Help please with ww2 side to Dcs

Hi at the moment i am sitting on the fence ref the Normandy map , spit etc, having watched recent you tube vids from Phil Style ,Rob White and Grim reapers it looks like the updates have really changed this into a good looking map etc, the problem i have is watching and looking at the forums regarding the spit, it is looked upon as a very difficult plane to fly which worries me as am i going to get to grips with it as i am a real novice with flight sims, so can someone please offer some helpful advise, i love ww2 sims and looking at il2, clod this dcs grips me more for some reason , but i dont wont to waste my cash , having just brought the flaming 3 pack which is great ,can someone please advice how they feel the difficulty on the spit is and how you now find the Normandy Map. Thanks

Merry Christmas to all :thumbup:

The difficulty comes from not understanding what's going on and how to compensate for it initially. Seat time and practice is all that's needed.

The narrow gear and torque forces push it over onto the wing tip when landing. With proper speed, trim , and technique, it's not that hard to figure out. Everyone struggles with it the first time.

:holiday:

Regarding the Normandy map, I bought it this spring - mostly because update was announced, knowing at that time the perf were bad - and didn't fly much over it because stuttery/bad fps at low altitude.

After update, the map is absolutely OK, very good perf, much nicer textures and scenery objects, I made myself the remark yesterday that if someone doesn't like the map as it is actually, it's because he/she doesn't like this area/geography. The map is rich in details, and runs great.

Nothing to criticize negatively about the map.

... but i dont wont to waste my cash , having just brought the flaming 3 pack which is great ,can someone please advice how they feel the difficulty on the spit is ...

Difficulty is a greatly subjective matter .. may I suggest that you try first the free TF-51 that is included on the base DCS download? The spitfire is harder than the TF-51 mostly because of its narrow track landing gear, but if you can handle the TF-51 you shouldnt have trouble with the Spitfire.

This way, if you end up not liking the DCS warbirds you will not had wasted any cash .. fly the TF-51 on Caucasus.

Thanks for all of this , hopefully a reasonable pc spec will run it nice ,

Regarding the Normandy map, I bought it this spring - mostly because update was announced, knowing at that time the perf were bad - and didn't fly much over it because stuttery/bad fps at low altitude.

After update, the map is absolutely OK, very good perf, much nicer textures and scenery objects, I made myself the remark yesterday that if someone doesn't like the map as it is actually, it's because he/she doesn't like this area/geography. The map is rich in details, and runs great.

Nothing to criticize negatively about the map.

thanks

well DB46, with all this months playing the spitfire i have to say this advice for multiplayer: at this stage in DCS WWII experience, riding alone on that plane makes no sense, 109s and Dora they will eat you. Now, flying with friends, doing formations and fight together with a wingman its your best bet, and you will surely enjoy this plane in MP servers. Fight againts 190 A-8 its more balanced but the Nazis don't want to complicate their life so you'll see more of the others, K-4 and Doras. Burning Skies its a great server but it uses caucasus map, Normandy........its.....ok?, men i cant say this yet (I come from playing enough Cliff of Dover Blitz and that Normandy map still rules)

cheers!

well DB46, with all this months playing the spitfire i have to say this advice for multiplayer: at this stage in DCS WWII experience, riding alone on that plane makes no sense, 109s and Dora they will eat you. Now, flying with friends, doing formations and fight together with a wingman its your best bet, and you will surely enjoy this plane in MP servers. Fight againts 190 A-8 its more balanced but the Nazis don't want to complicate their life so you'll see more of the others, K-4 and Doras. Burning Skies its a great server but it uses caucasus map, Normandy........its.....ok?, men i cant say this yet (I come from playing enough Cliff of Dover Blitz and that Normandy map still rules)

 

 

cheers!

Don't be concerned about learning the tail draggers. You can learn it, and when you do, it's very rewarding. The Spitfire is my favorite plane. Doesn't mean I didn't pull my hair in frustration at first. Now it's very easy.

It's partly a muscle memory thing I think, like riding a bike. Taking off, focusing on a cloud helped me at first, to keep straight. How not to overcompensate is the muscle memory thing. For landing the two most important things, ball centered and low VSI.

There's long threads about takeoffs/landings. A bounce, for example, isn't actually a bounce, it's landing with to much speed and when the tail goes down the wings angle up and it takes off again. That's why landing a three pointer is safe, speed is slow and the wings are already angled up so it can't, won't bounce.

Normandy map is small. The best reason to get it is if you know you're going to fly Normandy MP servers. On it's own, the map isn't much.

What I will say is that it's my experience that many servers on dcs do not run Normandy and if they do they also use the ww2 assets pack which makes it a very expensive ordeal to partake in.

As for the spitfire, it is hard at first for the reasons previously stated, high torque, narrow gear and tail dragger however practice will soon help to negate these challenges.

What I would advise is flying tf51 first and also getting a good pair of rudder pedals to help with fine control of the rudder as using g the twist on a stick gets very hard when also doing other movements.

YouTube videos and the manual will definitely help to teach you about the spitfires quirks and many people within the community would gladly help you to learn.

There a few things to note with the spitfire. Rudder trim on take off is a greatly useful thing in the initial run up as is not using full power on take off.

The spitfire uses differential brakes similar to Soviet aircraft and as such getting used to no toe brakes is something to be aware of.

To taxi the lever is pulled in which disengages the brakes, then to turn use the rudder and let out the brake.

I personally have it reversed so that the brakes are always released as I dont have an axis to assign the lever to and instead I tap the brakes.

As for actually flying it the main thing to note is that under high power low air speed conditions the radiator wont do a good enough job to keep the engine cools and as such it will over heat. This will be visible by steam coming from the radiators and engine.

When flying at height make sure to turn the fuel pump on which is located under the elevator next to the pilot heat switch as well remembering to pressurize the fuel tank. The aircraft has a fuel gauge but it only reads the fuel quantity for the lower tank therefore knowing how much flight time In fuel you have can be useful.

When landing I recommend to follow the specified advice of the manual which If I recall correctly is to use 0 lbs boost and 2500rpm on approach. I am prone to using full prop pitch however that makes the aircraft harder to land due to yaw with power as well as a generally faster flare Into the 3 point.

As with actually dogfighting in ww2 servers it's always best to have someone to cover your back, you'll find that youll generally be able to easily turn with a 109 however they will soon brake and run, the fw190s will more then likely never try to turn fight unless you can make them frustrated and tunnel vision. They instead will boom and zoom to which the only counter is to have your eyes peeled and always check your 6 with the mirror and by doing clearing turns.

Now as for the sight and armament, the spitfire has very potent 20mm hispano cannons with 60 rounds per side however the remaining 4 303 calibre machine guns are somewhat lacking.

With the sight it is a fixed sight and as such I would look up "chucks spitfire mk9 guide" which includes a link to an RAF gunnery manual from the period this should help to teach you how to judge range and deflection angle so you can lead the guns. Just note you will likely find yourself firing blind due to the engine cowling.

These are just the main things I can think of as of now but I'd be more then happy to answer any other specific questions on the spitfire you have.

the spitfire is my favourite of the warbirds for ground handling because I don't have toe brakes on my pedals. it just seems really intuitive and it has really strong brakes.

while it doesn't have a lockable tail wheel for takeoff, it doesn't really need one as the rudder is extremely effective with just the prop wash from using around 7lbs of boost and airscrew lever full forward.

First you will want to ensure your elevator trim is neutral on the cockpit instrument.

don't slowly advance the throttle on takeoff though as using low power can be dangerous due to lacking sufficient rudder authority to counter the plane's tendency to pull to the left. conversely using too much power is also dangerous, so I tend to use 7-8lbs. after takeoff, just fly down the runway a bit to become stable before raising the gear and climbing, and advance to 12lbs boost and reduce airscrew to 2800RPM to get the plane stable. She flies beautifully once airborne

the spitfire is my favourite of the warbirds for ground handling because I don't have toe brakes on my pedals. it just seems really intuitive and it has really strong brakes.

while it doesn't have a lockable tail wheel for takeoff, it doesn't really need one as the rudder is extremely effective with just the prop wash from using around 7lbs of boost and airscrew lever full forward.

 

First you will want to ensure your elevator trim is neutral on the cockpit instrument.

 

don't slowly advance the throttle on takeoff though as using low power can be dangerous due to lacking sufficient rudder authority to counter the plane's tendency to pull to the left. conversely using too much power is also dangerous, so I tend to use 7-8lbs. after takeoff, just fly down the runway a bit to become stable before raising the gear and climbing, and advance to 12lbs boost and reduce airscrew to 2800RPM to get the plane stable. She flies beautifully once airborne

My take offs have always been somewhat garish but I have been taking off on positive trim, also I haven't been following what seems to be the preferred method of using the brakes to get the tail up sooner. I could do with binding to a slider

Hi at the moment i am sitting on the fence ref the Normandy map , spit etc, having watched recent you tube vids from Phil Style ,Rob White and Grim reapers it looks like the updates have really changed this into a good looking map etc, the problem i have is watching and looking at the forums regarding the spit, it is looked upon as a very difficult plane to fly which worries me as am i going to get to grips with it as i am a real novice with flight sims, so can someone please offer some helpful advise, i love ww2 sims and looking at il2, clod this dcs grips me more for some reason , but i dont wont to waste my cash , having just brought the flaming 3 pack which is great ,can someone please advice how they feel the difficulty on the spit is and how you now find the Normandy Map. Thanks

 

Merry Christmas to all :thumbup:

Difficulty is not a factor. If you like the aircraft and want to fly it you will learn the plane and it will become second nature.

The spitfire is the best for large dogfights. You can get in the thick of the action and clear your six anytime by simply pulling a fast turn rate. It also climbs like a beast which combined with its turn rate makes it arguably to most fun plane to dogfight in. It's weakness is that it's slow. So you have to be patient and energy trap the enemy. Flying in a group is great, you can clear enemy planes off your buddys six really easily in the spit.

If you are going to get the Normandy map you have to get the WW2 assets pack as well because any server running Normandy will be running assets pack to. I really like the Normandy map, I am hoping more servers run it after this update and the WW2 assets pack update which is coming.

If you're gonna get Normandy and the WW2 Asset Pack, at least do the smart thing and buy the bundle:

https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/shop/bundles/normandy_and_wwii_assets_pack_bundle/

Get tired of hearing the same old complaints of "the expense!" from people who haven't taken the time to read the product page.

And DB46, if you ever want some 1-to-1 tuition in the Spitfire, PM me and let me know; I have a few tricks to help you tame her....

And DB46, if you ever want some 1-to-1 tuition in the Spitfire, PM me and let me know; I have a few tricks to help you tame her....

Thanks that's very kind,:thumbup:

Hello,

I was like you, wondering to play in Spitfire over this Normandy map.

We all have our own story. Mine have been to start with the Mustang (or the free TF-51) which is easier for taxi, takeoff & landing. Once I managed to be able to play some airfield circuits, I went on Spitfire. It was not easy on the beginning, I even used a ratio of the assistance (see option menu of the aircraft).

Today, I continue on it with many missions I have built :smilewink:

Now, I would say: If you spend so much time on this question, personally I will go on it because I know I will spend hours to try until I manage. For me, those hours are worth the money.

Belly

For WWII Tail-draggers, be sure to get a decent set of Rudder Pedals...I used to fly with a Twist-Stick and that was not as effective as real pedals! Be sure to give gracious curves and deadzones and practice some high-speed taxi tests, watch lots of trailers, and go up with an instructor pilot sometime.