Flying Circus missions to escort bombers . . .

[Lufberyjaa]

I have noticed that missions to escort bombers in Flying Circus are fraught with danger; and that's even without enemy contact! The basic problem is that the escorts don't have the range that the bombers have. In two separate recent career missions, I've either run out of gas, or nearly done so.

The most recent mission is from a career I have with No. 20 Squadron RAF out of Clairmarais in F.E.2bs. We had a mission to escort Strutters on a bombing mission. I decided to outfit my plane with a fuel gauge. The mission went okay, but the Strutters outran their escort pretty early on. On the way back from the bombing run, we ran into Alb. D.IIs at a much lower altitude going after the bombers. I went down to attack the German fighters and, either in the dive or as a result of enemy fire, lost both ailerons on my left wings. The Fee didn't seem to notice; the plan flew great without them. 🤷‍♂️

My gunner, whom I'm now calling Fred after Frederick Libby (who shot down a lot of German planes from the gunner's seat in an F.E.2b) got one of the Albs (making 4 total in two days). At that point I noticed my fuel gauge was pretty low. I turned and ran for a friendly airfield just behind the lines and made a good landing. 

Here's the thing. The whole mission lasted 56 minutes. How long can an F.E.2b fly on a full tank of gas?

Otherwise, the experience on this mission comports pretty well with all the reading I've done of air missions in the Great War.

[GenMarkof007]

S! @Lufberyjaa

When you are in the setup window of your plane, click the tab (top right) Specification, and scroll down to see the specifications of that plane. For the F.E.2b, the endurance is around 3 hours with a full fuel load (249 l).

Also, for the WW1 escort planes, it's always better to keep a short distance from the bombers.
Most of the time, they would be a bit higher with an angle (V formation) to cover the bombers from any direction.

I hope this helps.
Cheers, GenMarkof  😉

 

[Lufberyjaa]

On 12/27/2025 at 8:24 PM, GenMarkof007 said:

S! @Lufberyjaa

For the F.E.2b, the endurance is around 3 hours with a full fuel load (249 l).

Also, for the WW1 escort planes, it's always better to keep a short distance from the bombers.
Most of the time, they would be a bit higher with an angle (V formation) to cover the bombers from any direction.

Interesting information about the endurance of the Fee. According to the fuel gauge, I had less than an eighth of a tank left after 54 minutes. I'm pretty sure I had a full tank when I started -- the fuel gauge looked full, but I didn't check the load out screen before the mission started. I'll need to test it a bit more. 

As for the location of my flight relative to the Strutters -- we started out in the right position, but before too long the Strutters pulled away from us because they are simply faster.

[GenMarkof007]

S! For most WW1 bombers, I never use 100% of fuel... Since most of them don't need the maximum amount for a 1-hour mission. Just need to be careful, as some engines are located in the back, and it's easy for enemy planes to damage the area near the fuel tank.

Have fun! 😉

[Avimimus]

18 hours ago, Lufberyjaa said:

As for the location of my flight relative to the Strutters -- we started out in the right position, but before too long the Strutters pulled away from us because they are simply faster.

I have a feeling it should be the other way around: The Fee had could load carrying potential and remained as a bomber until the end of the war (albeit operating at night). The Strutter was considered high enough performance that it was assigned as an escort fighter for other two seaters.

[Czech693]

That fuel gauge is on the auxillary fuel tank located under the pilot's seat.  The main fuel tank is that boxy structure under the upper wing, with a fuel tube going into the side of the fuselage and feeding the aux tank.  The main tank has a viewing tube on the side to see the tank's fuel capacity (which is purple, and unless they had purple fuel back then, it's not showing any fuel, similar to a problem with the Hanriot HD1 fuel tube which shows black).  Under the fueselage is a propeller driver air pump that pressurizes the aux tank.  So, the main tank gravity flows into the aux tank; the aux tank being pressurized feeds the engine.  So, the gauge only reads the aux tank capacity.  Check the total fuel capacity in the hanger screen to make sure you had 100% at the start, as you shouldn't have used all your fuel in the main tank and started on the aux tank in 54 minutes.

[Czech693]

Well, I went back and experimented with various fuel quantities.  They are using purple fuel.  At 50% nothing shows in the viewing tank, and at 93% it's half full. l would have to research the fuel quantities as it appears that the aux tank holds more than the main tank (in which case their designation would be revesed).  In that case the 1/8 of a tank would be relatively substantial.  More research.

EDIT:  The wing tank is the aux tank only holding 8 gallons.  It has no filler cap and the fuel is pumped up into it by a hand pump in the cockpit and has to be done on the ground as it takes a while.  So, the engine is fed fuel from the cockpit tank by pressure and the aux tank just drains back into the main tank by gravity.  The total fuel capacity is approximately 66 gallons, so the main tank holds about 58 gallons.  An 1/8 of that would have been over 7 gallons.  Vintage Aviator says it consumes 13 gph at full throttle.  You should have had more after only 54 minutes of flight time.

Edited December 31, 2025 by Czech693

[Czech693]

11 hours ago, Czech693 said:

That fuel gauge is on the auxillary fuel tank located under the pilot's seat.  The main fuel tank is that boxy structure under the upper wing, with a fuel tube going into the side of the fuselage and feeding the aux tank.  The main tank has a viewing tube on the side to see the tank's fuel capacity (which is purple, and unless they had purple fuel back then, it's not showing any fuel, similar to a problem with the Hanriot HD1 fuel tube which shows black).  Under the fueselage is a propeller driver air pump that pressurizes the aux tank.  So, the main tank gravity flows into the aux tank; the aux tank being pressurized feeds the engine.  So, the gauge only reads the aux tank capacity.  Check the total fuel capacity in the hanger screen to make sure you had 100% at the start, as you shouldn't have used all your fuel in the main tank and started on the aux tank in 54 minutes.

I have to correct what I said about the Hanriot fuel gauge showing black, as in empty.  I put 25% in the tank and zoomed in and I could actually see a fuel level.  The tube is so dark, like sunglass material, that you can hardly see the fuel in it, which is green.

[Lufberyjaa]

On 12/31/2025 at 5:06 AM, Avimimus said:

I have a feeling it should be the other way around: The Fee had could load carrying potential and remained as a bomber until the end of the war (albeit operating at night). The Strutter was considered high enough performance that it was assigned as an escort fighter for other two seaters.

You're probably right in real life, but at least for this mission, they pulled away from us and we couldn't catch up until the Strutters started circling the objective. 🤷‍♂️

On 12/31/2025 at 11:05 AM, Czech693 said:

Well, I went back and experimented with various fuel quantities.  They are using purple fuel.  At 50% nothing shows in the viewing tank, and at 93% it's half full. l would have to research the fuel quantities as it appears that the aux tank holds more than the main tank (in which case their designation would be revesed).  In that case the 1/8 of a tank would be relatively substantial.  More research.

EDIT:  The wing tank is the aux tank only holding 8 gallons.  It has no filler cap and the fuel is pumped up into it by a hand pump in the cockpit and has to be done on the ground as it takes a while.  So, the engine is fed fuel from the cockpit tank by pressure and the aux tank just drains back into the main tank by gravity.  The total fuel capacity is approximately 66 gallons, so the main tank holds about 58 gallons.  An 1/8 of that would have been over 7 gallons.  Vintage Aviator says it consumes 13 gph at full throttle.  You should have had more after only 54 minutes of flight time.

Thanks for the additional information on the tanks and what the gauge on the wing tank shows! I'll look around a bit more and see what starting fuel I have on the next mission, etc. I too think I should have had more fuel after only 54 minutes of mission time.

Warmest regards and happy new year to everyone!