So, it’s clear that as I plan a flight on the world map and fill the thanks of the F/A-18 Super Hornet, the range radius that appears shows impossible (?) distances. I can never reach the range at a given fuel level, I am usually out of fuel at about half the distance (so if I set the fuel to 100%, I can probably fly up to half of the “range circle”). The fuel system has been patched, so the aircraft does use every tank, and it runs out of fuel properly, but I think it either uses too much fuel or the range indicator on the world map is not correct.
Or is it me doing something wrong? Are there any best practices as to how to actually reach proper efficiency and range with the Hornet? I obviously don’t use the afterburners, but even so, fuel just runs out too quickly. What’s the best way to travel in this thing? I tried going lower and higher, cruising with around 82-83% RPM as well as full throttle (91-93%). What’s the best way to be efficient with this plane? Is it at all possible to reach the distances indicated by that circle, or should I just half it in theory?
Thanks. I’ve checked, it says the optimal range will be at 36000 ft and Mach .70. I’m currently trying that, curious whether I can make it to my destination which is about at half of what the range indicator showed on the world map. Started with full tank.
FF is 3500 at cruise level, still seems excessive.
OK, so I did a test flight and actually paid attention to the fuel consumption. Here are my findings.
The flight I did was 530 NM long. I started with full tank (14.5) and flew as efficiently as possible, according to the FPAS page on the DDI. Minor differences occured for sure, because of the ascent/descent phase, as well as constant throttle management, but these are unavoidable.
At the end of the 530 NM flight I had 34% fuel remaining (4.9). This means that a 530 NM flight consumed 66% of all fuel. If this is more or less accurate, then we can safely assume that the F/A-18 Super Hornet can do around 710 NM with a full tank, in its current implementation.
However, I checked the World Map, and if you set a full tank for the Hornet, then the range indicator will draw a 2170 NM circle around your departure spot. So it implies that you can fly around 3 times as far as you actually can. This is a huge discrepancy.