Extra notes and training
A.I. pilots and stalls/spins.
Put simply, AI pilots don't have any stall
or spin recovery techniques, so if you see
an AI plane spinning, don't even bother wasting ammunition on it.
They are doomed from the start and will never recover. It is worth
noting the way different versions of EAW work their pilots. In EAW
1.2, it is rare to see pilots spinning, as they nearly always fly within
the limits of the airframe. Occasionally you may see some of the
more "spin prone" aircraft such as the Bf-110 in a death spiral, but the
single seat fighters are quite good. EAW 1.2a is a modification by
DAVE S which gives increased AI agression and makes them use their cannons
more. The extra agression means that the pilots will fly their aircraft
a lot closer to it's limits, and the occurence of spins is a very common
thing. If you are fighting a staffel of Bf-110's, you have to be
quick to shoot a couple down, because the rest will more than likely spin
and crash while engaging the rest of your squadron.
Also, AI pilots can't hold a plane at low
speeds with high angles of attack. I
was flying low enroute to my base with the rest of my squdron in formation,
and decided to see how slow I could approach the airfield without stalling.
With gear down, full flaps and full stick back, I could hold around 130
kmph (81 mph), using my throttle to keep "out of the yellow". Suddenly
I heard eleven loud explosions as all my AI buddies spun into the ground
within one second of each other. I can't think of any instance when
this would be of use in battle, but it is interesting...
Also, AI pilots are not good in high
speed dives. They have not been educated
to cut throttle when the controls freeze up or reverse at high speeds
(compressibility), so if you hot up a plane using EAW Aircraft Edit as
I have, and it is capable of some freakishly outrageous velocities, you
can expect that many of your squadron will encounter compressiblility and
dive into the dirt! Once again, this is unlikely to happen with most
flight models, but could perhaps be used to get rid of an AI bandit on
your tail if you had enough altitude to get your airspeed up to the stage
where compressibility is encountered. While this topic is not directly
related to stalls and spins, it is related to AI pilots and their knowledge
of aerodynamics, so I included it anyway.
Strange
things EAW does with spins.
EAW does suffer from a few imperfections, and yes, there are a few in the
stall /spin modelling. For some reason, if you try to get into a
clockwise spin, it is damn near impossible! Turning hard to the right
and applying full right rudder puts you into an anticlockwise spin.
This is the reverse of what you would expect, but I guess a spin is a spin.
The flat spins mentioned in the previous page are something out of the
ordinary too. I'm not sure if the real Bf-110's would do this move,
but I could be possible - Tom Cruise did it in an F-14 in "Top Gun"!
Tumbling spins also fit into this category.
Things to try in the
air.
Here are a few things that you may want to try out. They help you
familiarize yourself with your aircraft's capabilities, and it's stalling
and spinning characteristics. Take a single mission up to a high
altitude and have a go.
1.
Level turns in the green. With the throttle
fully open, enter into a 70 degree banked turn and pull back hard.
Try to keep the aircraft at the same altitude. Keep turning and watch
as your airspeed bleeds off, pulling back harder making sure you
keep your airspeed indicator in the green. If it gets into the yellow,
stick forward a bit, and continue. Note the speed you are at, and
time yourself to see how long it takes to complete a 360 degree turn.
Here you are in no danger of stalling.
2.
Level turns in the yellow. Same as above,
pull back a little harder until your airspeed indicator is just in the
yellow. Note this speed, and use the stick to try to keep it just
in the yellow. Note that when you are just in the yellow, the stall
alarm doesn't come on - increase the AOA a little more and it will
start sounding.Time yourself how long it takes to complete a 360 degree
turn at this speed (If you push it too far and spin, recover and try again.).
The purpose of this exercise is to improve your ability to turn on the
edge of a stall.
3.
Hitting the red.
Turn as above, but pull back even further. How far into the yellow
can you go before your turn rate dramatically decreases and you slip into
the red? There is a decent sized band between yellow and red,
and the closer you get to the red, the tighter your turn will be.
Practice releasing the stick when you are right on the edge of a spin,
and note the speed when you hit the red.
4.
Level turns in the yellow with flaps.
Same as 2. above, but this time drop full flaps. Take a note of the
airspeed as you continue your turn. Where do the yellow and red speeds
cut in now?? How long does it take to complete 360 degrees now?
5.
Turning with opposite rudder. Try the
above lessons but use opposite rudder (as in a stall recovery) when you
get in the yellow. How much rudder do you need to use in the different
depths of the yellow area to keep you out of a spin? How much effect
does this have on turning performance? What is the speed now when
you go into the red while using full opposite rudder?
6.
Minimum recovery altitude. Start at
a known height, execute a level turn and go into a spin. Proceed
with your recovery routine and take note of your altitude as you level
out of your dive. How much height have you lost? Can you enter
a spin at low altitude and confidently recover from it above the ground?
At what height should you become extra vigilant about entering spins?
These
few exercises only deal with level turning, so you may want to experiment
some more with maneuvering in the vertical plane and the stalls encountered
there. I have just used level turns in the above examples because
it allows you to keep airspeed constant, and read the "colours" more accurately
for reference.
Hopefully by now you have learned a few things about the complexities of
stalls and spins in EAW. If you haven't, then you could probably
give me a few lessons on the finer points of aerodynamics, and I guess
you really didn't need the extra information anyway! Feel free to
disagree with any of my opinions.
Anyway, I wish you all happy flying, and may EAW continue to give you many
more hours of flying pleasure!
The END
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