Originally Posted by
9./JG52 Savage
I'll try to answer two of your questions here, or at least answer one, and clarify for the other.
Firstly, yes the radiators do affect your speed. Some suggest the difference is marginal, however, I've found that there is a lot to be gained just from flying with my mates; I tend to overtake them without using full throttle often. I've seen a lot of posts related to radiator settings and you could ask 10 people and get 10 different answers, however, I do think that I've found settings where you never need touch the rads if you don't want to and these seem to be much lower, or in this case, closed than others I've read.
The water radiator has no indication on the small HUD that shows on your screen. Therefore you have to peek out onto the inboard part of your right wing, where you'll see a small tab, similar to a dipstick with markings on it to show the current position of the rad. If you close it all the way, the tab will be fully extended upwards and you should see the markings, 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, and so on. I like to close mine to about half so that all that should be showing is the 3/4 mark, a line and the blank bit at the top of the tab.
As for the oil, there is an indicator on the small HUD display. I set mine to 40%. Some might say this is low, but as is normal, I never cruise or cruise climb at full throttle and rarely use 100% power unless in an emergency. As long as you don't climb her too hard, your water temp shouldn't rise above 95 and your oil will probably sit down at around 89/90. If ever you see them rising, simply reduce your rate of climb. As you pointed out, there's no attitude indicator, so if you pitch the nose for about 300-350km, you shouldn't run in to any trouble.
This, of course, is only preference so do as you like and find what works for you....
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