And the bottom line is folks still want to perk what is essentially a 1943 plane because it did things well and was pilot friendly.
I don't care if it first rolled off the production line in 1843-performance, performance, performance.
Is it the clipped wing that is such a big deal?
Yes. Unclipped Spits are moderately bad in the roll axis at high speeds. The XVI lacks even this weakness.
You have a game that is essentially a tactical airwar game that has it's air combat flown at the optimal altitude for an LFIX/XVI Spit. There is a reason they put that engine in it, because the XVI was meant to be used down low. If you are going to fight down low against an LF Spit, expect it's going to be good.
Last time I checked, every plane that is perked IS perked because it was "good" in some way, with the possible exception of the SpitXIV.
So are we going to make a list of planes to be perked cause we don't like fighting them? Let's force everyone into birds that better suit our style of fighting?
No. We are going to make a list of planes whose combination of speed, maneuverability, e-building capacity, and lethality leave many, many rides in the arena with really no cards to play against it, while being very, very, easy to fly. If the SpitXVI were *less* than it is in even a single attribute-20mph slower or climbed like a P-47, or rolled like a Typhoon, or had an inneffective guns-I would not be in favor of a perk price.