I decided to take a closer look at the P-40N in light of Mike's responses and comments. My opinion of the plane has improved somewhat, though I'm still on the fence as to whether it was worth the purchase. To refresh my recollection and compare, I also flew the old P3D product in P3Dv5, as well as the Inibuilds P-40L for comparison. I also looked at some original P-40 pilots' manuals for operating settings and expected performance.
To say some nice things about it first, I think it's visually the best looking P-40 in the sim, with the cockpit being better than the Inibuilds, although the latter is not bad. I was impressed by the surface bump mapping when I got a look at it in oblique sunlight. It is the only one of the three P-40s in the sim currently that sits at anything like the correct angle on the ground due to having proper landing gear lengths when weighted.
Deactivating my ported-over P3D P-40N fixed the issue with some of the skins not showing, so that one's on me.
I copied the sound folder from the FSX/P3D P-40N into the new product, which greatly improved the experience, even at the cost of some of the systems sounds.
Although I accept Mike's explanation for the 2-position mixture control, I still wish he'd done it the old way. Granted, mixture controls in most MSFS aircraft are just something to amuse yourself with, since nobody is too concerned about fuel consumption (if it's even modeled) and there are no consequences like rough running, loss of power, or spark plug fouling for running full rich all the time, at least in most planes. I'd still like to amuse myself with it by having a continuous mixture control, since I'm always trying to build good engine management habits.
I think I figured out how the prop pitch control works, which isn't well explained in the manual. Instead of being continuously variable, it is a controllable fixed pitch unit. Moving the prop pitch level forward increases the pitch as long as you leave it there, moving it aft decreases it, and having it in the center position leaves it alone. There was a MANUAL mode on real P-40s that worked a little like this, but it was only for emergencies. In normal operation it had a standard constant speed unit just like any other, and I would still ask Mike to change it to that. The main problem with the current pitch control is that it does not reproduce the original range of settings.
The 1943 Pilot Training Manual for the P-40 gives the following suggested settings for the Allison powered variants, which are generally consistent with FR's manual for the plane:
Normal takeoff 45" m.p. 3000 rpm
Max climb 45.5" m.p. 2600 rpm
Normal climb 35" m.p. 2500 rpm
Max cruise 37.2" m.p. 2400 rpm
Normal cruise 30" m.p. 2300 rpm
Landing m.p. as needed, 2600 rpm
The FR P-40N with its current pitch control either will not hit these values or will barely reach them, depending on airspeed. (The RPM that you can achieve at a given manifold pressure is influenced by the airspeed, as if it is assisted by a windmilling component.) On takeoff, at 45", I can barely get 2200 rpm out of it up to liftoff speed. It increases to about 2600 rpm at 250 mph, but never gets to 3000. At 35", in a climb at 200 mph and 1,500 fpm, it can only manage 2250 rpm, increasing to about 2500 in level flight. In cruise at 30" with the speed stabilized at around 250 mph, it again is around 2250 rpm. So at cruise settings, it's not terrible, although you shouldn't have to jam the pitch all the way forward just to almost achieve normal cruise settings. Worst is at power settings typical for approach and landing, you won't see more than about 1500 rpm. The result of this is that there's not much power available should you need to adjust your glide slope. Takeoffs and go-arounds are rather anemic, with the engine again not getting to more than 2200 rpm at 45"by the time I cleared the far end of the runway on a missed approach. In contrast, in the Inibulds P-40 with its normal constant speed prop you can maintain 2600 rpm all the way down to the ground, as you are supposed to.
That said, if a coming update fixes the ailerons in the modern version and a few other bugs noted by reviewers such as the fact that you can't adjust the gyro compass without also changing the whiskey compass, and with a sound fix, it would be a fair purchase at the current discounted price. It looks nice and you can have fun with it. I think aerobatics feel a little more realistic than the Inibuilds, with rolls being less axial. I would still have to say that the Inibuilds is a better P-40 because the prop pitch works properly so you can fly it "by the book" and achieve the expected performance. Also the Inibuilds has very nice sounds. With a sound set and prop pitch fix, the two products would be at about parity, maybe with a slight edge to the FR for its good looks and correct ground posture.
August
Flies like butter. Well, flies like a high-powered WW2 fighter, but you know what i mean.
