Power Settings

There are a number of power settings used in World War II-era aircraft that are reproduced in Firepower aircraft.  The Firepower Certified Series adheres to a standard we feel best represents the actual manner in which power settings were used.

For supercharged engines without chemical injection and with no published setting for "war emergency" power, no WEP setting is used.  These engines have standard settings for takeoff, climb, and maximum cruise.  The settings for each aircraft are clearly indicated in each aircraft's help file.  In the real world, most supercharged aircraft simply use specified manifold pressure and engine rpm settings for takeoff, climb, and cruise.  The pilot is expected to know these and to adhere to them.  There is nothing, however, to prevent a pilot from using more power than recommended, or using it longer than recommended.

The Lancaster and the P40N use the WEP function to obtain maximum power, which is limited to a duration of 5 minutes. For the German V-12 engines with methanol/water injection (MW50) or nitrous oxide injection (GM-1), a WEP setting is used to enable the boost provided by these chemicals.  The total amount of boost time available was calculated for each aircraft based on published injection rates and the amounts of these chemicals known to be on board the aircraft.  In general, boost was used for not more than ten minutes at a time.  This was followed by a five minute "cooling off" period.  Another feature of the German V-12 engines was a completely automatic, "single lever" power control system which controlled mixture as well as manifold pressure.  The automixture feature has been enabled on these engines to more accurately duplicate this system.