Bf109E-3

[heloguy]

Originally Posted by BlackbusheFlyer

The fact is that at the moment the 109 in the game is faster than the Spitfire Mk 1 at all altitudes and both climbs and dives faster which does not appear to be in agreement with the bulk of written evidence.

Did you actually fly each airplane, and record the max attainable speed? If you're referring to being outrun by AI 109s, or even a human controlled 109 on a server, that isn't evidence that either the Spit is underpowered, or the 109 is overpowered.

There are just too many factors at play to be sure. The computer flies the aircraft perfectly all the time. Always in trim, and if they are trying to run, they will have the least amount of drag possible on the airframe. If you have one thing out of place, and aren't getting the max performance from your aircraft, you probably won't catch them. The same might be said of the difference between how one player flies online and another.

The only way to be sure is to test each aircraft, being careful that all the parameters are covered. Altitude must always be the same, the aircraft must be in trim, and the drag configuration must always be the same. It takes multiple tests and an average of results.

No, I don't sit around and do this, and no, I probably won't. But, it is important to understand that sitting down, throwing the throttle through the firewall, and holding 'er level in a flat out chase doesn't constitute a viable test of how fast one aircraft is compared to another in the game, or in real life. It's been stated many times that tactics (ie pilots) were the difference between winning and losing a dogfight. Attacking from an advantage, surprise, etc. Not one aircraft defeating another by running it down in a chase either straight and level, or in climb or dive unless the disparity in performance was immense. Dogfights were tiresome engagements that most of the best pilots avoided if they could.

I also believe the manual, and multiple sources, such as The Most Dangerous Enemy to name one, talk about how the Emil did dive faster, due to the fact that it could bunt over with its fuel injected engine and not lose any power.