Why fly the Spitfire?

[flyingblind]

Google 'Battle of Britain: The real story'. It's quite an interesting BBC documentary on BoB with actual pilot accounts and appraisels of the planes, tactics and weapons as well as an indepth look at what when on behind the scenes at a logistical and tactical level. This part in particular highlighted the fact that it wasn't the Spitfire being a better plane that won the battle but the way in which it was used and the backup behind it. That and some crass blunders by Goering.

Well, what I hope for is that they fix the FMs to finally get historic performance, the Spit 2a being apparently the only one getting correct performance. So I guess we should rather focus on what performance the planes should be instead of focussing how wrong in comparison they are, because we already know that they are wrong.

In doing so we should look at each plane separately and not comparing. Ideally when putting the correct data into game for each plane we will end up with correct relative performance.

[609_Huetz]

Originally Posted by 41Sqn_Stormcrow

Well, what I hope for is that they fix the FMs to finally get historic performance, the Spit 2a being apparently the only one getting correct performance. So I guess we should rather focus on what performance the planes should be instead of focussing how wrong in comparison they are, because we already know that they are wrong.

In doing so we should look at each plane separately and not comparing. Ideally when putting the correct data into game for each plane we will end up with correct relative performance.

This.

[Orpheus]

On a sort-of related note, has anyone noticed that the Spitfire fuel gauges never seem to move? In all other planes, after flying for a while you can see the fuel decrease... but in the spit, I always seem to land with a full tank?

[609_Huetz]

Originally Posted by Orpheus

On a sort-of related note, has anyone noticed that the Spitfire fuel gauges never seem to move? In all other planes, after flying for a while you can see the fuel decrease... but in the spit, I always seem to land with a full tank?

That's because the needle on displays a part of the fuel you actually have on board. If you take her for a spin at i.e. 50% you will notice quite a bit of movement.

[TomcatViP]

Huez I don't know what you are talking abt but I would be pleased if yu are not turning me like a stupid by making wrong suggestion in your answer.

But I can see your frustration that appropriate tactics can lead to superior fighting even in a slightly inf plane. I hve seen that quite a lot of time with some online pilots in the past years.

To make it short (as I don't think there is any interest in CoD for this)

Wake up your brain you'll see that you don't need all those junkie's Mods to get some success.

~S!

[609_Huetz]

Well, go ahead an elaborate your thoughts a bit then since you were the one suggesting that I'd get a history book for calling out the flaws in both side's FMs.

Until then, you can be happyly assured that there's no frustration involved, in 120 hours online I have yet to be shot down in MP.

Where your mods assumption comes from is by the way mystery we will never be able to resolve.

[Widowmaker214]

why fly a spit?
(been flying a Mk1a online)
cause so far, 109 pilots seem to want to try and turn fight with me.

[klem]

Originally Posted by 609_Huetz

That's because the needle on displays a part of the fuel you actually have on board. If you take her for a spin at i.e. 50% you will notice quite a bit of movement.

Fuel is carried in two tanks, one above the other, the lower being self-sealing in later Mk Is and in all Mk IIs. They are located forward of the cockpit and fuel is delivered to the engine by an engine driven pump. Tank capacities are: upper - 48 Imperial gallons; lower - 37 Imperial gallons.
The lower tank supplies fuel to the engine and the top tank feeds into the lower tank. There should actually be two fuel cocks, one for each tank, located where the single one is in CoD.

Normally the fuel gauge didn't read anything and you would press the BOTT TANK button to read its contents but in CoD it's 'pressed' continuously. All the time the gauge reading is 'full' you know you still have fuel in the top tank with a full bottom tank. If you select say 30% fuel before takeoff you'll see the reduced reading on the gauge - about 25 gallons in the bottom tank.

There is a fuel cock missing, I guess one fuel cock does both tanks, but I can live with that (although Main and Reserve fuel cock positions are modelled in the Hurricane!).