Is the Spitty Overbraked?

[Weegie]

I've no idea but it feels that way to me I've reduced the brake lever to 60% and can still do everything that's required without the hand stands

 

Just wondered what others thought

[cromhunt]

you are right

https://www.airspacemag.com/history-of-flight/supermarine-spitfire-134209906/

no mentions about something so rude than the one in DCS

Edited February 18, 2021 by cromhunt

[Mogster]

From reports about flying the real thing, the tail is very light and noseovers and embarrassing prop strikes are a constant hazard. Search for “flying the Spitfire” or similar, they nearly always mention it. In fact if you read flight reports from other warbirds quite often when they mention the brakes if the tail is heavy they’ll say “not like the Spitfire”...
 

I have the brake button mapped to the pinkie lever on my Warthog and quick press and release works OK. The brake key seems progressive, if you press and hold then pressure builds, if you press and release you only get light pressure.

[grafspee]

 

I know that this is not mkIX but it gives idea how easy to nose over it even without brakes.

Edited February 19, 2021 by grafspee

[Reflected]

The tail is supposed to be light.  The problem lies in using a button to brake. I have it mapped to a toe brake axis and almost never have this problem.

[Weegie]

I'm actually using an axis, but still had ocassions when the tail lifts, perhaps I'm just ham fisted.

 

My point was you can nose it over during taxi, which IMHO seems a little excessive, but maybe that's how sensitive it really is

 

Thanks for the video @grafspee I've seen it before but thanks anyway for going to the trouble.

 

In that incident it looks like either the trim was wrong, the stick was forward or the pilot hit an unven piece of ground or pothole. I did something vaguely similar with a motorcycle when I hit a pothole a while back, much to my embarresment.

 

The aircraft appears to get the tail up quite suddenly and (although it could be the angle) very slow

 

Just curiosity really, I'm going to leave it at 60% for now, I haven't conducted distance tests yet I'm sure that they'll be impacted. Its just a lot more controlable and the reduced virtual/in game axis to physical axis results in finer control with the lever

 

Thank you all for going to the trouble to explain

[grafspee]

Sometimes keeping stick full aft can save a day

[reece146]

I have the brakes mapped to an analog control and never have an issue with over-braking - well, unless I do something obviously dumb.

[-0303-]

Edited March 8, 2021 by -0303-

[Nealius]

I've got brakes mapped to a single button on my joystick. Timed-presses gets the job done. I only nose it over when I'm taxiing too fast and press the brake button for too long of an interval. 

[DD_Fenrir]

To quote the late Wing Commander Tom Neil:

 

Quote

Linked to the rudder bars were the brakes which were activated by hand using compressed air, so that to press either foot rest with the brakes applied was to produce a loud hiss, as though some extremely irritable python had just been kicked into life. Unlike the Germans and Americans, we British always went in for hand-operated compressed air braking systems which, on the whole, were less effective than the hydraulic types. On the other hand, had the Spitfire had more powerful brakes, it would have spent most of it's life on it's nose as it would tip up given the slightest encouragement.

 

That seems to about cover it.

[Yo-Yo]

On 2/19/2021 at 12:02 PM, Weegie said:

I'm actually using an axis, but still had ocassions when the tail lifts, perhaps I'm just ham fisted.

 

My point was you can nose it over during taxi, which IMHO seems a little excessive, but maybe that's how sensitive it really is

 

Thanks for the video @grafspee I've seen it before but thanks anyway for going to the trouble.

 

In that incident it looks like either the trim was wrong, the stick was forward or the pilot hit an unven piece of ground or pothole. I did something vaguely similar with a motorcycle when I hit a pothole a while back, much to my embarresment.

 

The aircraft appears to get the tail up quite suddenly and (although it could be the angle) very slow

 

Just curiosity really, I'm going to leave it at 60% for now, I haven't conducted distance tests yet I'm sure that they'll be impacted. Its just a lot more controlable and the reduced virtual/in game axis to physical axis results in finer control with the lever

 

Thank you all for going to the trouble to explain

It's only a matter how the brakes are used. See the last 90 degree turn before stop.

 

[Weegie]

1 hour ago, Yo-Yo said:

It's only a matter how the brakes are used. See the last 90 degree turn before stop.

 

 

That's neat Yo-Yo, displays good skill, especially just using keys for the rudder control into the bargain, nice way to turn the Spit do a "stoppie" and swing it around.

 

It wasn't ever a huge problem, but just a frustrating from time to time when I got it started, then promptly taxied out the hanger applied too much brake and nosed over.

[grafspee]

I use button as well for brakes. And tap-tap technique. Specially that spit is super slow at touch down that you barely need any braking at all. 

[Weegie]

2 hours ago, grafspee said:

I use button as well for brakes. And tap-tap technique. Specially that spit is super slow at touch down that you barely need any braking at all. 

 

Agreed but I still require to apply just a touch or two at the final roll out to keep it straight.

 

On a very rare ocassion I've managed to keep it straight without the application of any braking at all, but that's got to be 1 in a 100 or perhaps even less

 

Before getting an axis on my stick for the brake, I used to use 2 buttons 1 to increase the amount of brake and another to decrease it. I found that worked very well, where, as the rudder lost effectiveness a quick dab of the button applied a small braking percentage and left it applied until I used the other button to disable it. Then as you used the rudder on the roll out you were applying a little brake as well. I thought that was a very clever option included by ED for those who didn't have the luxury of an axis.

 

I tend now to pulse the brake on landing if I'm trying to land in a tight space, that works well for me, I got the idea from a video on here of an in cockpit view of a real Spit landing and the pilot was quite clearly rapidly applying the brake then releasing.

[NineLine]

Have you tried to adjust curves for your brakes axis?

[Weegie]

2 hours ago, NineLine said:

Have you tried to adjust curves for your brakes axis?

 

Yeah Thanks for the suggestion and they work, I think my main problem boiled down to just being over enthusiastic with the lever on ocassion, just a little too much pull and you go over onto the nose very quickly

 

Leaving the brakes at 60% though works pretty well for me, it gives me enough brake to turn when taxi-ing and more than enough to handle landings and hold it straight, the Spit doesn't really need much brake at all as it stops pretty quickly.

 

I prefer the linear feel of a reduced axis, the disadvantege of curves (for me) is that they tend to accelerate the braking force input if you get a tad enthusiastic with the lever