spitfire XIV

[Karnak]

Krusty,

The Me163 has a sustained climb rate of about 17,000ft/min as I recall.  No prop plane ever has come remotely near that.  The Spitfires XIV and XVI and the 109K-4 hit about 5,000ft/min at their best climb altitude, which they quickly pass through and rapidly lose climb rate above.

[BnZs]

How often do you fly a 163?

Do you ever pay attention when you do?

Because the E6B and the climb meter say two wildly different numbers. Most times it'll do 5000fpm or less. The only difference is in the 163 it keeps doing that rate where other engines (props) lose power the higher you go.

So yes, prop planes CAN outclimb the Komet. It all depends. And the Spit14 is probably the best climbing prop in the game.

Krusty, I don't have to test the 163 for specific numbers. The pocket rocket has a greater ratio of thrust/weight than any prop fighter ever had, ever *could* have.

[Krusty]

Krusty,

The Me163 has a sustained climb rate of about 17,000ft/min as I recall.

Not in this game. Especially not on autoclimb.

Check the E6B, not the climb meter in the cockpit.

[thrila]

Under 20k i would say the 109 g14 and k4 are more than competitive-





these are the HTC charts.  I hope i need not remind you that the 109's have twice as much WEP as the spitfire, and under 7k the g14's speed is very similar.

[BnZs]

The Spitfire's E-retention under maneuvering Gs tends to trump climb-rates that seem competitive on paper.

Under 20k i would say the 109 g14 and k4 are more than competitive-

(Image removed from quote.)

(Image removed from quote.)

these are the HTC charts.  I hope i need not remind you that the 109's have twice as much WEP as the spitfire, and under 7k the g14's speed is very similar.

[thrila]

How so?  

I had nothing better to do so i tested auto-climbs to 20k, timing commenced via film viewer when the wheels left the tarmac.  All with 100% fuel and 2.0 fuel burn.

A/C             5k        10k        15k        20k        

me163         0:51     1:29       2:04      2:30
Spit14         1:25     2:38       3:57      5:35    (WEP runs out ~18k, with WEP reaches 20k in 5:25)
Bf 109K       1:15     2:24       3:38      4:59
Bf 109G14    1:16     2:26      3:42       5:11

*me163        0:47     1:14        1:44      2:11    

*achieved by levelling out to 300, pointing the nose up and hitting shift C.  This maintained a steady climb at ~250 IAS.  It also reached 25k in 2:35.  

I think it's a safe to say the spit14 doesn't outclimb the me163 at any altitude.  Stating that nothing climbs like a spit 14 is simply not true.

[moot]

Krusty, I just rolled a 163, and on the first go I made 15k in 60 seconds from sea level.  No way is this accurate:

Because the E6B and the climb meter say two wildly different numbers. Most times it'll do 5000fpm or less. The only difference is in the 163 it keeps doing that rate where other engines (props) lose power the higher you go.

So yes, prop planes CAN outclimb the Komet. It all depends. And the Spit14 is probably the best climbing prop in the game.

The XIV is definitely more of a handful than the 152.  Whereas the 152 is well mannered up till departure, and while the XIV's quirks are centered around its torque (i.e. throttle control), I can't see how you would say the 152 is worse overall.

[Lusche]

A/C             5k        10k        15k        20k        
me163         0:51     1:29       2:04      2:30

Wich means 163 climbed @ 7900 ft/min between 5k and 10k. And not only that - it's still accelerating while doing it.

For comparison, the XiV climbed @ 4100 ft/min only...

[moot]

At this point it's up to Krusty to show film of a 163 being outclimbed by a prop.

[Karnak]

You have to remember though, that Krusty wildly exaggerates late mark Spitfire performance.  This is the guy who claims that the Mk XVI accelerates past 500mph straight up.

[BnZs]

How so?  

Thrila:

Oh, I wasn't talking about the silly 163 vs. Spit comparison. I'm just saying that in actual dogfights (with prop fighters! ) the fact that a Spit tends to hold E better under Gs will tend to eclipse any slight on-paper climb rate advantage or parity higher-wingloaded fighters may possess.