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That is a complex bit of equipment.
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Yes it was a very complex piece of equipment especially for its time.
Bendix holds the patent and helped us restore our Kommandogerat. Although they rebuilt it, they gave it back completed with the disclaimer that they had no idea how to set it up. The Smithsonian got NASA involved and they helped to get information needed to set the thing up on the BMW801 engine to work.
From the Luftwaffe Kommandogerat manual showing the functions of the unit:
It was a hydraulic-electrical FADEC. Full Authority Digital Engine Computer is used on many jets today. A jet without one requires a pilot to look at gauges, "split" the thrust levers, and adjust them to the power settings needed. All the while, you are accelerating down the runway eating up your runway length and controlling the rest of the jet keeping where it needs to be for a safe take off. A FADEC has a dented position that does all of that adjusting in one simple move of the thrust lever. One click and one glance at the gauges is all that is required to get the perfect power setting required.
Without a FADEC, every power change is the exact same dance. With a FADEC, it is a simple click into the correct dentented position with a confirmation of a glance at the gauges.
It represents a huge reduction in pilot workload. Once more, because there is no requirement to fiddle and adjust the propeller rpm lever, manifold pressure lever, supercharger gear selection, or mixture control it takes much less time to make a correct, optimal, power change.
This allows a fighter pilot to keep his eyes on the enemy and concentrate on the fight instead of setting power he needs to win the fight.
It was not capable of doing things like Lindbergh's recipe for increasing the P38's range which is "Lean of Peak" Operations. You are correct.
The FW-190's system used an propeller rpm changeover point to switch from Rich to Lean mixture circuits. This allowed the pilot to achieve his best range cruise conditions but the system did not use "Lean of Peak" logic. It just used normal operations which is peak EGT or simply the point the engine returns to smooth operation after leaning to a stumble. The system did not stumble the engine, it just used the aneroid wafers altitude density measurements to set the best range mixture circuit along with all the other engine/propeller settings required.
That being said, even today, Lean of Peak operations are controversial among pilots. It very much requires a specific engine set up, no carboration, Fuel injection, individual cylinder EGT and CHT gauges, etc. Even with the right set up, the argument against it is increased maintenance and with the wrong set up you will have major maintenance issues. That is why some in the USAAF were not jumping on board with great enthusiasm at Lindbergh's recommendations.
My little brother sends me this guys stuff all the time. He's entertaining for sure.