Spit14 is cured

[Serenity]

They did not apply to the Spit XIV.  We're talking about the very much different Spitfire I/II, and yes guys were going operational with 20 or less hours in them, mainly out of desperation during the tail end of the B of B.  Johnnie Johnson, who ended up high scoring RAF ace had roughly 20 when he went to his first squadron.

Spit XIV was not that kind of bird.  

Yessir. If Tuck's statements are accurate (And I would bet my life they are) She was one hell of a bird to learn. A true ensign eliminator at first. I was simply making a statement on the Spitfire family as a whole.

[Bruv119]

Great Britain or Germany, who can tell them apart...   

about as different as an anglo-saxon 

well done for noticing it Thrila!   

[Anaxogoras]

I gave it a try tonight, and didn't notice much difference.  Maybe the nose bounces a little less.

[Rebel]

The yaw stability seems to be fixed, but otherwise, she's the same ol' nasty gal

[RTHolmes]

I gave it a try tonight, and didn't notice much difference.  Maybe the nose bounces a little less.

flew it again last night and the nose bounce was dreadful, way worse than I remember it. could barely hit a thing with it, anyone else have this?

[Yarbles]

flew it again last night and the nose bounce was dreadful, way worse than I remember it. could barely hit a thing with it, anyone else have this?

Main difference for me is it is allot less inclined to do one of those nasty snap roles close to the stall. As for aiming I have swithched from twisty stick to pedals and it seems allot better but that might be the pedals.

I spend literally all my perks on it and its undoubtedly the worst spit for me on K/D ratio. Yesterday I fought an f6 stick stirrer from 25k down to the ground in it and held his 6 on and off all the way down. The old one would undoutedly of made a nasty stall. Took half his wing off and then I augered and he got the kill.

I love it

F knows why

[palef]

flew it again last night and the nose bounce was dreadful, way worse than I remember it. could barely hit a thing with it, anyone else have this?

Same here, but I did stick with a Spit 8 in a series of vertical moves with no trouble at all. Previously, throttling off on the ascent would have meant a snap roll.

I'm with Yarbles though. I tend to get "stuck in" aggressively in the XIV.

[Yarbles]

I keep hearing people saying there are problems with this plane. My view is it will never handle like the other Spits especailly as the speeds dimminish. The new version for me is much closer to what it should be.

If you look at a 14 alongside a 9 and a Griffin engine next to a Merlin you can see why. Basically the 14 was a 9 (probably closer ot an 8 infact) but with more weight and further forward. I think anyone who has flown a 9 especially would say how well balanced it felt. The Griffin will have changed that.Maybe a post war Spit 21 or especially a 24 may have cured some of the inherent instabilities but at the end of the Day Israli spit 9's shot down British later Griffin spits and probably because they got slow with them.   

Johnie Johnson said it was a great plane but no longer a Spit. Soda writes it up wrong when he says it can be flown like any other Spit. It is more akin to a 51. Use speed and the vertical, its less inclined to stall down low now but it is at best an average turner and stall fighter unlike the other Spits. Its also not a very stable gun platform and the tail got much bigger on the later models to stabilise it.

I think  if you are a Spit pilot who wants a real challenge this is  a good progression.