Spitfire first take-off; first "landing" observations

Well I don't know , I keep testing both and my takeoffs in 1.56 are smooth as they can be, in 2.0 I am all over the place. I have checked to make sure my controllers are setup the same as well, perhaps it is the elevation difference causing me grief...I am comparing the instant action takeoff in both.

Take off assistance turned off in both.

Well I don't know , I keep testing both and my takeoffs in 1.56 are smooth as they can be, in 2.0 I am all over the place. I have checked to make sure my controllers are setup the same as well, perhaps it is the elevation difference causing me grief...I am comparing the instant action takeoff in both.

Take off assistance turned off in both.

What is the altitude of the aerodrome you're operating from ? What is the temperature and QNH for the mission ?

It can be due to density altitude, or a bug too...

What is the altitude of the aerodrome you're operating from ? What is the temperature and QNH for the mission ?

 

It can be due to density altitude, or a bug too...

Not sure how to check, whatever is in the instant action take off mission.

I feel like I am having to learn how to take off and land all over again, whereas in 1.5 I do very well...

Just took the Spit out for a quick jaunt around some canyons on what I think is the third flight I've ever had (been busy), and honestly it's really easy to land.

From a military break, get down and position yourself level a few inches above the runway at around 90 mph and it'll just gently drop into a solid straight three point landing.

No hassle. Much easier than the 109.

A real handfull to fly

The German planes are so much easier to fly and I have no issues taking off or landing in either the BF 109 or the FW 190. The Spitfire is very challenging to takeoff or land. I'm no fan of the Spitfire's differential braking system. It takes a lot of concentration and energy to move around on the ground.

This aircraft is super sensitive and you need to be extra precise and gentle with it, I guess due to its large control surfaces.

Hey, quick question,

How do you guys use the pitch trim during the take off?

Cheers

Watch DD_Fenrirs Video at Post 226. This Video is one out of about ten that helped me a lot to understand what I have to do. Not saying, I ever reached his level :)

He performes three beautiful Take Offs and Touch Downs. The Control Indicator is ON so you can also see what he does with rudder and stick.

If you ask HOW to control the Pitch Trim? I tried two different ways: I put Trim Controls on two analog Axes (Rotarys on my X55 Throttle) and on a 4-Way-Hat on the Stick (as in A-10).

Both of them didn't made me 100 % happy. Potentiometers on the Throttle seams to be some jittery, 4-Way-Hat doesn't show where I am.

During Take Off I do nothing with Trim because there are neither hands nor feet free to do anything :)

Hey, quick question,

 

How do you guys use the pitch trim during the take off?

 

Cheers

I set it to dead centre. Works for me, but you need to push on the stick just a little bit when the aircraft takes off to prevent stall. Then I usually add a shitload of pitch up, because the aircraft becomes very nose heavy when it gets some speed.

I enjoy the FM, its pretty great. I just wish it was a little bit faster. :thumbup:

My first attempt was YIKES.

It has been a week now and It's forever Love.

The old retired Truck and Heavy Duty Equipment Mechanic in me just Loves the vintage iron. I look at the guages and panels and moving parts and I have repaired similar on other machines and it just feels like home.

The fact that understanding the engine, supercharger, cooling systems, governors and all that stuff coupled with the fact that you MUST actually manage those systems constantly is amazing.

I can't imagine a morning when I don't put on my Spitfire.

There is some life saving advice in this thread. Thanks folks. :thumbup:

After 10 years wringing the neck of my X 52, I decided to splash out on a set of pedals and try them out on the Spitfire Mk IX.

OMG, what a difference they made.

After 130 landings with a twist grip, I now found I couldn't get off the ground any more. :helpsmilie:

After dangling off the chair with nothing to do all this time, my legs wouldn't work. I'm back to square one, but after about 20 crashes, I finally got into the air and this is that momentous occasion. :):)

..

Congratulation! May I suggest to OC your processor ? It's a "K" version so on the stock cooling you could easy get it to 4,4GHz witch make a huge difference in performance ;)

After 130 landings with a twist grip, I now found I couldn't get off the ground any more. :helpsmilie:

..

I can't recognize your problem :)

Your video shows a remarkable circuit - much better than my best I ever managed.

But I remember my first steps with the Spitfire, just taxi ("taxi" is another word for "try to get off the meadows back to the concrete").

The next day after this first trials I've had heavy aching muscels in my ass cheek (just one side).

"Taxi" is what you shout when you need a lift back to the base after you destroyed another fine peice of machinery.

I can't recognize your problem :)

Your video shows a remarkable circuit - much better than my best I ever managed.

 

But I remember my first steps with the Spitfire, just taxi ("taxi" is another word for "try to get off the meadows back to the concrete").

The next day after this first trials I've had heavy aching muscels in my ass cheek (just one side).

Congratulation! May I suggest to OC your processor ? It's a "K" version so on the stock cooling you could easy get it to 4,4GHz witch make a huge difference in performance ;)

I dabbled in 4.4, but for video processing and with 7 fans in the case, the cpu was at 82 C, near the shut down point. An extra cpu fan has brought that down, but I now keep it at 3.8 for safety.

I regularly see under 20fps in FSX, so the 50 or so you see here in DCS, I'm Happy with.

..

I can't recognize your problem :)

Your video shows a remarkable circuit - much better than my best I ever managed.

 

But I remember my first steps with the Spitfire, just taxi ("taxi" is another word for "try to get off the meadows back to the concrete").

The next day after this first trials I've had heavy aching muscels in my ass cheek (just one side).

I have made a, heavy pedal use, mission, using the Gazelle, so that I can get the hang of these things, which has given me a beautifully toned right buttock.

I will now dig the Huey out, so I can get the left one to match.

..

First take-off?

First take-off?

 

I know you're all thinking it. "I'm glad it's not just me".

my first take off was pitiful: a crush.

I started as i was used with the p51D and i was wrong :music_whistling:

The bird is really suscettible on the stick pulls, and it is faster, everything happens really faster on it (compared to p51). The tail gets up in like few seconds...

First landing was incredibly smooth and lucky (REALLY lucky!), adding some wind lead me to a serie of tedious disasters... i am still struggling on this!

The plane behave strangerly while being trimmed, by this i mean that applying the trim the bird is having a crazy yaw reaction, seems unreal.

Over the 200 mph it is a joy, an agile sparrow that seems to anticipate all my needs, just have to remember to always pull gently or it goes nuts.

It was my first flight, from training mission, not even read the manual.

Online all wwII pilots are saying that it was an easy plane to fly: well it is till you are on air, on the runway it is a terrible machine.

I hadnt read the manual but i am going to do i now, there is something i am missing for sure...

I know i need to work on my tail up and the right speed.

:pilotfly:

If you haven't yet, read the guides in the sticky posts at the top of this section, there is some really useful information about the behaviour of taildraggers that I found really helpful when I was getting started with the Spitfire. I'm still pretty rubbish, but I can get it airborne and back in one piece again more times than I crash, which I am happy with.

 

The plane behave strangerly while being trimmed, by this i mean that applying the trim the bird is having a crazy yaw reaction, seems unreal.

Check in your control settings>axes> tune for the tick box named 'Swap axes' or similar and make sure it is ticked; your yaw/pitch trims will majically sort themselves out!

Mmm i cant check it right now but i am not using any axis for trim.

I am using (as on every other plane) the hat pov switch 1 in warthog stick.

It is not realistic but i am addicted to it....

When i say that the bird behave strangerly on trim i intend that if i trim up the bird yaw too, alot.

Then it go back to normal. This was not happening on other planes, as for example on the mustang.

Anyway i am going to check keybindings again, maybe i messed up something :huh:

BTW above 200mph trim behave normanly. Probably i need just to get used to the new stuff.

Yo-Yo, it's all good advice, but while we're at it, about the "crazy yaw reaction" to rudder trim mentioned above, would you mind cranking down the rudder trim wheel response, and cranking up elevator trim wheel response a little? That would help a lot to those of us, who operate these wheels by keys/buttons. Right now the rudder wheel is too damn twitchy, while elevator wheel is painfully slooooooooooooow. Something in-between (like in the Mustang) would be perfect :D.

I can confirm that those of us using hat switches to make incremental changes to trim would benefit from a greater resolution on the rudder and perhaps a little less on the elevator; currently one click of hat switch on the rudder trim produces large input and longitudinal oscillation that dampens out but it quite often results in it being very difficult to centre the trim; the turn and slip is often slightly out and a corrective trim input merely changes the side at which you are slipping!

Meanwhile it can take what feels like an age to trim pitch and requires holding the hat switch for several seconds in order to gain even a small amount of deflection on the indicator.

To summarize I guess at the moment the trims feel very unharmonized.