how to handle the spitIX??

[IceFire]

Also this might be a good opportunity to point out the several variations of Spitfires that are available to you in game and which Spitfire you should pick for what occasion.

Spitfire VIII
- LF.VIIIc
- LF.VIIIc Clipped

Spitfire IX
- LF.IXc
- LF.IXc Clipped
- LF.IXe
- LF.IXe Clipped
- HF.IXe
- LF.IXc +25lbs

The Spitfire V is a totally different beast than the IX in many ways. Although they are both Spitfires the V has much better handling but is not as fast.

The Spitfire VIII I mention because it's the "same" as the IX. The IX was actually meant to be a temporary production model until the improved VIII could be brought to production. The VIII is more refined than the IX, however, the IX was used in larger numbers and gets essentially equal performance.

There is a HF.IXe model in game for the IX. This is meant to be a high altitude version. At lower altitudes it's performance is degraded compared to the rest of the IX models. Many people fly the HF online (no idea why)... do not make the mistake of picking this Spitfire unless your intended fighting altitude is 8000 meters or higher.

The highest performing version is the IXc +25lbs. This is a very late war modification where a higher quality of fuel allowed the Spitfire higher performance. Overall top speed remains the same, however, the top speed can be achieved at a greater range of altitudes.

Finally there are clipped wing versions which have a higher roll rate but the turn rate is somewhat degraded. I prefer the clipped wing versions myself as a rolling battle is more important to me than a sustained turn.

[K_Freddie]

There's just a teeny weeny missing ingredient that is never mentioned amongst the barrage of technical mumbo-jumbo that most are given.

Patrick always said it to Sponge-Bob - IMAGINATION

If you do not have this, you'll find yourself at the 'wrong end' no matter how 'good' your aircraft is.

OFFLINE practice is your que here.....

[AndyJWest]

I'd say that if you want to learn how to fly Spits, you are probably better off practising with the Mk V versions - less grunt, but better handling. Set one up in the QMB with 50% fuel and no enemy, but ensure 'spins and stalls' or whatever it is called is on, at 3000m. Fly it around - practice tight turns, loops, slow rolls, inverted flight. When you feel comfortable with this, do the silly stuff - tailslides (pull up vertical, throttle back, and keep pointing upwards - if you get it right you will slide backwards for a brief moment, then flip round into a dive - allow plenty of altitude, as you can easily get into a spin). Do pretty well anything you can think of that doesn't involve either ripping the wings off in a dive, or hitting the ground. While you do this you will get plenty of opportunity to practise spin recovery, but more to the point, you will get to recognise how far you can push a Spit before it bites.

[AKA_Tenn]

find a squad with a good training program... there's some really good players that'd be totally willing to help you out, flying by yourself you don't have the feedback from the more experienced guys, so how can you really tell how well your doing if you don't have someone who can tell you if your doing it right?

in the end its whats between your chair and joystick that needs to perform well, and the plane your in has far less significance than you think.

[K_Freddie]

Originally Posted by AKA_Tenn

...in the end its whats between your chair and joystick that needs to perform well, and the plane your in has far less significance than you think.

...as Patrick says...

[Ikarus]

Originally Posted by rakinroll

normally, a spit pilot can eat hamburger during dogfight. It is not a plane, totally a gift. If you have a problem on turning against any german plane with that plane, you should check your joy settings.

+1000

[BadAim]

Originally Posted by rakinroll

Normally, a Spit pilot can eat hamburger during dogfight. It is not a plane, totally a gift. If you have a problem on turning against any german plane with that plane, you should check your joy settings.

That's usually what I'm doing no matter what plane I'm flying, that and drinking heavily. It's my secret for siming mediocrity, it keeps 'em guessing, and shaking their heads in disbelief.

[Skoshi Tiger]

Originally Posted by BadAim

That's usually what I'm doing no matter what plane I'm flying, that and drinking heavily. It's my secret for siming mediocrity, it keeps 'em guessing, and shaking their heads in disbelief.

Welcome to the "Fifteen Minuters"! It's a tough job but without pilots like us those point-whores couldn't rack up 1000's of points each mission!

Cheers

[rollnloop]

Keep in mind many online players have more than 10 years experience flying WWII combat sims, 8+ on IL2 alone, for some almost every day for several hours. These ones know their business, and can use their planes at their best. Those are the ones you can't reach, or outurn you in their 109, outrun you in their 190, kill you in one pass before you ever see them. They are even more dangerous when they hunt in horde, two or more planes against one is a fantastic advantage, even the best pilots struggle when caught outnumbered.

There's only one secret, practise and patience. While you experiment this, take a look at Il2 compare to see where your plane outperforms your foe's. For the SpitIX, it's best feature is its turning ability in the 300/330kph band. When turning, stay in this speed range, while slightly nosing down, and no German plane will outurn you, even the mighty 109F2/F4/G2. Don't run after a FW190 when he runs, climb instead. If he reengages he is then lower, you have the energy to catch him with a dive.

Note also that the Spit is one of the hardest planes to aim with, due to the position of its MGs and Cannons. Fire near convergence or aim only with one wing if you're much closer, don't fire at all if the target is much further, you'd waste your ammo for no result.

[IceFire]

Something else you can practice offline... setup some C-47s and use them as target practice.

Get to the point where you can cripple or kill a C-47 in a single burst of cannon and machine gun fire with virtually no missed shots. In reality there will be some shots that go astray but you should not miss with most of those shots.

Work your way towards doing that in combat. Find a target, setup the shot, kill it and keep going. What kills you is zooming around trying to get a few hits. The Spitfire and the Hispano cannon combination is great for killing almost anything in the first pass.