Another Spitfire (Mis)Adventure

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Killratio
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Another Spitfire (Mis)Adventure

Post by Killratio »

Early morning darkness and I decide to take the Spit for a spin from Kokoda to Nadouri (seeing as how I missed Andy on the "white smoke" flight).With the combined change in time and altitude I will easily be in full daylight by the time I get there and hopefully miss the morning mist as well.

ASN forecast looks OK but there is some storm activity, a little unusual for so early in the morning at this time of year. At Kokoda the ground mist has already cleared, bonus, and the temp is only in the high 20C's. (I love using ASN and actual weather!!).

The first thing I see when I climb in to the cockpit? A massive fork lightning strike not too far North of Kokoda village. I am heading South West...she'll be right.
A quick look in that direction and the high peak above the Abuari / Isurava area is clear, as is the entrance to the "Gap". Some cloud higher up but hey, how quickly and badly could weather change in tropical mountainous jungles? Right?

The acceleration of the no ammo, half fuel, Spitfire I, really is exceptional and in no time at all the tail is up and I'm airborne.

Now the trick is to change hands on the column so that I can pump up the gear and all without wobbling the nose.

That done, I turn to my required heading and am greeted in quick succession by a massive sheet of lightning to the North and another big fork lightning strike due South, right behind Naro Ridge.

Temps, pressures fine, +2 Boost and full coarse and we're aiming for the top of the ridgeline above Eora Creek. By now Isurava Memorial is passing low on the right and to the front Abuari and Alola are about level and in the left and right quarters respectively.

Throttling back slightly I settle in at 220mph and notice that there is cloud to my right front, after Eora Creek. Left, over where the Myola Lakes sit behind the ridge line and in much of the rest of the sky , there is clear blue. Excellent. Press on!

Templetons 2 comes up below and I nudge the nose up to clear the peak that blocks Templetons Crossing from view. Damn, that cloud out over "The Villages" area is looking nasty and now I am starting to get buffeted pretty badly by turbulence.

I turn roughly West so that I pass to the North of the top of Mt Bellamy and can swing 180 degrees down into the wide basin, that contains "The Villages", from beyond the cloud bank.

Sure enough, as I crest the lip of the basin, there is Kagi to my left but in front, where I should see Nadouri and the twin Efogis there is a solid bank of cloud that descends at least 500ft below the level of those villages. Damn!

Well, I've come this far, I'll land at Kagi and tackle the ¾ to an hour trek up the hill to Nadouri. Not bad going and still early enough in the day. She'll be right.

So I put my left wingtip on the Kagi strip and chop the throttle. Airspeed down to 160mph start pumping, 30 strokes to get the gear down, look to lamp, yep, gear down light now on. OK, start to turn in to ...solid white. In 20-30 seconds Kagi has disappeared into cloud and mist. Both front and left have now clouded up completely. I start a turn to my right, only too conscious of the rising ground and the dense cloud that is actually forming around, not drifting on to, me. The aircraft is also "dirty" with the undercarriage down and I've slowed to below 120mph.

Throttle hard open and wings as far over as I dare, I swing around for other options. No time to bring up the gear in case I have another strip open and I note that the temps are already 85 oil and 110 radiator.

That valley there is still bathed in beautiful sunlight and looks wide enough to turn around in. As I come around, Timkenumo is clear but I would have to descend a long way and if cloud closes over THAT then I would have to climb blind out of the basin. Boridi is high up and visible but the valley allows me to turn around and surely Kagi, Nadouri or Efogi will clear by that time as the cloud is still quite patchy, really... sort of... mostly... well, a bit... or I will still have the option of Boridi. It isn't however, a particularly nice strip to land the Spitfire on. Bodinumo gives me one last hope but is an awkward and rough dog-leg strip very low down.

The valley it is, then.

Bad decision!

By the time I reach the valley mouth I'm having to climb as the floor starts to rise faster than expected in front of me. No speed for a hard climbing turn! To make things worse, the tops of the ridge lines are now disappearing into cloud. The valley winds around to the right. I've got 200-300 feet clearance still as I get to where it bends and I'm climbing at 140mph despite having the gear down. But between the high sides, the cloud and the steady rise of the land in front, I am not willing to risk shifting my concentration to the gear pump to get better performance. Where is that nice powered hydraulic system they have promised on the next marque???

Temps 130 Radiator and 95 oil... radiator is rising as I watch it. No, I can't afford to reduce power. Radiator full open and hope that the extra cooling is at least equal to the extra drag at this very slow speed. I can't set up for the recommended slow flying regime as I still need to climb..but at least I'm close enough that it *should* be the right setting for the radiator.

I just have time to note that the temps are not rising any faster than they were, when the valley turns and rises sharply once again. I'm climbing at 120 mph and the clouds are now partially obscuring the walls which I can just see, no more than a few yards away. I can only guess from the apparent shape of the terrain that it continues in front of me in a similar way as, past the nose, all is now white!!

It seems like an age since Kagi disappeared and temps are now somewhere to the North of "ridiculous". Great! Now black smoke begins to pour from the exhausts. Well, if the engine goes, I'm dead, so those temps HAVE to come down. I HAVE to pull up the gear, regardless of the risk of dividing my attention. At least both fuel and oil pressures still look good and the rpm is holding.

So I drift as close as I dare to the mountainside that I can see best (at least I know roughly where the valley tracks from that) and devote as little concentration as I can to changing hands and pumping. Eyes glued to that misty ridge.

Luckily, the gear coming up helps temps fairly quickly. Do I dare pull off some power now their drag is gone? The decision is made for me almost immediately as a small patch of cloud clears and reveals the valley ending and the ridge steeply climbing in front of me. Expletive.

I just barely clear the ridge with my wingtips sliding between two of the largest trees! Worse expletive.

I now realise that I am hopelessly lost. Four expletives, two double entendres and a face-palm.

The next valley is clear of cloud... and villages... but all around the mountain tops and high ridgelines are shrouded in white. I follow its course, taking the brief respite as a chance to manage the temps and collect my thoughts. The black smoke continues but pressures are OK.

I'm heading North again by this stage, back towards the highest point of the ranges, so I can't risk climbing up into the patchy cloud above me in case it closes in again near a mountain, or the engine quits. Normally I would just firewall the throttle and climb. This time I have to I bet on it being safer to stay in the clear where I can see what is in front of me... for a while at least.

This valley, too, comes to an end but I easily clear into the next as the cloud swirls, still at least semi transparent around me.

The new area is almost completely covered in low cloud and mist but just off to the left is an airstrip. The associated village is obviously up the hill a few feet but it is invisible in the cloud. Is it Manari?

The lack of visible "go around" indicates it could be... but in this cloud it could as well be Meigs Field!! That is a "negative" but it is available and I have a sick engine in bad weather and it is a straight in approach from here... the "positives" have it.

I'm too high, too fast and I have almost no time to get the gear down but I am not risking a wheels up landing on an upsloping runway. So I cut the power shove the Spit into a heavy sideslip, watch for 160mph and then start pumping madly. I just have time after that to dump the flaps down and straighten out.

The threshold whizzes by too far below me for comfort and I have to risk a small "dive for the deck" with the obvious consequences. At least the ballooning washes off speed and I manage to get her to a three point attitude just as she smacks hard into the runway surface, half way along, bouncing badly.

At next touch the left gear collapses and probably saves me careening off the end of the runway. I end up tail low, just short of the tent line Yep, it's Manari airstrip!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Not for the first time, a bad set of decisions preceded an undeservedly lucky escape.

The Merlin dropped one cylinder completely and another two were down to 20-30% from the mishandling. She kept running like a trooper though and had I known exactly what the damage was, I would have climbed hard above the cloud and headed for Port Moresby. I didn't have that luxury though. Although the pressures, in hind sight, probably should have told me that nothing cataclysmic was probably about to happen.

When Kagi disappeared, I should have done a climbing turn towards Boridi, got the gear up and headed towards there, continuing to climb out of the basin to reassess but with the option of landing.. I could then have circled high enough to stay out of cloud and dropped the gear. Being too cocky about the possibility of a turn inside that valley, I closed my last practical escape window and committed myself to a low percentage game of "chase the clear bit".

I know the weather in that area, sim wise and for real. It is changeable in a heart beat. The Kagi disappearance was actually well and truly possible in real life. It is unbelievable how quickly a jungle can generate low cloud and mist right before your eyes.

Once again, locked up in the Sim Cockpit provides a very high level of suspension of disbelief... but that doesn't seem to always guarantee good decision making. :)
Last edited by Killratio on 09 Mar 2020, 01:43, edited 1 time in total.
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Styggron
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Re: Another Spitfire (Mis)Adventure

Post by Styggron »

Damn I hate it when I reach the end of the post and there is no more to read. It's like getting into a fantastic book............. please more more more stories :)
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Killratio
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Re: Another Spitfire (Mis)Adventure

Post by Killratio »

I write up anything that makes me sweat mate but I will keep them coming as they happen!

I have one that I need to write up from the other week....soon.



Darryl
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Styggron
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Re: Another Spitfire (Mis)Adventure

Post by Styggron »

Killratio wrote:I write up anything that makes me sweat mate but I will keep them coming as they happen!

I have one that I need to write up from the other week....soon.



Darryl
I wish you could livestream some on twitch. I'm the only Spitfire "Pilot" on there. I showcased Accu-Feel on an earlier stream and will be showcasing more A2A craft in the coming weeks.
Accufeel V2, C172 , B377+L049+COTS, B17G, Piper Cub,Commanche,Cherrokee,Spitfire,Bonanza, P47,P40,both Mustangs
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Killratio
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Re: Another Spitfire (Mis)Adventure

Post by Killratio »

I can perhaps look at it. There are three things working against me...

My voice does not record or transmit well.
My language..most of the world dosen't speak Aussie
My language ... most ******** little soft ****** commie *******s get ***** well offended at the ***** way I react to ******* problems and critical little ********s who ***** and****** and generally whinge their ******* off about my ***** ****** and *********


:) :)
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Styggron
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Re: Another Spitfire (Mis)Adventure

Post by Styggron »

Killratio wrote:I can perhaps look at it. There are three things working against me...

My voice does not record or transmit well.
My language..most of the world dosen't speak Aussie
My language ... most ******** little soft ****** commie *******s get ***** well offended at the ***** way I react to ******* problems and critical little ********s who ***** and****** and generally whinge their ******* off about my ***** ****** and *********


:) :)
Hello Killratio
1. I'm sure your voice will be fine
2. People can look things up and learn different expressions and if they listen closely, as you would be speaking English, it should be no problem. The only ones who will stamp their feet saying they don't understand are the ones not putting in the effort. ;)
3. If you try to curb the "colourful adjectives" shall we say, twitch should be fine. You can mark the channel as being appropriate only for a mature audience. People swear on twitch all the time.
Accufeel V2, C172 , B377+L049+COTS, B17G, Piper Cub,Commanche,Cherrokee,Spitfire,Bonanza, P47,P40,both Mustangs
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Styggron
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Re: Another Spitfire (Mis)Adventure

Post by Styggron »

Hello again KillRatio
I've reread this thread and trying to figure out what you did to cause those cylinder issues as I'd like to see the same thing.

Maybe A2A need to make an "accu-fail" model where you can cause failures for practice. I know FSX has things like this built in but someone I think mentioned A2A physics overrides FSX. Sure "accu-fail" would not be the right word for it but I think you know what I am getting at.

But perhaps, much like a real plane, once does not CAUSE those issues outside of a simulator which means treating the real thing is very important. Because this is modelled in accu-sim, perhaps this is how we, or more accurately, *I* should see it.

regards
Accufeel V2, C172 , B377+L049+COTS, B17G, Piper Cub,Commanche,Cherrokee,Spitfire,Bonanza, P47,P40,both Mustangs
Aircraft Factory Avro Anson, Albatros DIII,Heinkel He-219, F4U Corsair, P51H Mustang, Avro 504, BF109
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Killratio
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Re: Another Spitfire (Mis)Adventure

Post by Killratio »

Mate,

The cylinders were damaged by overheating. The oil temp is the most damaging aspect in a long term sense, as the oil gets thinner, pressure drops etc etc. Excessive temps cause wear several ways, "slop" due to expansion allows metal on metal contact, metal fatigue from excessive heating and cooling cycles. The radiator will cause more immediate problems.

Basically, I had to run the engine at relatively high RPM and boost (because of the drag of the undercarriage) at the same time as cooling was minimal (disrupted airflow from the undercarriage).

If you would like to see some of the effects "as they happen" the best way is to start up parked at the side of the runway with parking brakes on, set -1 boost and full fine the airscrew...and wait. Watch your temps rise and note the times/temps. (remember to keep the stick back in your lap at all times!!) Hit Shift 7 and then click the bar to override the normal "in flight" lockout of the maintenance hangar. Every couple of minutes check your engine and the compression. Watch and learn.

You should find that after approximately 3-4 minutes you will boil and then over the next few minutes things get interesting. A more leisurely way is to tick over at about 1200 rpm ( about two needle widths below the first RPM number which is 1600.) This will take longer.

I tested literally dozens of Merlins to destruction this way and the timing on boil over etc is perfect. More were tested for takeoffs with excessive starting temps etc etc etc...

This way you get to not only watch the Merlin degrade but you get a good idea of what you CAN get away with.

Basically Radiator 120C..no problems, 125C no problems but in flight this usually indicates that it WILL go higher if continued to be used as it is then. 130C, short term not a problem but not doing the Merlin any favours. Once again, abuse that results in this temp usually means that temps are going to keep going up.

135C. Absolute Safe Maximum. Not doing the longevity of the Merlin any good at all. Definitely reducing engine life AND, as with other high temps, usually indicative of a condition that will drive temps even higher. Later in the war THIS was the maximum emergency temperature allowed on the Merlin engines, replacing 120C. But THAT is not to imply that 120C was not a "correct" figure, just that in an emergency 135C is what can be "got away with"

140C almost universally just a point in a rising trend! Don't do it!

145C. You are now melting lines, wires attached appliances. You are also creating a heap of metal on metal contact that will be tears before tea time.

Over 150C To be honest, you probably won't see this unless you are running at full power and it happens quickly , as your eyeballs have already melted in the resultant fire.

Oil Temps, a whole different ball game. When the Spitfire Mk Va was first introduced, the oil temps were crazy, topping 150C with pressure dropping accordingly (due to oil cooler problems)...but the Merlins, on the whole, took it in the short term. Basically oil temps being high will do long term damage and increase wear exponentially but the engine will boil dry and catch fire from radiator temps LONG before oil temps destroy it.
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bmbrzmn101
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Re: Another Spitfire (Mis)Adventure

Post by bmbrzmn101 »

I enjoyed the read Killratio! Just tonight I found myself in a box canyon just off from Zell Am See Austria in a C-47 with clouds below the peaks. A I entered what looked to be my final resting place I decided to turn left into the canyon wall. Just giving enough clearance within the canyon to allow a standard 180 to clear the head up and locked syndrome!! After getting the aircraft retrimmed for some downslope flying and avoiding a few pesky peaks I returned safely to The Austrian airfield and asked my crew chief to kick my arse for doing such a fool thing. Next time I will try to pay more attention to the terrain in mountainous territory. I have been warned that in mountainous territory things will jump up and smite the arrogant from the sky.

Til our next adventure! Enjoy a cold one with me!!

Chris
The voices in your head will quieten down when you begin listening to them!

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Re: Another Spitfire (Mis)Adventure

Post by Killratio »

Yep Chris,

I feel your pain! The mountains around the world are indeed littered with pilots such as we ;) And cold mountains have, I believe, a mind and a temper of their own.

To tell the truth, whilst in the sim I enjoy messing about flying in the Kokoda area, in real life I am much less keen on it! (and of course being restricted to a pssenger's seat over there does not make it any easier) Mountains are treacherous but jungles add a whole new dimension. The real pace of change is frighteningly quick and I flew twice with a lovely young pilot who, not that long afterwards, made one mistake too many. I did not feel it appropriate to mention it in the account above but I had quite a few thoughts of her while I watched the simulated mountains scrape past my simulated wings!!

Cold one inbound :) :)

Here's to you Jannie. RIP.

Darryl
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bmbrzmn101
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Re: Another Spitfire (Mis)Adventure

Post by bmbrzmn101 »

Yes, I learned about how quickly the weather changed in the New Guinea region from an Uncle that crashed his B-17 there and survived. He required many surgeries but survived. The weather had been clear in the flight but within minutes it all changed forcing he and his crew lower and lower until.....

Here's to your friend,
Cheers, Chris
The voices in your head will quieten down when you begin listening to them!

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Re: Another Spitfire (Mis)Adventure

Post by Killratio »

Cheers Chris,

You can stand at Isurava sometimes, looking down the huge valley that empties out into the Yoda, and the cloud does not drift up to you, it actually forms around you! You can literally SEE the moisture being pulled into the air.
I can only imagine the terror of being in a large bomber being forced lower and lower. I've been to a couple of bomber crash sites up there and it isn't pretty.

The number of times I've heard passengers marvel at how close the mountains are . . . one poor girl even saw my face and tried to comfort me once. "Don't worry, these small planes are perfectly safe, I work fly in fly out in the desert and travel in them all the time . . . just look at those mountains aren't they beautiful!!"

I think it was the devil in me made me say what I said next. She definitely looked like she had at least seen a ghost :) :) :)
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