Dummies Guide to Flying the ME 109

The information that I am passing on is what I have learnt from in the game (IL2 Sturmovik
Cliffs of Dover), learning by myself and gathering information from other players. Enjoy!
Hopefully this guide will give you a good idea on how to fly the 3 variants currently available
on IL2 Strumovik Cliffs of Dover. If anyone feels that I have made a mistake or would like me
to add information contact me on the 1c forums mcler002. Many thanks, Ross.
Getting the aircraft ready
1. Set the throttle to 5 10% - Hopefully you have an axis assigned for this.

2. Turn on the fuel cock Would recommend that you have a key assigned for turning this on
and off

OFF

ON

3. Set elevator trim nose up usually already set between 5 and 6 (0.3 when you hover your
mouse over the numbers) The turn wheel closest to the seat controls the trim, the one
furthest away is the flaps

4. Set propeller pitch to 12:00 (or closet to) The blue knob in the centre of the console
controls the pitch. It is spring activated so you need to hold the knob up (or down) to move
the pitch I would recommend assigning either two keys or an axis to this function.

5. Start the Engine. You can do this two ways; a) press I on the keyboard (or the button you
have assigned to engine start) b) Turn on the magnets first (just right-up from the fuel cock),
marked m0 to m1+2 you want it all the way to M1+2, then press I.

6. Let the engine warm up then open radiators. This aircraft (so far) can take off pretty much
straight away! However you can let the engine warm up a little beforehand. If you note in
the two pictures below, I have allowed the oil to raise above 40 degrees C and the water to
almost 80 degrees C (maybe a little too high before take-off). Either way just before take-off
you should open both the water and oil radiators. The first image shows the water radiator
(spin wheel) and the second image shows the oil radiator (lever). Spin the water radiator
fully open (a couple of circles round anti clockwise) and push the oil lever fully forward - I
would recommend assigning either two keys or an axis to these functions.

7. Take off!!! Full throttle and use slight adjustments on the rudder to keep straight on the
runway. You may also wish to get the tail up as soon as possible by push down on the stick
slightly! Take off at around 170 180 KPH. Do not stay on the runway for too long at speeds
of 170 200 KPH as your tires may burst on the runway!
Flying the aircraft
8. Gears up! The key G is the default for the undercarriage function. Press G once to allow the
gears to come up. On the console, the two green lights should turn off (this is an indication
that the gears are in motion up or down). When the two orange/ red lights come on this
means that the gears are up! Press G again to place the undercarriage function (motor) into
neutral. Use the two pictures below as reference. The handle to the right of the gear
indicators is the undercarriage control on the console; you may wish to use this function via
the mouse.

gear motor still running up

gear motor in neutral

9. Reset elevator trim nose. I typically move it down to about 2 (0.0) after take-off/ climb, but
set it how you like, depending on your situation (if you are climbing, you may wish to keep it
as 5 if you are descending, you may wish to move it to 1 or 0). The turn wheels do require
that you hold the mouse (or assigned button) down to keep them moving.

10. Engine Management!

I have included this screenshot because it is very important for you, the pilot, to monitor this
area very closely. You will need to watch the;
A The ATA (The engine manifold pressure)
B The RPM (The revolutions per minute)
C Fuel gauge
D Oil temperature gauge
E Water temperature gauge
F Propeller pitch gauge
G Fuel and Oil pressure gauge
Attention! The propeller pitch should be adjusted to help maintain a contest/ suitable RPM
depending on your situation (in combat, landing, cursing etc.)
- When landing or taking off Set to 12:00
- Diving Set between 09:30 and 08:30 Maximum aircraft speed is around 700 KPH
You will have to fly the aircraft in offline mode for several hours to get a good feel and
understand of the aircraft (performance/ limits) and the importance in pitch/ ATA
management. I shall give examples shortly of what may happening if you dont watch certain
gauges etc.

But to help out, I have made a table below with the aircraft limits when flying in certain
situations.
Situation

What I do

Climbing

ATA 1.35 max (emergency 1.4 with after burn on)

RPM 2400-2500 max
Oil 40 to 80 degrees C (95 to 100 degrees C for a few minutes max)
Water 90 degrees C or below (110 Degrees C for a few minutes max)

Cursing

ATA 1.20 to 1.25 max

RPM 2400-2500 max
Oil 40 to 80 degrees C (95 to 100 degrees C for a few minutes max)
Water 90 degrees C or below (110 Degrees C for a few minutes max)

Combat

ATA 1.35 max (emergency 1.4 with after burn on)

RPM 2000 minimum, 2600 max
Oil 40 to 80 degrees C (95 to 100 degrees C for a few minutes max)
Water 90 degrees C or below (110 Degrees C for a few minutes max)

Diving

ATA 0.80 to 1.30 max

RPM 1500 to 2600 max
Oil 30 (minimum!) to 80 degrees C
Water 30 (minimum) to 90 degrees C or below

What most likely will happen if

A. Let the water overheat

I allowed the engine water temperature to hit 120 degees C. This caused damage to the
water raditor itself which will lead to loss in engine power later on! Return to base!!!

B. Let the oil overheat

When I managed (took a little time) to get the

oil temperature to above 105/ 110 degrees C
nothing appeared to happen. But after a
couple of minutes and without a message
appearing on the screen, the engine began to
slowly lose power (went down to 1500 rpm
even though I had full throttle and 12:00
pitch)! This can happen in the game! Though I
had got the oil back down to a suitable temperature, the damage was done and from looking
outside the aircraft I had a small amount of flames appearing from the exhausts. A definite
return to base action, but I was only just hitting 200 KPH!

C. Diving from a great height, without changing the propeller pitch from 11:00/ 12:00 and
gaining speeds up to 500/ 600 KPH.

As you can see from the image I have allowed the RPM to go above 3000! Anything above
3000 can lead to engine damage so I would suggest you keep it below 2900 at all times! As I
hit 3300 RPM I caused governor failure and created an oil leak! Depending on what damage
you create, you may need to ditch or bail out of the aircraft!

Landing the aircraft

Hopefully by this stage you have a good understand of the aircraft and how it works. So landing
should be fairly simple! Steps to remember:
Pitch set to 12:00
Approach the airfield at a reasonable height, direction and speed
Lower gears (wait for the two green lights) but make sure your airspeed is below 250 KPH
Flaps this is controlled by the turn wheel fair left of the pilots seat. It is up to you whether
or not you use flaps in this aircraft, if you do, set them all the way down to 40 degress.
Again, keep your airspeed below 250 KPH before using.
Trim the nose down to 1 (-0.05/ -0.1) (or your prefrence)
Touch down speed around 150 180 KPH

END