Trim and Engine Management

The WWIIOL aircraft have simplified engine and propellor controls in comparison with real-world aircraft. In real life, propellor and engine manifold settings are separate whereas in WWIIOL they are interlinked for ease of play. Still, there are some tasks that you must perform, and certain settings to manipulate to get the most out of your crate. And when the proverbial manure hits the fan, engine management may spell the difference between a successful return and an ignominious prang.

Your engine settings are:

• Economy RPM
• Continuous RPM
• Maximum RPM
• War Emergency Power

These settings correspond to the speed you may produce, and indicate the amount of strain on your engine. They also indicate the attitude of your propellor blades – i.e. at which angle they bite into the air.

The higher the setting, the more speed, the more wear and tear, and the greater the angle of attack (AOA) of the propellor blades.
Increase RPM with ' (default)
Decrease RPM with ; (default)

• Use Economy RPM to save gas on long cruises and to increase velocity in a dive (a low AOA produces less drag and consequently increases speed in the dive). Also use Economy to cool down an overheated engine. If the engine is severely overheated you will also benefit from reducing throttle.
• Use Continuous RPM as a happy middle ground between high speed and low gas consumption. When operating at corner speed you may also gain angles on a turning bandit in comparison to a max RPM setting, though this is highly dependent on the circumstances.
• Use Maximum RPM for takeoff, aggressive ascents, combat and landing.
• Use War Emergency Power – WEP – (F8) when you need an extra boost of energy.

Be advised that WEP is most effective at sea level for normally aspirated engines (if your engine is turbocharged WEP is effective at higher altitudes too), and that WEP considerably increases wear and tear. In most aircraft you can only use WEP for so long until the engine starts to chuff and chug and finally seize. Keep an eye on your temperature gauges!

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