Flying Spit 14

[Latrobe]

I would give you my advice, but it wouldn't help much since I al I do in the 14 is go out, shoot the enemy, and somehow make it back home. 

it does take the most skills to fly the Spit 14 than any other Spitfire in the game though. Don't be too surprised if it's a bit hard for you.

[bustr]

About once a tour I'll have 12 or so Pigs up in Spit14 to sweep over one of our alt hoarded nit bases. We come in 16-18K and everything starts running away or diving out when they see 12-15 Spit14. Very few stay and fight. By then the runners radio back that there is a stratospheric hoard of alt Piggies in Spit14 and the next hoard wave comes back at 20-30K. But we just climb the spit14 to that group and push them down. Lotta players in the game don't know how to fight above 20K, much less ever will.

There are three sad problems with the Spit14.

1. It sucks fuel like breached oil tanker<Exxon Valdeze>. If you have to fly a sector and climb to 16k for a fight, you better get your business done quick. Hit WEP and you can watch the fuel needle move on the dial. You won't get much time in it if you try to up with a small fuel load and a slipper tank.

2. The torqe can make it unstable at low speeds and get you rapidly in trouble diving at high speed. If you dont fly it frequently it can be very unforgiving if you get it slow and then want to fly it like a spit16. At slow speed any attempts with (cranking & yanking) will win you a stall or worse, the plane becomes unstable and slowly shudders through the first quarter of your manuver and stops.......When you dive in from your PICK PURCH if you don't cut throttle and even use the rudder as a break you can find yourself a lawn dart, or worse unable to do anything but collide with, or roar past your target and take a few rounds from behind while your controls are frozen.

3. At the end of the Pig's Spit14 high alt sweep, invariable everyone wants kills, and ends up on the deck where the fights are. I cant blame them, but the spit14 becomes fodder for spit<everything>, Niki, A6m, ....everything on the deck. Furballing on the deck it's a little less manuverable than the spit8 and is more unstable than the spit8 at slower speeds. Most players forget to fly it like a 51B down on the deck instead of a (yank & crank) spit16.

I vote to unperk the ugly beast.

I suspect you will see it become like the Bf109K4 after everyone gets tired of it not being the UBER bush whacker the spit16 is, but instead a low alt furball coffin. Eventualy it will be flown by a core few in the manner that the Muppets have made the K4 famous. The spit14 takes too much effort for the average pilot to like it. 

[Spikes]

I struggle sometimes to get back on them in time from the rope but I will try that one first.

The climbing fast turn fight 2nd then.

Not sure about the rest.

Thanks

  

You have to have a high area in this section...you have to know when he's running out of E. Watch closely when you see the plane wobble left and right, showing that it's ttying to use a little bit of rudder to stay with you. Then, kick your rudder and flop down on him. He should still be in the vert or stalled out and you will get a perfect shot.

[thrila]

I really don't enjoy flying the spit14, it's more of a chore than anything else.  By that i mean when it comes to aiming, as others have said it's a horrible gun platform it's nose bounces all over the place frequently, requiring minute corrections   Where as the K4 (as all 109s) is very stable, the nose goes where you want it.  If i had to choose betweenone or the other my preference would be the k4.

[BnZ]

I really don't enjoy flying the spit14, it's more of a chore than anything else.  By that i mean when it comes to aiming, as others have said it's a horrible gun platform it's nose bounces all over the place frequently, requiring minute corrections   

Sounds like a sim-specific thing. I just don't think nose-bounce was the horrible problem for R/L pilots that it is for sim pilots. They talk about missing by virtue of being out of range, missing because of too little lead, but never "The nose was bouncing so much I couldn't hit anything at point blank range."

I chalk it up to interfacing with our sims with a small joystick instead of a large control with actual stick forces, and it is a challenge for stick-crafters and programmers to overcome at some point.

[Motherland]

Sounds like a sim-specific thing. I just don't think nose-bounce was the horrible problem for R/L pilots that it is for sim pilots. They talk about missing by virtue of being out of range, missing because of too little lead, but never "The nose was bouncing so much I couldn't hit anything at point blank range."

I chalk it up to interfacing with our sims with a small joystick instead of a large control with actual stick forces, and it is a challenge for stick-crafters and programmers to overcome at some point.

I it's the terminology that is different- I've seen several aircraft referred to as 'unstable gun platforms'.

[Adonai]

Tactic 1:  Rope

Advantages:
    -The spit has better climb with wep and the planes weights are similar. In theory this could work.
    -Even veteran pilots can get greedy and fall for it from time to time.

Disadvantages:
    -The N1k has lots of powerful cannon to lob at you, and the spit cannot take a lot of damage.

Final note, only do this if you have a bit more E than the n1k.  He may not be a able to climb all the way up, but he will be able to hang for a while, allowing time to some shots.  Also do not rope straight up, turn it into a spiral type rope.

Tactic 2: High speed fight

Advantages:
    -Without flaps the turning radius on both planes are very close.  Keep the n1k's flaps up and the fight could go either way.

Disadvantages:
    -Dont rip the wings off, this is too fast. 

Final note, Keep your turns level or slightly up hill.  Most pilots will quickly give up alt for speed, if you save some alt, you can always gain speed quickly.  You have a better climb let him fight it.

Tactic 3:  The fight gets slow

Advantages:
    -the spit can easily out accelerate the n1k.  You can bug out at any time.
    -Again the sustained climb rate will help you, fight up hill.

Disadvantages:
    -The n1k can really out turn you here.
    -Any crossing (like flat scissor) can end badly quickly.

Final note, You can make you speed back faster than the n1k.  Remember this and if the situation get bad, extend and come back after 1.5 k or so.  You are not running, but dont fight a losing fight.  You need to know when you are losing, if you wait too long, the n1k may reach you with the cannons as you leave.

General:
    -I love the rolling scissor.  IIRC the spit has a better roll rate and its very friendly near stall.  This can work of for the spit pilot in those slow, over the top, rolling scissors fight.  You can also try to have a net climb over the rolling scissor fight, this is going to hurt the n1k in the long run.

Keep in mind, these are only my suggestions and every scenario requires different action to win. If I am way off, someone please correct me.  I do not fly the spit often, but this is what I would do.

Believe me this is how I fly a Spit 14, Its like flying against a Hurri-C - you wont beat it in a flat turn - just do one of the above - same for a  N1k -
the Spit 14 is not a wonder plane like 262 or 163 - so get used to learning to beat what it "can't".

[RTHolmes]

1. It sucks fuel like breached oil tanker<Exxon Valdeze>. If you have to fly a sector and climb to 16k for a fight, you better get your business done quick. Hit WEP and you can watch the fuel needle move on the dial. You won't get much time in it if you try to up with a small fuel load and a slipper tank.

fuel management is very important in the XIV as it does like a drink. however, get it level at a decent alt, over 280ish and wind rpms all the way back on 6-8 boost and you'll be accelerating nicely up to 350ish with ~50mins range you dont need all that power to maintain level flight.

[MjTalon]

The spit 14 is underestimated and not used to it's strengths. The Spit14 is the fastest Climbing plane in the game with WEP atm topping over 5k/min and it's possibly the fastest acceleration plane above 10k+

I had a sortie were i was outnumbered in my 14. I was training a La5, a Spit 16, a F4u1A and a 109. I kept my energy up and continued to BnZ them. I took them all down and ran bingo on the 109 but i successfully landed back at home base with about 3mins fuel left. 

The key to that engagement was SA, and E judgement. The spit 16 was 1.5k for from me the the entire town when i would extend into a sustained climb and the spit 16 could never catch me that way. The spit 14 is a very outstanding aircraft and is under rated because everyone tries to turn it like other spitfires, it's traits are sustained climbs, speed and acceleration.

[jerkins]

The spit 14 is underestimated and not used to it's strengths. The Spit14 is the fastest Climbing plane in the game with WEP atm topping over 5k/min and it's possibly the fastest acceleration plane above 10k+

Spit14 and k4's climb rate are nearly identical.

http://www.gonzoville.com/ahcharts/index.php?p1=109k4&p2=spit14

[Motherland]

The spit 14 is underestimated and not used to it's strengths. The Spit14 is the fastest Climbing plane in the game with WEP atm topping over 5k/min and it's possibly the fastest acceleration plane above 10k+

No, the Spit14 is overestimated by those who don't fly it and not used to it's strength by many who do. The 14 is out-climbed by the 109K at many altitudes and even out-climbed by the Spit 16 at some. It's certainly one of the best climbers in the game, but not the best.

I had a sortie were i was outnumbered in my 14. I was training a La5, a Spit 16, a F4u1A and a 109. I kept my energy up and continued to BnZ them. I took them all down and ran bingo on the 109 but i successfully landed back at home base with about 3mins fuel left. 

The key to that engagement was SA, and E judgement. The spit 16 was 1.5k for from me the the entire town when i would extend into a sustained climb and the spit 16 could never catch me that way. The spit 14 is a very outstanding aircraft and is under rated because everyone tries to turn it like other spitfires, it's traits are sustained climbs, speed and acceleration.

You could have done that with any plane... a 109, a 190, a Jug, a Pony, any Spitfire, or any other fighter... that was smart flying on your part, not insane out performance on the planes part.