Spitfire Longitudinal stability quirks...

[Anatoli-Kagari9]

SPITFIRE SPEAKS: Spitfire Longitudinal Stability - YouTube

[grafspee]

Thank you for this video. One big for you.

[Anatoli-Kagari9]

1 hour ago, grafspee said:

Thank you for this video. One big for you.

 

You're welcome!  After all, I myself enjoy your youtube tutorials quite a LOT! 

[JG-1_Vogel]

This was a lovely video and makes me feel a little better in the knowledge that it wasn't *just* me having issues in the DCS Spit! The thing was wobbling about like crazy even with the lightest of inputs. Going from jets to props is certainly a steep learning curve, many handling characteristics you simply never have to think about compared to jets.

 

In my MiG I apply power, plane goes whoosh. In props it's all about the rudder and stick input and countering torque effects etc, far more intensive and I feel sorts the "men from the boys" as they say. I'm also getting an appreciation for engine management, what appeared to be an extremely simple aircraft is turning out to be anything but!

 

As a matter of interest, how did other RAF fighters of the time handle by comparison? The Hurricane looks far more "balanced", did it have many handling quirks? I recall from my relatively limited reading on the aircraft the pilots adored it, especially for take off and landing with the wider gear arrangement.

Edited February 11, 2021 by JG-1_Vogel

[zcrazyx]

9 hours ago, JG-1_Vogel said:

This was a lovely video and makes me feel a little better in the knowledge that it wasn't *just* me having issues in the DCS Spit! The thing was wobbling about like crazy even with the lightest of inputs. Going from jets to props is certainly a steep learning curve, many handling characteristics you simply never have to think about compared to jets.

 

In my MiG I apply power, plane goes whoosh. In props it's all about the rudder and stick input and countering torque effects etc, far more intensive and I feel sorts the "men from the boys" as they say. I'm also getting an appreciation for engine management, what appeared to be an extremely simple aircraft is turning out to be anything but!

 

As a matter of interest, how did other RAF fighters of the time handle by comparison? The Hurricane looks far more "balanced", did it have many handling quirks? I recall from my relatively limited reading on the aircraft the pilots adored it, especially for take off and landing with the wider gear arrangement.

 

 

cant speak for any fighters of the time other then what we have in the sim but i get the feeling that the spitfire has far better low speed handling due to the wing? less drag perhaps? that being said the hurricane seems like it handled well and was a great weapons platform, i know the typhoon and tempest had some issues with the engines and controls ripping themselves apart and randomly catching fire.

 

I'm of the opinion that the Spitfire is one of the most well balanced aircraft in the sim, right up until we pull the trigger and it bounces around the place.  Though the FW190D9 does fly very well at most speed ranges with not a lot of trim where as the 109, mustang and 47 at least in my opinion need a lot more trim throughout the range but perhaps thats just because I have flown the spitfire the most. just seems like the 109 has high/low speed trim issues due to using fixed tabs, the 47 and 51 suffer somewhat at low speed due to weight and require some trimming but the spitfire can almost be flown at one trim level as long as you dont let go of the stick. 

[grafspee]

2 hours ago, zcrazyx said:

 

cant speak for any fighters of the time other then what we have in the sim but i get the feeling that the spitfire has far better low speed handling due to the wing? less drag perhaps? that being said the hurricane seems like it handled well and was a great weapons platform, i know the typhoon and tempest had some issues with the engines and controls ripping themselves apart and randomly catching fire.

 

I'm of the opinion that the Spitfire is one of the most well balanced aircraft in the sim, right up until we pull the trigger and it bounces around the place.  Though the FW190D9 does fly very well at most speed ranges with not a lot of trim where as the 109, mustang and 47 at least in my opinion need a lot more trim throughout the range but perhaps thats just because I have flown the spitfire the most. just seems like the 109 has high/low speed trim issues due to using fixed tabs, the 47 and 51 suffer somewhat at low speed due to weight and require some trimming but the spitfire can almost be flown at one trim level as long as you dont let go of the stick. 

Spitfire has the lowest induced drag among all Late war DCS warbirds, this mean that this plane has the best sustained turn performance

very low stall speed makes it excellent high alt fighter, where most of the planes cant do simple aerobatics like loops etc, spitfire do it with ease.

Just try it get to 25k-30k ft and have some fun

But this comes with costs, it has the biggest parasitic drag, this mean that it wont get in to very high speed in level flight, makes it the slowest from all of them.

Spitfire is just a spitfire world "balance" does not exists in sims.

Fw190 flies like fw190, BF-109 flies like BF-109 at level available to us.

I hope no one in ED even thinking about artificially balancing those birds at all. The only goal should be to recreate this plane as close as possible to real thing.

Edited February 12, 2021 by grafspee

[zcrazyx]

1 hour ago, grafspee said:

Spitfire has the lowest induced drag among all Late war DCS warbirds, this mean that this plane has the best sustained turn performance

very low stall speed makes it excellent high alt fighter, where most of the planes cant do simple aerobatics like loops etc, spitfire do it with ease.

Just try it get to 25k-30k ft and have some fun

But this comes with costs, it has the biggest parasitic drag, this mean that it wont get in to very high speed in level flight, makes it the slowest from all of them.

Spitfire is just a spitfire world "balance" does not exists in sims.

Fw190 flies like fw190, BF-109 flies like BF-109 at level available to us.

I hope no one in ED even thinking about artificially balancing those birds at all. The only goal should be to recreate this plane as close as possible to real thing.

 

 

i was thinking of balanced not in the terms of what is better then the other but rather controlability wise. 

[Nealius]

7 hours ago, zcrazyx said:

I'm of the opinion that the Spitfire is one of the most well balanced aircraft in the sim, right up until we pull the trigger and it bounces around the place.  

 

This is an interesting point. I've never experienced bouncing while shooting. I have noticed the criminally low amount of ammo and the spit-wad 303s, though. 

[Mogster]

16 hours ago, JG-1_Vogel said:

As a matter of interest, how did other RAF fighters of the time handle by comparison? The Hurricane looks far more "balanced", did it have many handling quirks? I recall from my relatively limited reading on the aircraft the pilots adored it, especially for take off and landing with the wider gear arrangement.

 

https://skiesmag.com/news/16252-flying-a-legend-html/

 

This suggests the Hurricane is much easier to handle on the ground, as you’d expect with the wide soft gear, it’s a larger, heavier plane so doesn’t nose over as easily and has more prop clearance. He does remark about some aerodynamic strangeness due to the 1930s first gen monoplane design and a sharp and unannounced stall with wing drop that can lead to a spin. A 172 with 303s this is not...