unperk the spit14

[Karnak]

None of that explains the nose wobble though.  Despite its larger vertical stabilizer it is much less directionally stable than the Mk VIII.  It makes shooting quite a chore.

It is interesting that the Bf109K-4, a similarly over engined early war airframe, does not develop any additional vices when compared to earlier Bf109s.


I will say that it can be a beast though.  I recall being bounced by a much higher P-51B at about 7k once and taking the fight vertical I completely dominated the poor P-51.

[Guppy35]

I guess I'm going to have to fly it more.  The few times I've flown it, I don't recall the nose wobble you talk about.  I sure did notice torque however

[Karnak]

The problem I have always had with the Spit XIV is a multi-front issue.  It is the short legs coupled with the performance that is high end, but not outstanding beyond other unperked late war fighters, tied to the "I'm a perk plane, kill me!" icon, exacerbated by the "I'm a very rare plane, kill me to get a notch in your belt!" issue.

All these things come together to make what should be a fun flight a much more stressful flight for me.

[Guppy35]

I agree that it's time for it to not be perked. 

[Tupac]

It seems like the general consensus is to unperk it

[Gaidin]

I would like a clear definition of why it was perked in the first place.  I don't have a problem with it not being perked, matter of fact I don't think it should be perked.  I would like to know why it was perked initially though.

[BnZs]

I would like a clear definition of why it was perked in the first place.  I don't have a problem with it not being perked, matter of fact I don't think it should be perked.  I would like to know why it was perked initially though.

Probably because in the real ETO, it trumped just about every other prop fighter to date in most respects.

[grizz441]

It seems like the general consensus is to unperk it

[MachFly]

I say it has a well deserved per value. Here is why: (not in order)
-Guns: 2x20mms & 2x50cals are a great configuration of guns. A great rate of fire, great stopping power, and relatively light weight. In one burst you can destroy airplanes such as P-47s & 190.
-Acceleration: It's one of the fastest accelerating planes in AH. 150mph to 200mph in 7.2 seconds, 200mph to 250mph in 10.8 seconds (faster than 109K). The Spitfire might not be very good at low speed dogfighting but it can easy out accelerate anything putting itself back into it's envelope & giving itself a large advantage.
-Speed: Above 10K it can out-run a pony.
-Climb: Given proper power & fuel it can climb at 5000ft/min (capable of out-climbing a K4)
-Maintaining energy: As all other Spitfires it is very easy to keep a significant amount of energy in turns. Your enemy will require a greater amount of power to keep up with you, given that the Spit14 has one of the most powerful engines not to many planes will be able to keep up.
-Damage: Surtitle it is not a P-47 but contrary to popular believe it is not a zero, the Spitfire can take a good amount of damage before it goes down. See this thread: http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,312667.0.html

Spit14 is a little heavy for what it's wings were originally designed for therefore it is not one of the best turners, but if the vertical is used the Spit14 can fight & win most turn fights. Also you don't want to keep it bellow ~200mph & bellow ~5K MSL as it's performance seriously deteriorates at those altitudes.

Certainly most noobs will take it, use it like a Spit16, get shot down and claim that it's worse than a P-40B. But if the pilot knows anything technical about the Spitfire mk XIV he will be practically unstoppable. So it defiantly deserves to be perked because of it's performance but because it's not a very easy airplane to fly a low perk value of 14 is just right in my opinion.

(im curious about MachFly's opinion).

I been really busy lately, have not had time to check the forums not to mention play AH.

[Karnak]

I say it has a well deserved per value. Here is why: (not in order)
-Guns: 2x20mms & 2x50cals are a great configuration of guns. A great rate of fire, great stopping power, and relatively light weight. In one burst you can destroy airplanes such as P-47s & 190.
-Acceleration: It's one of the fastest accelerating planes in AH. 150mph to 200mph in 7.2 seconds, 200mph to 250mph in 10.8 seconds (faster than 109K). The Spitfire might not be very good at low speed dogfighting but it can easy out accelerate anything putting itself back into it's envelope & giving itself a large advantage.
-Speed: Above 10K it can out-run a pony.
-Climb: Given proper power & fuel it can climb at 5000ft/min (capable of out-climbing a K4)
-Maintaining energy: As all other Spitfires it is very easy to keep a significant amount of energy in turns. Your enemy will require a greater amount of power to keep up with you, given that the Spit14 has one of the most powerful engines not to many planes will be able to keep up.
-Damage: Surtitle it is not a P-47 but contrary to popular believe it is not a zero, the Spitfire can take a good amount of damage before it goes down. See this thread: http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,312667.0.html

Spit14 is a little heavy for what it's wings were originally designed for therefore it is not one of the best turners, but if the vertical is used the Spit14 can fight & win most turn fights. Also you don't want to keep it bellow ~200mph & bellow ~5K MSL as it's performance seriously deteriorates at those altitudes.

Certainly most noobs will take it, use it like a Spit16, get shot down and claim that it's worse than a P-40B. But if the pilot knows anything technical about the Spitfire mk XIV he will be practically unstoppable. So it defiantly deserves to be perked because of it's performance but because it's not a very easy airplane to fly a low perk value of 14 is just right in my opinion.


I been really busy lately, have not had time to check the forums not to mention play AH.

You're completely backwards about the gun's weights, both the Hispano and Browning .50 are very heavy compared to other guns in their class.  Their RoF are mediocre as well.

That said, you meet a Bf109K-4 and an A6M/Ki-84/N1K2/Merlin Spit/Hurricane and you are pretty much up the creek without a paddle unless you are much better than the opposition.

Why do you think the Spit XIV, alone among perk fighters, has a lower K/D ratio than free fighters and is almost never used?  (Hint: it isn't worth the price)

[Spikes]

Unperk it. It is not the end of the world. If it becomes insanely unbalanced to gameplay, perk it again. Ta-da.

[BnZs]

You're completely backwards about the gun's weights, both the Hispano and Browning .50 are very heavy compared to other guns in their class.  Their RoF are mediocre as well.

Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....you SURE about the ROF of the brownings and Hispanos?

Without doubt they are the most effective 20mm cannons and HMGs in the game, you have to give him that at least.

[Krusty]

I would like a clear definition of why it was perked in the first place.

I ran across a quote once on these forums but I can't find it again. It was basically explaining that the Spit14 was perked because it climbed like a monster.

Keep in mind when it was introduced. No ki-48. No spit16/spit8. Its closest contender was the K-4 in climb rate, but given the K-4s 30mm gun and bad ballistics that ride will never be perkworthy (my opinion, not recounting what I read).

At the time this was the king god of climbers and E-monsters. It was the alt monkey speed demon pick machine to dream about.


That IMO is why it was perked. With the arena changes those years ago, with the split, with the addition of so many new craft, I find myself grudgingly agreeing that the perk isn't as necessary as it once was. With the increasing planeset, you have more counters. The La7 used to be the ultimate base defender and runner. Now you can run in the spit16, defend in the spit8, base CAP in Ki-84s, P-47Ms, etc... There are more rides that can fill in that same mission where once your only choice was the Spit16 or the K4.

The arena atmosphere has also changed. No longer do you see LA7s dominating the arena. You look on the forums and you'll see endless cries of "Perk the La!!" and if you weren't there you might ponder "Why? That makes no sense" (read: If you saw it you'd understand). Now those no longer apply. Heck, you don't even see as many spit16s anymore. It's the predominant spit you run across, yes, but it's no longer making up 60% of every horde you see like it once was. Things have changed. So has the environment the Spit14 was perked in. Times change.

I personally still think it's worth a minor perk (5 points? 2 points?) because I've pulled off some hairy sorties in that plane when almost no other plane in the game would have got me through.

[Tupac]

I remember when they remodeled the LA, did they change the flight model?

[Krusty]

Not officially, but I think it took a hit in manuverability for sure. It "feels" different, same as the N1K2 after it was updated.