate modifications done with some better numbers on what that meant in terms of plane performance.

EX: P39 with 20mm Hispano c/l gun instead of the 37mm POS. Much higher accuracy due to rpm, and better plane performance due to lower weight. The Russians did this very effectively, and so did a few US and Brit units. The argument could be made is should have been built this way at the factory. In my mod, the P39 is a deadly A6M adversary, in fact built expressly in the early war just to that: defend against the A6M (or Oscar).

[RangerJoe]

DOCUP,

Jan gave you the simple answer, but this gets incredibly complicated. The Sterling is a good example. They had the ability to trade bombs for fuel cells in the bomb bay. That would give it incredible re-deployment range. There were different sizes of external fuel tanks, different combinations of bombs/fuel tanks/rockets/ etc etc.

The devs have never, to my knowledge ever stated the exact rules that they used. What they have said is that "some ranges to adjusted to allow historical events to occur". This was not clarified with specifics by them.

My interpretation is that they had to do this because of the large number of "local" modifications made to most aircraft in this era. the local maintenance crews could and would make adjustments to aircraft load-outs and armaments to optimize the aircraft for their location. Whether and to what degree that still happens is debatable, but what is factual is how prevalent this was in ALL armed forces of the era.

So, the dev's created some internal rules as to how to set these numbers. This has not been shared (don't blame them, who would want to open that box?). So as modders, all we have is that second paragraph above to work with along with whatever source(s) we have.

Me? In my mod, I've gone back to some of my NASA roots and gotten a bunch of equations that I am able to use to "fit" each aircraft based upon some arbitrary datasets that I have access to. With these equations, I can play with each plane and do things that ground crews did back in this era: armament changes, bomb load, temp internal fuel tank for ferry, external fuel tank size, etc etc etc. In this way, I can get historically accurate modifications done with some better numbers on what that meant in terms of plane performance.

EX: P39 with 20mm Hispano c/l gun instead of the 37mm POS. Much higher accuracy due to rpm, and better plane performance due to lower weight. The Russians did this very effectively, and so did a few US and Brit units. The argument could be made is should have been built this way at the factory. In my mod, the P39 is a deadly A6M adversary, in fact built expressly in the early war just to that: defend against the A6M (or Oscar).

I do like the P-400 and I do use it effectively against the AI. The Soviets did remove the wing machine guns which improved the maneuverability. They also fought at lower altitudes so they did not need the high altitude performance. I read where two of them were flying low over Guadalcanal and one of them fired at a Zero and hit it with the cannon. The Zero disintegrated in the air.

As far as unit modifications go, the Doolittle Raiders had special adjustments done to their engine carburetors to increase their range. When the got to the West Coast, some maintenance men started messing with them and were told to stop. Those aircraft that had their engines messed with did not make that trip. They also carried portable containers filled with gasoline which they emptied as they flew along. They were told to drop them into the ocean all at once but some did not which then make a trail back to their takeoff location.

Charles Lindburgh also taught pilots how to increase their range. He also apparently shot down at least one enemy aircraft as well. I don't think that he spent anytime on a raft like Eddie Rickenbacker did.

https://www.historynet.com/eddie-ricken ... fic-ocean/

Some planes were waxed and that could increase their speed by up to 10 miles per hour. Repaired battle damage may have effected the speed as well since sometimes tin coated steel was used in place of aluminum not to mention that drag may have increased as well. Not painting the heavy bombers also saved weight as well.