Artificial horizon issues?

Hey guys,

Has anyone else been having issues with the artificial horizon of the spit?

To begin with I barely used it, but the Operation Epsom Campaign has a bunch of missions where you have to fly through cloud and I really need it to be spot on.

It's usually ok, but sometimes I find it clearly showing you as banked when you have a visually straight horizon.

Here is a screenshot I took while I was on the ground.

Hey guys,

 

Has anyone else been having issues with the artificial horizon of the spit?

To begin with I barely used it, but the Operation Epsom Campaign has a bunch of missions where you have to fly through cloud and I really need it to be spot on.

It's usually ok, but sometimes I find it clearly showing you as banked when you have a visually straight horizon.

Here is a screenshot I took while I was on the ground.

The gyro drifts after a while so you need to reset it

The gyro drifts after a while so you need to reset it

Ah, thanks! How do I do that? I don't see a clickable zone.

I don't think there is a caging/uncaging mechanism in the Spitfire. The Brits are very fond of automation, and the artificial horizon will correct itself after a minute or so of level flight.

Generally, when you need it, you are not in a situation where you will be making a lot of turns anyway, so it should not be an issue.

If it does become an issue, you can always use the Sideslip, Bank Angle and Vertical Speed Indicators in unison to maintain straight and level flight. These never become mis-adjusted, but it does give you three instruments to pay attention to instead of just one, but it works.

I don't think there is a caging/uncaging mechanism in the Spitfire. The Brits are very fond of automation, and the artificial horizon will correct itself after a minute or so of level flight.

 

Generally, when you need it, you are not in a situation where you will be making a lot of turns anyway, so it should not be an issue.

 

If it does become an issue, you can always use the Sideslip, Bank Angle and Vertical Speed Indicators in unison to maintain straight and level flight. These never become mis-adjusted, but it does give you three instruments to pay attention to instead of just one, but it works.

Thanks for that. I'll give it a go and report back.

That is why in the RAF it was always standard to teach “limited panel” IF. As mentioned earlier the wings were kept level using the turn Indicator, and the nose was adjusted for pitch using the RCDI (VSI).

Nowadays, with non-toppling ADIs, plus standby instruments, this is becoming largely redundant.

Normally these kinds of ADIs were long-time-scale local gravity correcting type where long stretches of straight and level would recalibrate it. Downside is a very long constant bank turn would miscalibrate the down direction along the local acceleration crooked. There may or may not be a cage control in the cockpit if the thing tumbles, looks like not. The ADI probably also doesn't have full range of motion.

Also as vacuum-driven instruments depend on engine power it's normal for them to slump when the engine is at low power like on the ground.

Thanks all!

Have confirmed that enough level flight corrects it.

Also, it definitely does slump at low power on the ground then correct itself when I power up and takeoff again.

The "limited panel" IF I find awfully tricky though in clouds. Will take a lot of time until that feels natural I'm sure. Impressive that people can do it.

The Spitfire Slip indicator as modelled has virtually no damping. On the real life aircraft I have flown the slip indicator (often a ball in a curved tube) is far more docile.

The other difficulty in limited panel (particularly 'recovery from unusual positions') is that pulling moderate amounts of 'g' causes the turn needle to go to full deflection. Thus in recovery from a 'UP' the first action is to unload to around 1g - very difficult to do in a simulator where there is no g meter - as with the Spitfire.