The flights depicted here are flight simulation for entertainment purposes only and are not to be construed as flight instruction for actual aircraft. Consult with an FAA Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) for proper flight instruction and your Pilot Operating Handbook (POH) for appropriate flight procedures for your particular aircraft.

One of the challenges of this aircraft is realistic engine management. In combat, full throttle WEP (War Emergency Power) can be used to get out of a sticky situation but not for a long period of time or else there is risk of destroying the engine! Engine management can be configured in this flight simulator's "realism" settings. To make it easy for new pilots, realism set to "normal" defaults with all engine management assists ON. For full realism, turn these OFF. To do this, set realism to "expert" or alternatively, set to "custom" and essentially uncheck all of the boxes, particularly under "simplification" and "piloting assistance".

The flight sim is now set to full engine management and the engine must be properly maintained to get the best performance out of it. This guide will provide tips on optimal engine settings for all phases of flight. The key is to ensure you are not over-torquing the engine by keeping manifold pressure and RPM in the green. Also, watch the engine temperatures closely to see if it's overheating and taking quick action if the needle is creeping up towards the redline.


A flight stick would be best to experience the full realism of this aircraft. Flight stick mapping is up to personal preference but for a 3-axis flight stick with hat switch and throttle, the following control settings are suggested:


The default response curve sensitivities appear to be a bit twitchy for this bird. These can be changed in "input mapping" to adjust the response of each of the control axis and provide a bit more smoother and realistic flight control. If you're experiencing events such as ground looping at very slow taxi speeds, try re-setting the control input sensitivities to see if these dial it down a bit to more realistic responses. In addition, there is a separate feature to control flight stick noise to eliminate any noticible jitter when the flight stick is centered and not being controlled.

A majority of the engine start-up and shut-down is automated but there are several operations that can be manually performed to make it more immersive. The following provides the procedures for both start-up and shut-down operations indicating which ones can be performed manually and which are automatic.

Prior to Engine Start-Up, move the mixture lever slightly and reset back to Idle Cut-Off. This should disable the automatic mixture set on engine start so that it can be done manually.


Manual Operation:

• Set Propeller Pitch to Max RPM [push propeller lever full forward]
  
• Crack open throttle [push throttle lever forward approximately 1 inch]
  
• Close engine cowls [pull up engine cowl lever]

Automatic Operation:
Press "E" to start the rest of the engine start-up procedures. The following events occur -

• Battery On
  
• Generator On
  
• System Circuit Breakers On
  
• Radio On [this would typically be done last, to prevent frying the radio on engine start-up]
  
• Fuel Valve Open
  
• Battery Off
  
• Prime Engine Cylinders with Fuel [typically up to 3 shots for a cold engine]
  
• Battery On
  
• Fuel Pump On
  
• Magnetos set to Both
  
• Starter Flywheel Energized [spins up flywheel that converts energy to turn over the engine]
  
• When energized, starter is clutched, engine turns over and magnetos fire
  
• Mixture - See Manual Operation below
  
• Fuel Pump Off [prevents flooding the engine]

Manual Operation:

• As engine fires, immediately set Mixture to Auto Rich to provide fuel to the engine.
  
• Immediately after engine start, watch oil pressure.
  
• Must reach proper oil pressure [?] within 30 seconds or else immediately shut-down engine.
  
• Set throttle to approximately 1,000 - 1,500 RPM to warm up engine.
  
• Watch engine temperatures to ensure they are in the green.
  
• Set Rudder Trim to 3 units to the Right [counters engine torque yaw on take-off power]
  
• Check Elevator Trim set to Take-Off [approximately 1 unit Up]

Taxi should be done relatively slow to prevent the aircraft's tendency to ground loop. Ensure the parking brake is released. Throttle up to 20 inches manifold pressure should be adequate to start the aircraft rolling and 10 - 15 inches should be enough to maintain a steady taxi. Pull the stick all the way back to plant the tailwheel to provide some tail authority. There is no prop-wash authority so don't gun the throttle to try to straighten the tail. Instead, use rudder and / or brakes to keep the aircraft tracking forward. When turning such as s-turns to see what's in front, turn gradually and avoid sharp turns. This becomes critically important if a high-speed taxi is required such as in a scramble. In this case, keep all turns as wide as possible. If the aircraft starts to spin in a ground loop, immediately snap the throttle to closed and step on the brakes to stop the aircraft. If taxiing for a considerable length of time, constantly keep an eye on the temperature gauge. Open the engine cowls if there is indication that the engine is about to overheat.


After landing and while taxiing to the parking spot, raise the flaps and fully open the engine cowls. Ensure prop RPM is kept above 1,500 to promote engine cooling. When stopped, perform the following operations to shut-down then engine -

• Apply Parking Brake
  
• Radio Off
  
• Mixture to Idle Cut-Off [this ensures engine is purged of all residual fuel]
  
• Magnetos Off
  
• Throttle Closed [pull lever all the way back]

The following are some key points for basic flight operations. For a step-by-step procedure, along with real-time demonstration of the steps, see the corresponding videos.


Prior to throttle-up, check engine temperatures and pressures. Ensure everything is in the green. If engine temperature is at the high end of limit, fully open the cowl flaps to promote cooling and prevent further overheating. If this is a short-field take-off, drop flaps accordingly to provide additional lift for take-off. On powering up, keep throttle inputs slow and steady. Quick throttle changes could put the aircraft out of control quite rapidly. As the aircraft begins to roll, keep the nose straight with the rudder pedals. Adjust throttle steadily to about 45 inches manifold pressure and gently apply right rudder to counter the engine torque. At around 50 MPH, gently push the stick forward to lower the nose and raise the tail. Continue to steer straight with rudder as prop airflow builds to provide more tail authority. Hold the nose level and be careful not to push too far forward or else the aircraft might nose over and result in a prop strike. At around 110 MPH, gently pull back on the stick to raise the nose and climb. Keep in mind your take-off trim is set slightly aft so make sure the nose doesn’t rise too much which could cause the aircraft to stall. On positive rate, raise the gear. Clean-up the flaps if necessary. Set pitch trim to maintain about 150 MPH in the climb. Reduce prop RPM to 2,600. Set throttle to approximately 37 inches manifold pressure. Set rudder trim back to zero.


Set prop RPM to 2,100. Set throttle anywhere within the green arc depending on the airspeed desired. Set mixture to auto lean. Set pitch trim for level flight.


The recommended landing for a P-40 is the wheel landing where the main wheels contact the ground first before the tailwheel settles down. The benefit of this is the additional speed that provides more airflow and therefore control surface authority for the aircraft. The downside is that as a "powered" landing, a long runway is required to absorb the longer ground roll inherent with this type of landing. A suggested approach profile is 1,500 feet altitude at approximately 10 miles out. Set prop RPM to 2,600 in anticipation for a go-around. Reduce throttle and level the nose to bleed of airspeed down to 150 MPH with a 500 feet per minute descent rate. Lower the gear and drop 1 notch of flaps. Trim to maintain this flight profile, hands-off. Use throttle, and not pitch, to adjust the glideslope. About 20 inches of manifold pressure should be sufficient to maintain the airspeed and rate of descent. It is OK to start slightly high. It’s difficult to see over the nose and it might have to be dipped slightly or forward-slipped to see the runway so there might be some altitude loss. Keep a point of reference for the threshold on either side of the nose or try to aim for a spot on the far end of the runway. Save full flaps for short final as the aircraft has a tendency to sink rapidly at full flaps. Upon lowering full flaps, increase throttle to approximately 30 inches manifold pressure to maintain airspeed and rate of descent. Aim for 130 MPH over the fence. The higher airspeed allows for more authority on the tail to prevent bounce on touchdown. Level the aircraft and try to "fly" it to the runway as gently as possible until the main wheels contact the ground with the tail high. On touchdown, cut the throttle and carefully release stick pressure to let the aircraft coast down the runway. Let the airspeed bleed off naturally. If possible, stay off the brakes to prevent the aircraft from nosing over. Keep steering with the tail rudder until the tail drops by itself. After it drops, pull the stick all the way back to give more steering authority to the tailwheel. If approaching the end of the runway, carefully use brakes when the tail has dropped to rapidly decelerate to a stop.


Although it is recommended to land this aircraft with a wheel landing technique, with practice it is possible to do a 3-point landing where all 3 wheels contact the ground at the same time. 3-point landings have an advantage of shortening the ground roll so are useful for short-field runways. However, the slower airspeed inherent with this landing technique must be very carefully controlled prior to touchdown. Too fast and it runs the risk of floating which would negate a short-field attempt. Too slow, and it runs the risk of landing short of the runway or stalling. The key is to bleed off as much airspeed as possible just prior to the flare to minimize the tendency for this aircraft to balloon. With a slight nose-high attitude just a few feet off the ground, the aircraft should stall gently onto the runway on all 3 wheels simultaneously.

If the airpseed or sink rate is too high on touchdown, the aircraft might bounce on touchdown. If airspeed is relatively low and the bounce is not too high, push the stick forward and level the wings to fly the aircraft back to the runway. It might make several bounces but should eventually settle on the airstrip. If the airspeed is high and the bounce is high, consider taking-off and going around as opposed to trying to salvage the landing which may result in a stall.


If a take-off and go-around (TOGA) is necessary, apply throttle to about 45 inches manifold pressure, or more if necessary but be careful of over-torquing the engine for a prolonged period of time. Gently raise the nose and be prepared to apply right rudder to counter engine torque. With full flaps, watch the stall speed! On positive rate of climb, raise the gear. Clean-up the aircraft when safe to do so.


If the aircraft is too high on landing approach, use the forward-slip technique to lose altitude quickly without gaining significant airspeed. Essentially, a forward-slip is a cross-controlled configuration where the aircraft is banked and then opposite rudder is applied to prevent the turn and track straight with the nose of the aircraft at a slight angle to the forward flight path. This landing configuration presents the aircraft's fuselage into the airflow thereby creating large drag which reduces the aircraft's airspeed and rapidly drops the altitude at the same time. For taildraggers, an additional benefit of this technique is that the skewed angle allows for better visibility of the runway which would normally be obscured by the nose of the aircraft. Used appropriately, the forward-slip is another useful tool in a pilot's flight toolbox to employ for safe landings.


Another useful landing technique is crosswind landing. Crosswind is particularly tricky in a taildragger because on a wheel landing where the tail is kept high, the wind wants to push the tail around like a weather vane. The key is to always be on the pedals to use the rudder to keep the aircraft straight on the runway centerline to prevent a ground loop. As they say, flying a taildragger is not done until it is parked, engine off, wheels chocked, and tied down! Mastering crosswind landing in a taildragger is very difficult but critical skill to have as a pilot.


The aircraft appears to stall at 80 MPH indicated airspeed. In general, if on top of things, the aircraft stall is rather benign and standard stall recovery techniques apply. Lower the nose, apply throttle, and recover. Try not to get into a spin, especially below 2,000 feet as spins take a bit of time to recover. Spin recovery appears to be standard. Close the throttle. Center the stick to neutralize the ailerons and elevators. Apply opposite rudder to stop the spin. Gently add throttle. As airspeed builds, gradually pull back on the stick to recover. Do not yank the stick back as there is a risk of entering a secondary stall. Again, the gradual recovery comes at a cost of significant altitude so the best bet for spin recovery is not to enter one in the first place!

The stall / spin conditions and their respective recoveries shown in the video are:

• Power-Off (Dirty) Stall - Landing Gear & Flaps
  
• Power-On Turning Stall - aka the "Moose Stall"
  
• Spin - Left & Right

Fortunately, it appears the tendency to spin in this aircraft is relatively low. Notice in the spin recovery video, effort was required to develop the spin. Which means if the initial stall is addressed promptly, a spin should be readily avoided. The most common stall condition that will most likely be encountered is the power-on turning stall as the aircraft is aggressively turned in a dogfight. To get the tightest turn possible, pull back on the stick until the aircraft just enters stall buffet. The aircraft will stall beyond this point. Quickly release the stick to neutralize it to alleviate the stall. If a full stall / spin does develop, perform the appropriate stall / spin recovery procedure.