Simviation Forums

Can anyone tell me what Cowl Flaps are for?

http://www.simviation.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=COF;action=display;num=1114365173;start=12

Thanks for that link!

I have read the posts through the link above. However, is "shock cooling" and engine overheat actually represented in ACOF?

You'll find very few planes on which the actual use (or misuse) of the cowl flaps will give you any kind of result, beside a different indication in the engines gauges and/or a different flying behavior (the cowl flaps, when open, offer more resistance to the airflow than when closed, acting in a way like airbrakes too).

That I know of there's only a freeware Constellation out there that requires planning in the use of cowl flaps for you not to cook its engines, but I'm not sure the "shock cooling" has been coded in.

Only planes that i know that have WORKING (as in overheat / not overheat) cowl flaps are:

Yak-18T
Yak-12
FSUSSR An-2

Drag factor is included in most CalClassic planes

I have read the posts through the link above. However, is "shock cooling" and engine overheat actually represented in ACOF?

Some airplanes have engine overheat but I haven't tried them so can't say how good it is. My Aerosoft Super Cub has engine oil that if you don't check reguarly it will overheat and sieze but otherwise it won't just overheat.

Shock cooling hasn't been implimented in any airplanes that I know of. Actually shock cooling is a long term problem. It usually won't cause failure immedately but it does reduce engine life meaning that you will eventually have reduced performance and even a chance of failure earlier than if you took care of your engine. Even if you don't have an enginge failure you will over the life of the airplane spend a lot more on maintenance.

It'd take a heck of a tempurature difference to cold sieze an airplane engine. I don't doubt it could be done intentionally but I doubt it would happen in normal engine operations.

Default (i think) really does nothing but cool and heat.  I fly the DC-3 alot (not suprising, huh).  You can watch the temp gauges.  Once you get up to certain altitude and depending on time, weather, etc, the temperature may be "in the green" where it is at a good temp.  If it is that way, you can close the cowl flaps.  In the real world, cowl flaps do affect performance, but in FS, there really is no detectable change, other than look and temperature.  Some planes will overheat