The Macchi 202 Folgore or "lightning" in english is an italian fighter plane developed in 1940 by the engineer Mario Castoldi and after the works on the Macchi 200 Saetta and the Macchi 201.

It's an interesting addition to the Blue team and the Italian fighter plane-set. It has been introduced with the TF5 Desert Wing DLC.

It was powered initially by the DB601A-1 engine supplied by the Germans and then by the Alfa Romeo RA1000 engine (which was a DB 601 Aa produced under licence).

It became operational in summer 1941 and was deployed in the autumn of the same year in North africa. It remained in service for the entire war.

In game we have two series available:
The Macchi 202 serie III armed with 2x 12.7 mm Breda-Safat machine guns and no pilot armor.
The Macchi 202 serie VII armed with 2x 12.7 mm Breda-Safat machine guns + 2x 7.7 mm Breda-Safat and pilot armor.

For every Serie there is also the option of two different engine:
The "normal" is equipped with the DB601Aa
The Alta Quota (that stands for High altitude) is equipped with the DB601A-1

In the video below you have a generic overview of the aircraft as well as the cockpit:

The aircraft is really pleasant to fly, thanks to its asymmetric wings it does not roll in level flight. The developer gave the aircraft quite brutal stall characteristic (even if might not be completely historical as per my researches) due to this characteristics of the wing.

The engines are the same as the Bf109E so if you already know how to use them you're good to go. Plus the Automatic pitch control here is much more simpler than in the 109.
In A it will keep 2200 RPM while in S it will keep 2400. We'll take a better look at the engine settings in the next section "Engine management".

NORMAL OPERATIONS

START-UP

1. check gear lever down position
2. check flaps lever neutral position
3. check sand filter close position (especially if operating in the desert)
4. open oil and water radiators
5. open fuel shutoff valve (the big yellow lever in the front panel)
6. check chocks are engaged
7. check pitch is on A
8. set magnetos to M1+2
9. press start button

TAXI

1. remove chocks
2. unlock tailwheel
3. start taxi

Engine doesn't need to be warmed up prior to take off.

TAKE OFF

1. set flaps to 15°
2. lock tailwheel
3. close canopy
3. gently apply full throttle
4. rotate at 170 kph

Once airborne retract gear and put the lever in neutral position, the same with flaps. Decrease power to climb. Adjust the radiator as desired.

LANDING

1. open oil & water radiators to 100%
2. check sand filter close position
3. reduce speed to about 250 kph
4. lower flaps
5. lower landing gear
6. check full flaps on final

Approach speed is about 200 kph and touchdown speed is 160 - 170 kph. Before taxing to parking area remember to raise flaps and unlock the tailwheel.

SHUT-OFF

1. check chocks in position
2. set magnetos to off
3. close fuel valve
4. close radiators
5. open canopy

As already said in the Aircraft Introduction section the Macchi 202 is equipped with two different engines.
Below we have the flashcard provided by TFS and a table of the engine limitation in the 109 (considering that the engine is the same we can also take that as a reference).





The throttle controls the manifold pressure, remember is visually reversed (in-game the control is the same as in other planes).
The two levers on the left side of the cockpit are used to control the radiators (Olio = Oil; Acqua = Water).
The pitch lever (Giri) the RPMs if the pitch control is on M or Manuale (Manual).
The mixture is completely automatic.

Note: Unlike the earlier Merlin engine the Daimler-Benz that equip the 202 has a direct fuel injection system that doesn't give any problem during negative Gs manoeuvres.

PITCH


The Macchi feature a variable pitch propeller with blades that can be rotated around their long axis to change the blade pitch.
Unlike a constant speed propeller which is designed to adjust itself at the desired RPM setting, in a variable pitch propeller the pilot constantly needs to set the pitch in order to keep the RPM wanted.
The airplane is equipped with an automatic pitch system with three different modes. The selector is under the throttle (low arrow in the photo).

In M or "Manuale" (Manual) the pilot is able to use the "giri" lever (the gray one on the right of the throttle see highest arrow) to set the desired pitch. As per with the throttle, also the rpm lever is reversed! So 100% or full forward is minimum rpm while 0% or full backwards is max rpm.
Since last patch the lever know works like the rpm lever of 109 E1 & E3 it's more a switch and not an axis.
In A or "Automatico" (Automatic) the system will adjust the pitch in order to try and keep 2200 rpm.
In S or "Supergiri" (super rpm) the system will adjust the pitch in order to try and keep 2400 rpm.

Note: When diving remember to watch the rpms since it's very common to over-rev the engine and break in it.

THROTTLE


The gauge shown in the picture indicates your manifold pressure.
The Macchi has a W.E.P. system. It's the red button over the throttle that gives increased power when pressed.
When using it the pilot should always monitor the engine temperatures in order not to exceed them.

FUEL


The fuel gauge in the Macchi is quite a curious one, it's a sort of an old weighting scale. The fuel onboard is read by the indicator on the bar.

RADIATORS


The Macchi has two radiators (oil and water) located below the nose and the belly.
The pilot can monitor with the two indicators. The one on the left is for the water (A="Acqua") while the one on the right is for the Oil (O="Olio").
The gauges have two needles. E "Entrata" (Entry) stay for the temperature of the air that enter on the radiator while U "Uscita" (Exit) stay for the temperature of the air exiting the radiator, this is the needle to look.
A cruise settings is 75% for both. While in combat adjust as necessary. Keep in mind that the water rad seems more "sensible" than the oil one.
Note: To cool down the radiator air is needed. This means that if you are in a dive at high speed where the air flow through the rad is quite fast you will be able almost to close it completely, on the contrary if you put your aircraft in an aggressive climb the air flow will be weaker especially as the speed decrease so you'll need to open the rad or you will overheat your engine.

GUNSIGHT



The Macchi 202 is equipped with a San Giorgio Tipo B gunsight, which like the german Revi, it is fixed and can't be adjusted for wingspan and range. An historical scheme can be seen below:


You can estimate the range using the rings and dots of the sight, see some examples below with a fighter at 300 mt / 200 mt / 100 mt:


AMMUNITION

The plane is equipped with two Breda-Safat 12.7 mm MG on the nose, the Serie VII has two additional 7.7mm MG on the wings.
The ammunition available in game are AP, Incendiary, Tracer and HE (for 12.7 only).
So far in the testing the best ammo belt seems to be:
-12.7 armed with AP and HE
-7.7 armed with AP and Incendiary
Add tracer if you need them.

If you want you can find more historical information regarding ammunition at this link: http://www.quarryhs.co.uk/WW2guneffect.htm & https://forum.il2sturmovik.com/topic/66218-ammunition-description-and-information/

CONVERGENCE


The horizontal convergence let set how far the MG will hit while the Vertical convergence determines how much the MG will compensate for gravity drop.
Some pilot prefers to have a close horizontal conv. while others prefer a longer one. generally speaking an average about distance could be between 250 and 350 meters. Horizontal and vertical don't have to match. A standard vertical conv is around 300 meters.
Every pilot should adapt the settings to its own preference.

N.B. Convergence in the loadout menu are all in meters. So you'll need to convert them in yards to set your gunsight properly.

Tip: An higher Vertical convergence can helps during very high deflection shot.

GUNNERY

Always mind that compared to other fighters the Macchi is almost always outgunned. The armament represent a huge weakness of the machine. Whether in another fighter you just need one or two passes over an enemy to score a kill in the Macchi if you not get a lucky shot you'll need a lot of attacks to made unserviceable an enemy. Therefore you'll lose a lot of energy in doing so.
The best way to overcome this is by flying with teammates so you can multiply the chances of an hit.
Vital points like engine, radiators and cockpit should also be aimed. The AP is a quite effective round and can kill the pilot or fatally damage the engine.
Aim carefully and wait until you're close to the target to hit on spot!