How to fly a Spit 1a correctly!?

[Daliaraptor]

So, im flying now for quite few hours. As well in MP.
My problem especially in the ATAG Server, wehre you just can choose the Spit 1 and 1a, ive no chance to get a 109 even close in my gunsight. Even when i attack from above. I have the feeling its like David against Goliath. I doesent bring my Spit faster than 200mph at level flight (without momentum). Climbing as well is very confusing me. With the Spit 2a its the oposite. To easy to catch and chase a 109 and finally shoot down. But im getting frustratet with the 1a. Does i do something wrong? I've tryed a lot but the 1a feels like a Sopwith Camel WW1, without the good glider characteristics No Power!!!

Has somebody any tipps or is it just like it was, then?
Thanks for Feedbak...

[reflected]

Hi,
The 1a has about the same speed as the 109, at least it had IRL.
I have no such problems online. Always close the radiator until the temps go too high. Trim the aircraft so that you don't need constant stick input. Use 3000 RPM for combat, 2,850 for power climb (I sometimes use it in combat too), 2,600 for normal climbing, and 2,100-2,300 for cruise.
When you maneuver in combat, don't pull the stick all the way, because you'll bleed energy. pull it only just as much as it's needed.

[reflected]

Mind you, the MkIa's radiator seems to be bugged. In single player mode I overheated my engine in about a minute even though I opened it all the way. Works well on the MkII though...

[bw_wolverine]

You shouldn't be able to fly very long in the Spitfire with the radiator closed unless you're at high altitude and low rpm. Otherwise, you should (and will!) overheat rather fast.

[Daliaraptor]

@reflected

Thanks so far!!!
I made a testflight and get more power out of the Spit with more RPM. Ive always thougt that 2850 RPM and more is too high anyway.
But with those RPM i have to open the radiator fully all the time, even then, the engine temperatur is rising slowly to the 100° mark. Especialy in high altitude.
Should i change Mixture and decrease RPM for a while for cool down? When i just decrease the RPM with rich mixture then the engine get struggling below 2600 RPM!

Thanks anyway for support.

[Redroach]

as has been said already, I consider trimming the plane as one of the most important things to do in terms of getting up to speed. I think many people who complain about not being able to catch up to enemy planes don't monitor their side-slip and just trim their rudder in order to fly 'comfortably' straight ahead (supposedly). You don't get up to top speed if you're yawing excessively, flying more 'sideways' than straight ahead. Watch your side slip indicator and center it by applying rudder trim in order to get up to top speed. That may imply that you have to apply more or less constant aileron input at certain throttle/rpm settings(*), but this is the thing to do for top speed. Really, it makes a lot of difference, way more so than closing the rads.

(*) however, most planes are built/set up by design so that the plane is trimmed at full throttle and zero side-slip at a certain 'optimum' prop pitch.

[CaptainDoggles]

Originally Posted by Daliaraptor

So, im flying now for quite few hours. As well in MP.
My problem especially in the ATAG Server, wehre you just can choose the Spit 1 and 1a, ive no chance to get a 109 even close in my gunsight. Even when i attack from above. I have the feeling its like David against Goliath. I doesent bring my Spit faster than 200mph at level flight (without momentum). Climbing as well is very confusing me. With the Spit 2a its the oposite. To easy to catch and chase a 109 and finally shoot down. But im getting frustratet with the 1a. Does i do something wrong? I've tryed a lot but the 1a feels like a Sopwith Camel WW1, without the good glider characteristics No Power!!!

Has somebody any tipps or is it just like it was, then?
Thanks for Feedbak...

At low altitudes the Bf 109E is faster than the Spitfire Mk1a. At high altitudes (around 5000m / 16000 ft) the spitfire is faster. If a 109 is running from you at low altitude you won't catch him, so your best bet is to start out high and dive down from above.

Wait until you see a furball developing, and then cruise around above it looking for stragglers. When you see a straggler, dive down on top of him and shoot.

[David198502]

Originally Posted by CaptainDoggles

At low altitudes the Bf 109E is faster than the Spitfire Mk1a. At high altitudes (around 5000m / 16000 ft) the spitfire is faster. If a 109 is running from you at low altitude you won't catch him, so your best bet is to start out high and dive down from above.

Wait until you see a furball developing, and then cruise around above it looking for stragglers. When you see a straggler, dive down on top of him and shoot.

is that modeled in the game correctly??i mean that the spit gets faster than the 109 up high??cause i have yet to see a spit Ia to outrun me at high altitudes..

[CaptainDoggles]

Originally Posted by cheesehawk

It's hard to determine if you are using online to judge. I mean do you really fly straight and level to try to outrun someone? I know I try my best to use my faster downward acceleration and higher dive speed to get away when I need to. Maybe you'd need someone who agrees to not shoot you to really determine if the higher speed at altitude is correctly modelled, but I can't say for sure either way with the way we fly.

Hard to say for sure, but I do find that spiral-climbing away from Hurricanes and Spitfires is much more difficult at 6km than it is at 2km.

They certainly climb better up there than they do down low, relative to the 109.

[AKA_Tenn]

if you can get a 109 to stay slow, you will eat it alive with a spit... the spit doesn't lock up nearly as bad at high speeds (500kph+) and turns better at any speed. the only things you can't do with the spit are climb with a 109 and run from it.

but i mostly fly the 109...

the main way to win with a spit is to keep your speed up and when you see the 109 get to the point where he can't disengage, but hasn't started to shoot, do a immelman and turn in a random direction, level out, get your airspeed back, rinse, repeat, you'll keep gaining altitude... but the main thing is not to bleed off all your airspeed, keep a good 200mph... and at the same time he'll be losing energy from constantly diving in on you, getting more impatient, and not getting that airspeed back like you keep doing... and don't ever let him behind u... never haha

here's an immelman


but instead , once your plane is pointing streight up and down, roll your plane in a random direction first, then finish the turn.

see... 109's are not as good at turning, most guys like to boom and zoom with them... and the only way to win against that is to equalize yours and his energy... if you have the same amount of energy as him, your plane is better