Not warping

[ditto58]

I think many CFS users fly their campaign missions by taking off, warping to the battle, warping back to the field an then landing.

I've just dusted off my CFS and have some time on my hands  and am thinking of flying a mission or two in real time.  My questions:

1.  In the past when I have taken off and started across the Channel, the planes never seem to gain much altitude very fast.  Yet when I warp to the combat sudenly the fighters are up at 24,000 with the bombers.  If I'm patient, will they eventually climb to the right altitude?

2.  With no autopilot, the CFS fighters are very difficult to trim and to fly straight and level.  Any suggestions?

[Sytse]

1. I dunno if they will climb that high, but you should be able. It's even better to climb yourself if you are flying on manual mixture or you're engine might stop if you warp.

2. It's pretty much impossible to trim any CFS aircraft for straight level flight. Why not use the AP?

[ditto58]

CFS plaines come with autopilot?

[Hagar]

It's pretty much impossible to trim any CFS aircraft for straight level flight. Why not use the AP?

If you're serious about it get a joystick with rotary trim controls. I loved my Saitek X-36 combo.

CFS plaines come with autopilot?

You can install 3rd party panels with an autopilot if you wish. Not all the functions will work in CFS & you might have to tweak the autopilot entries in the AIR files for it to work properly. Depends on how realistic you want it. WWII bombers had a very primitive form of autopilot but most types were flown manually.

[Sytse]

CFS plaines come with autopilot?

Check your key assignments. Somewhere in the list are all the AP commands.  ;)

If you're serious about it get a joystick with rotary trim controls. I loved my Saitek X-36 combo.

Why would you need to trim CFS planes anyway? I use AP for the trips and I don't want to fly straight and level in combat. lol

[Hagar]

Why would you need to trim CFS planes anyway? I use AP for the trips and I don't want to fly straight and level in combat. lol

All aircraft are easier & much more pleasant to fly if they're properly trimmed. Forget the autopilot & try it some time. It must be very difficult to fly an untrimmed arcraft in combat & this is an unnecessary handicap..

[H]

I have frequently flown the distance if only crossing the channel -- especially if I've run out of ammo before I've run out of enemy. However, if the distance involved is less than 25 miles, I've often had to make a slow circle at takeoff to gain substantial altitude. If you have a standard joystick then the elevator trim is made adjustable via the keyboard (changeable in settings). Make certain the 'by increment' keys are used for trimming.
Even in CFS1, every plane handles differently (once it's reached full speed, if the elevators aren't trimmed the Albatross biplane I'm using doesn't want to go downward -- let alone dive -- yet it won't bank and turn well if the elevators are trimmed for level flight so it's a must to continually use the trim keys in combat). Other planes handle quite well once the trim is set.
I haven't found much need to trim the rudder; crosswinds haven't been much of a problem in CFS1 scenarios.

P.S. Automatic Pilot, if available, is cheating -- especially if flying biplanes (long before it was available -- the only automatic pilot was the human at the controls).

[Hagar]

I found this history of the autopilot written by a Honeywell employee in 1944. http://www.mnhs.org/school/historyday/herb/autopilotback.html

Note that autopilots (known as 'George' in RAF Bomber Command) were mainly used on 4-engined bombers - notably in conjuction with the top secret Norden Bombsight fitted to the B-17. This allowed the bombardier full control of the aircraft during the bombing run. http://www.squadron13.com/B17/Norden.htm

[Bombardier101]

This allowed the bombardier full control of the aircraft during the bombing run.

Memphis Belle anyone?

But I can't say that all autopilot is cheating. Navigational radios, NDBs and autopilots are cheating in WW1 biplanes.

[Padser]

~S~

I still come back to the offline Battle of Britain campaign in CFS1 from time to time and always try to fly it without warping and with all the visual aids switched off. Naturally, I get shot down a lot while doing so...

[Sytse]

All aircraft are easier & much more pleasant to fly if they're properly trimmed. Forget the autopilot & try it some time. It must be very difficult to fly an untrimmed arcraft in combat & this is an unnecessary handicap..

Oooh I use trim a lot all the time. Especially in combat. My point was that I don't feel the need for trimming my plane for straight level flights very often. During most channel crossings you might want to climb instead of flying straight and level any way.

~S~

I still come back to the offline Battle of Britain campaign in CFS1 from time to time and always try to fly it without warping and with all the visual aids switched off. Naturally, I get shot down a lot while doing so...    It takes time, of course, but I still get a kick out of it. What a game!

~S~ Pads! I know, it's harder than it looks. I think it's because of the A.I. being smarter than they look.

[Hagar]

Oooh I use trim a lot all the time. Especially in combat. My point was that I don't feel the need for trimming my plane for straight level flights very often. During most channel crossings you might want to climb instead of flying straight and level any way.

Right. Most people don't seem to realise that trim is changed throughout the flight envelope. You don't just set it & forget about it. Everyone has their own preferences but I find rotary trim controls much easier to use. Not only that, it's very similar to the controls in the real aircraft.

It also depends on the type of aircraft you're flying. Autopilots were very rarely fitted to WWII fighters, even those used for long-range escort missions over Europe. In this case, setting trim for straight & level flight at cruise altitude would be essential & take the hard work out of it. I've read that one of the common problems of this type of mission was the pilot keeping himself awake.