A-20/Boston/Havoc/DB-7

DB-7

AEC:

If you had read the entire company article before coming to read this you would know that the DB-7 should be the lightest aircraft of this designation, with the weakest engines. While that is true on paper it is not true in practice as this aircraft can not make custom load outs that means it HAS to use one of its pre-made payloads. The only payload option the DB-7 gets is 4x500 pound bombs… which it has to carry for the entire duration of the race. Since all race testing is done on Pilotage (and this is a custom battle where no violence can occur) the aircraft is unable to drop or jettison its bombs. The DB-7 can dive into the race at 270 mph but overheats quickly even without WEP. By the time the pilot reaches the third hairpin they must reduce throttle to 89% to avoid over heating the engine. The DB-7 struggles with high speed compression and the increased CHONK from the payload does not help. Often times corners must be planned in advance to avoid over running them which gives your competitors room to get ahead.

MEC:

There's nothing that can be done about the weight problems, however with MEC the pilot can fix all of the cooling issues. On 90%-10% the engines are practically fixed and the pilot can remain at max military power for the duration of the race. If the pilot is feeling daring enough they could even move to 95%-10%; in this scenario the DB-7 will overheat by the chicane, but enough of the race has passed by this point that it doesn't really matter.

Boston Mk. 1

AEC:

The Boston Mk.1 and Havoc Mk.1 are seeming identical in every single metric imaginable so for the purpose of this study I only tested the Boston Mk.1 as it was the one available to me. The Boston has the same mandatory bomb load as the DB-7 but at least this aircraft has its historical engine performance of 1200 hp, because of the increased horsepower the Boston Mk.1 can start the race in at a higher speed at 290 mph. The Boston Mk.1 doesn't overheat until after the bridge and according to my notes the cowl flaps don't move at all from their position even in the event of an overheat. The Boston sits in the 260 - 280 (mph) range for the duration of its race; even at this fairly slow speed it still behaves sluggishly and corners will need to be preplanned.

MEC:

Fixing the cooling problems on the Boston is fairly straight forward. At race start the pilot can be on 100% prop pitch and 0% cowl flap, once the temperature numbers reach solid red reduce the prop pitch% to 90% and leave it there for the duration of the race. Once the numbers are on solid red again increase the radiator% by 5. Increase the radiator% by 5 every time it hits solid red. The timing can be tricky on this but if executed well the Boston will sit comfortably in the low 7 minute mark.

A-20G-25

AEC:

The A-20G is the highest horsepower Havoc of the group, but also the heaviest. Fortunately it can make custom load outs, which means the A-20 can fly the race without any payload. The overheating problem however remains and if the pilot isn't flying the most perfect route then the aircraft will overheat during the H3 hairpin. Like all variants before it the A-20G struggles with energy retention and top end acceleration; so it may have the highest top speed of the bunch (290 mph during the race) it rarely sees it. Its performance overall matches the trends set by the two previous versions, that is to say its still sluggish. Now that the A-20 finally has the power to weight advantage it struggles with a new problem, compression; as it gets to its relatively high max speed the controls begin to lock up. Meaning the pilot has to take even more caution when moving through a series of turns.

MEC:

The A-20G follows the same incremental rads% strategy from the Boston Mk. 1: 90% pp on race start (leave it there for the duration of the race). Once the engine reaches solid red move rads% to 7, then when the same condition arises move rads% up an additional 7, do this until bridge. Or in shorter terms the A-20G has a 90%-7,14,21,30 % cooling strategy. Timing varies, the pilot could get the similar results with a 90%-15-30%, changing when the engine overheats.