I don’t know where you got your data from but the original merlin engine got 1,650hp and spins at 3,000rpm. The power of the ingame engine is not far off (up to 1,700hp, 3,000rpm) so it’s quite realistic.
The key here is to not push the throttle to the max. The boost indicator should not be above 8. A little negative trim and this plane takes off without any problems.
I really can’t tell if the pitch and rudder authority is realistic but the plane has pretty big control surfaces - so maybe?
For the view, open the Cameras cfg file and under the first Camera definition section, edit the first value for InitialXyz to 0.269929 It’s pretty close to center for me now.
Depends of which particular Merlin engine it had, but the Mk. IX Spitfires would have had 1,280hp @ 3,000 rpm at sea level and in the 1,700 range at ~20K. Even the Mk.I had a 1,000hp engine. I don’t have this yet, so I don’t know where the 600hp number is coming from, maybe there’s a misprint in a data sheet somewhere.
I decided to look up RAF performance evaluations of the Spitfire. The only one I saw for the Mk. IX was focused on indicating differences with an earlier model for which I did not find a report: http://www.spitfireperformance.com/rb141handling.html
This document on a Mk.I from 1936 does indicate that controls are “light”, though notes that elevators are perhaps too sensitive & new pilots need to be careful especially when landing. Also funnily enough it describes how good it’s ground handling is (though it’s frame of reference is compared to biplanes) : http://www.spitfireperformance.com/k5054.html
From this Pilots Notes document for the IX, XI, and XVI from 1946, re trim:
“The elevator and rudder trimming tabs are powerful and sensitive and must always be used with care, particularly at high speed.” http://www.zenoswarbirdvideos.com/Images/spit/SPIT9MANUAL.pdf
Interesting documents to read through. Wasted a good chunk of time looking them over
I just looked at the manual… The modelled engine is the Merlin 66. It has “1,720 hp (1,283 kW) at 5,790ft” - to quote Wikipedia. Guess we were both a little bit off (if Wikipedia is right). The manual doesn’t mention 600hp at any point. My point was the values in the sim are realistic.
You wouldn’t happen to know how to edit the cfg so the default left and right views are the standard out-the-window views, rather than the down to the side control views?
I wrote that part from faulty memory - the max HP altitude and max speed altitude (27.4K ft) got cross-wired in my mind. The take-off power number I wrote from the Merlin 61, which was also used in Mk. IX, but there was a lot of variation with different engines in use even within the same marks.
Completed my first full flight from Chicago to Milwaukee just now. Watched that DCS Tutorial video on YouTube on takeoff and landing. For the first time EVER everything went smooth as butter. I couldn’t have wished for a better landing. Straight as an arrow down the runway… Key things learned:
This aircraft is way different than anything else in the sim right now. Don’t expect it to fly even remotely close to what you are used to. The key thing here IN EVERY PHASE from taxi to parking is BE GENTLE, TAKE YOUR TIME, BE PATIENT, and PLAN. No sudden rudder movements. Taxi SLOW and in S pattern. Manage speed correctly.
Takeoff: I trimmed it one bar UP, not down like it says in the in-game checklist. VERY slight rudder trim to the right. SLOW throttle advancement to no more than +8 boost. It will lift off when it’s ready. Then advance to full power.
Landing: Threshold cross at 90-100 knots, trimmed 0.5 bars UP, stall it right above runway (5 feet or so)… Let it come down on its own. Then DON’T TOUCH anything - let it roll. Once the tail drops, gradually apply pressure to the stick to keep the tail down and let it slow down further to almost taxi speed. Gently tap breaks to slow down and off you go to taxi to parking.
I feel such a sense of accomplishment that I was able to do it after about 10 or so DISASTROUS circuits and about 5 more when things were gradually getting better that I was confident enough to do a full flight without being afraid that I won’t be able to land it and it will be a wasted trip.
This plane is SO rewarding and cool… These were NOT my thing AT ALL, but once I opened my mind up to trying something new and different, a whole new world has opened up, I feel. You gotta take your time with this thing, it doesn’t come easy and it’s not a Cessna/Piper/X-Cub. This thing has A LOT of power and it needs to be managed correctly or you will kill yourself. DEFINITELY not a machine you want to fly when you just want to take a quick ride in 15 minutes before you get back to work.
Nice. Your landing note reminding me from this entry on the Spitfire wikipedia page:
On 5 March 1936, the prototype (K5054), fitted with a fine-pitch propeller to give more power for takeoff, took off on its first flight from Eastleigh Aerodrome (later Southampton Airport) At the controls was Captain Joseph “Mutt” Summers, chief test pilot for Vickers, who is quoted as saying “Don’t touch anything” on landing.
Yeah, that’s the key, I think… It’s SO true. If you are lined up correctly, just let her roll. You start tinkering around with rudders, ailerons, etc, you are inviting issues. That was my biggest mistake when I was first starting with this. I tried to apply rudder the way I did when flying everything else and this bird ISN’T everything else. It will fly when it’s ready, and it will get you home safely if you let it. I just did a return trip from Milwaukee to Chicago in a regular variant (flew the clipped wing one on the way to WI), and everything went smooth as butter again. I feel like I finally have this down. It feels good.
To start with the RPM is spot on.
Second, 600 HP? not sure where you get that from. The MK IX has 1720hp.
As for flyability, the Spit will very quickly expose limited skills. In real life, those limited skills will either destroy a beautiful airplane or destroy a beautiful airplane and kill the pilot.
Picked her up today and found her absolutely astonishing. Welllll worth the coin it costs.
I honestly haven’t paid attn to any manuals for FS products til now, follow the pdf and it all comes together.
The 2 variants
Multiple liveries
So many switches/toggles that actually have functionality
The sound
The sound
& The sound
So unique to operate than your avg Cessna in the sim
Line up, power up gradually (full throttle def not needed ). Stick back a few degress, keep her steady, tail up slowly (all whilst level trim) footwork it and she’ll tell you when shes ready.
Climb and level, drop the rpms down to about 2k rpm, my sweet spot, boost at 7/8 , trim up a hair or 2 and she just glides
Landing is its own challenge, use the flaps (which are air brakes ftmp). Rpm about 65%, boost around 6, throttle as needed, i brought her to near stall, wheels inches from the ground and kill the power - 3 pointed it. I clapped and ‘whooped’ out loud to myself, in an empty room. Nothing to me has felt this good in msfs til now. I managed one perfect landing of 3 attempts.
Newb question: Did some pattern work that went well and then took it on a cross country. I pulled the throttle to idle when entering the pattern to lose speed so I could drop the flaps and gear. I couldn’t get any power back after that. I was just trying to fly the plane at that point so I didn’t notice what my RPM, boost, or temp/pressure gauges were doing, and I didn’t attempt a restart. Mixture was full rich, prop full forward, throttle unresponsive. I made a slow arc toward the runway but I couldn’t get it lined up in time before I had to set it down. I had it rolling for a bit but went off the runway and tipped. I’m a Cessna pilot and never flown one of these if that gives a clue, but any ideas?
Not running fuel booster pump during cruise?
Is there carb icing?
Engine damage from too high of boost/high temps?
Radiator settings?
I should have had plenty of gas, only flew it for thirty minutes or so and left with full tanks
I love this plane though and it’s quickly becoming one of my favorites along with the Grravel mods. I think the sound needs a little bit of tweaking, but otherwise sounds amazing. I can hear birds chirping on approach even over that Merlin engine at 100 mph with the canopy closed. Turning your head to the left or right causes the sound to nearly cut out completely in the ear facing away from the engine. Not a big problem when using speakers, but with headphones it makes you feel like your ear is clogged and it’s quite jarring. Any settings I can tweak to alleviate that? Spatial sound control or something? I feel like some of the sounds don’t blend smoothly, but otherwise it sounds amazing with that startup sequence and in cruise.
EGPN Dundee Airport is a good place to practice take offs and landings in this plane. The runway is not too short, not too narrow, and you have the Tay Rail bridge and the edge of the firth as the perfect landmarks for circuits.
The Orbx version has perimeter fence on 27, which is helpful.
). Stick back a few degress, keep her steady, tail up slowly (all whilst level trim) footwork it and she’ll tell you when shes ready.