Throttles

[Bob_Mackenzie]

Gents

Please excuse my woeful ignorance. From this thread:

http://www.theaerodrome.com/forum/ai...-throttle.html

I see that rotaries didn't have "proper" throttles

This begs the question: did in-line engines have "proper" throttles?

Thanks

Bob

[Jeff Brooks]

http://www.theaerodrome.com/forum/re...quadrants.html

[Greybeard]

Bletchley teach us there were five engine types during WWI:

1. No fine fuel adjustment, no air throttle (always on max or off), but has a blip-switch: e.g. Gnome rotary. Altitude will affect max ceiling as mixture becomes too reach
2. Fine fuel adj., but fixed (air) throttle (always on 100% or off, engine can be 'leaned' in flight but not throttled back), and has a blip-switch: e.g. Gnome Monosoupape 100 hp rotary
3. Fine fuel adj., and air control (not linked, so any change in throttle setting also requires a change in mixture setting, and the mixture also needs to be leaned as altitude increases). Engine power range from 50% - 100%, below 50% it will cut out. Has a blip-switch. e.g. Le Rhone, Clerget, Bentley rotary engines
4. Fine fuel adjustment, and throttle (air) control (but linked together, so that any change in throttle setting automatically changes the mixture setting, so mixture setting requires only to be leaned as altitude increases and NOT as throttle setting changes). Engine power range from 0% to 100%; e.g. all non-rotary engines (i.e. Stationary) inline and v-type
5. As Type 4, but with no altitude compensation control, i.e. you can throttle back or forward, but altitude still affects max ceiling; e.g.: Mercedes

To these can be added a few capable to automatically compensate for altitude (Mercedes D.IIIau, Benz Bz.IIIau, Maybach MbIVa) and just one having selector to cut off some cylinders a time (Gnome N Mono 160 hp).

[Bob_Mackenzie]

Greybeard

That's a fantastic answer - thanks