Impressions of AH by a real Spitfire ace

[strk]

WTG Faminz and 52nd Kiwis.  Do you think you can sign him up as a squad member??


strk

[Thrawn]

Apparently Dsrtrat's uncle, who also flew spits, said he preferred the VIII also.

Thanks for the great post.

[grizz]

Nice post Faminz  

Thanks for sharing your experience.

[Karnak]

and the reaction of the plane was way overdamped.

That is very interesting.  All of the comments I have seen players make state that they think the control is too sharp in AH.  Players frequently say that it should be somewhere between WBIII mushiness and AH crispness.  If I read that line correctly, he is saying that it was more immediately responsive than it is in AH.

[Animal]

Originally posted by Karnak


That is very interesting.  All of the comments I have seen players make state that they think the control is too sharp in AH.  Players frequently say that it should be somewhere between WBIII mushiness and AH crispness.  If I read that line correctly, he is saying that it was more immediately responsive than it is in AH.

I think that depends on the plane.
Ive read many pilots describing the spitfire as a very responsive plane. "You could fly it with your pinkie finger" described one.

[thrila]

So why is it the Spit I in AH quite the opposite.  The spit I's elevator is very sluggish and heavy- heavier than the bf109's.  I have trouble blacking out my pilot in the spit I in turns because it's so heavy.   It's anything but light and responsive in AH.

[CyranoAH]

From what I've read, the sluggishness of the Mk I. was due to the fabric covered control surfaces, which had a nasty tendency to inflate due to high speed air getting between the fabric and the airframe.

As for the Mk. VIII, I read that it was quite a different airframe, with several aerodynamic refinements, making it the easiest, sharpest, and most enjoyable Spit to fly. Truly the "sports car" of the Spits.

Daniel, aka Cyrano

[DarkglamJG52]

Originally posted by CyranoAH


 Truly the "sports car" of the Spits.

Daniel, aka Cyrano

Si, el Copa Turbo de los cielos.

[RoyofCA]

he fought 12 109's alone in a spitfire?

sure.....

[Toad]

Needs a computer? I'd wager we could send a "chain letter" box around for people to throw one or two spare parts in and have it end up at Bloom.

He'd be up and running in two weeks!

[Vulcan]

If you knew a bit of history you'd know that fights with what we think are outrageous odds were quite common in WW2, and that it wasn't uncommon for those with lesser numbers to a) get away  b) nail the other guys. Was it Marseilles who nailed a whole pile of P-40s or Hurri's with his wingie flying top cover in Africa? Or in the early years in France, bombers often escaped, albeit with massive hits, from whole squadrons of Hurricanes who failed to physically take them out of the air.

Originally posted by RoyofCA
he fought 12 109's alone in a spitfire?

sure.....

[Shiva]

Or in the early years in France, bombers often escaped, albeit with massive hits, from whole squadrons of Hurricanes who failed to physically take them out of the air.

Remember that it was the lucky pilot who made a serious mistake in air combat and both survived to learn from it and returned to his unit to fly again. Look at all the people who've gotten good at attacking bombers in AH, WB, and AW. How many of them got it right the first time? How many of them have never gotten blown up in their plane without being able to bail? Each one who haven't would never have been able to reach their skill level from being able to just grab another plane and try again, rather than dying the first time they blew it badly.

Think of what Marseilles' score might have been if he could have just picked another plane and taken off again moments after being shot down. The difference between being able to learn from your fatal mistakes and not making fatal mistakes in the first place is the big difference between people who are good in an air-combat sim and the people who were good at air combat in RL.

[faminz]

Originally posted by Karnak


That is very interesting.  All of the comments I have seen players make state that they think the control is too sharp in AH.  Players frequently say that it should be somewhere between WBIII mushiness and AH crispness.  If I read that line correctly, he is saying that it was more immediately responsive than it is in AH.

correct Karnak. He said the joystick (a CH combat stick) was way too light and the response too slow. Apparently they had to heave the stick over in combat and the result was instant flick. Of course thats in a Spitfire. Note that I had combat trim on also.

[faminz]

Originally posted by RoyofCA
he fought 12 109's alone in a spitfire?

sure.....

Absolutely correct Roy, 12 109's, I got an exact blow by blow account of the fight. There was no roadkill. The english pilot sensibly went for home leaving him alone. I described the method used by him and it was from the 'horses mouth'. You had to be there!

[Seeker]

Lovely post; Faminz.