Spitfire service ceiling...

[ATAG_Snapper]

This is a recent post I placed in another forum. It's a quick comparison between the ROC of the real Spitfire 2a P.7280 and its counterparts from this sim and A2A Wings of Power 3. I hasten to add that I make no claim of high precision that would be achieved via Ace of Ace's or Klem's data gathering methodology just a quick, one-trial test of each sim vs 1940 data. Still, it's a good indication that somethin' ain't right:


I did some climb tests with the Spitfire 2a in Cliffs of Dover, then compared it to the results of the actual trial done on the real Spitfire 2a P.7280; then for smiles and chuckles ran the same test on the A2A Wings of Power 3 Spitfire 2a. I don't know the precise methodology used for the real test done back in 1940/41, but for the two sims I used the same procedure. Radiator was set to Full Open (100%). Per the Pilots Notes and the test run on P.7280 I ran both sim Spits at 2850 rpms, boost 9 lbs (= 100% throttle), flew at sea level until speed stabilized, then pulled up and started the stopwatch. I did my very best at maintaining the same climb speed of 168 mph IAS for both aircraft. I filmed both cockpits with FRAPS and timecoded both in real time. My data was taken from reviewing this video (link at bottom of this post).

Note: The Cliffs of Dover Spitfire 2a temps began getting dangerously high at 14,500 feet, so I coarsened pitch to reduce rpms down to 2600 which kept the engine from overheating. I concluded both tests at 20,000 feet as we all know the CoD flight model is borked above this -- no point extending the agony. OTOH, the A2A Spitfire 2a continued merrily on up past 25,000 feet at 2850 rpms with no overheating problems at all. I tried to get all the weights in line; the A2A Spitfire 2a came in a little light even with full ammo load, fuel 100%, and pilot weighing 300 lbs (burp! Supersize me!). Here are the numbers (video to follow):

Aircraft_____________ P.7280 _______________CoD _______A2A
Weight (lbs)__________ 6172 _______________6158 _______6086

Altitude -------------------- TIME ELAPSED FROM START (' minutes " seconds)
(feet)_______________P.7280________________CoD____ ___A2A______
SEA LEVEL _________0'00" ____________________0'00"_______0'00"
1000______________0.35 = 0'21"_____________ 0'11"_______0'06"
2000______________0.7 = 0'42"_______________0'34"_______0'15"
3000______________1.0 = 1'00"_______________1'10"_______0'30"
5000 ______________1.7 = 1'42"_______________2'12"_______1'01"
6500 ______________2.2 = 2'12"_______________3'04"_______1'24"
10000_____________3.4 = 3'24"_______________4'57"________2'25"
13000_____________4.3 = 4'18"_______________6'42"________3'14"
15000_____________5.0 = 5'00"_______________7'56"________3'51"
16500_____________5.6 = 5'36"_______________8'46"________4'17"
18000_____________6.1 = 6'06"_______________9'46"________4'45"
20000_____________7.0 = 7'00"______________11'58"________5'21"
12800*____________4.3 = 4'18"_______________6'27"________3'11"
* FTH
So, depending on the methodology used by the RAE testers, the A2A Spitfire 2a looks a little optimistic compared to the Real McCoy, but certainly closer in the ballpark compared to the John Deere edition of the Cliffs of Dover Spitfire 2a. But it certainly answers one aspect as to why Red players keep their Spits under 10 angels!

Top speeds of the two sims are a little off at 1000 feet (as tested):

P.7280: 294 mph IAS
CoD: __280 __"__ "
A2A: __301 __"__ " (Holy Moley....close to the dreaded Uber-Sissyfire 2a of the previous 1.59 Retail Version!!!!! Who'da thunk?)

Boring video alert!!!!!!

http://vimeo.com/53746471

[Kwiatek]

These test show how far from RL data are CLOD Spitfire MK II up to 20 000 ft, not even mention that above 20 000 ft difference will be even more.

FSX flight model engine is not so good so i think it is not really good base for test.

I'm really impressed with DCS engine and how they manage to model P-51. It is very close to RL data and flight model is also very good ( much better then CLOD and sometimes it seemed to be more difficult then IRL ).

[ATAG_Snapper]

Originally Posted by Kwiatek

These test show how far from RL data are CLOD Spitfire MK II up to 20 000 ft, not even mention that above 20 000 ft difference will be even more.

Yeah, I cut off the testing at 20K -- climb rates for the CoD Spit was painfully slow by 20K.

Originally Posted by Kwiatek

FSX flight model engine is not so good so i think it is not really good base for test.

I don't like the FSX flight engine very much, nor their graphics, even after purchasing the aftermarket enhancements. But I am impressed by the huge detail that A2A put into their Wings of Power 3 aircraft, which includes the flight data of the Spitfire MK1 and MK2. Although I would not say they are the authority for flight data, I wouldn't write them off, either. On this you and I will disagree.

Originally Posted by Kwiatek

I'm really impressed with DCS engine and how they manage to model P-51. It is very close to RL data and flight model is also very good ( much better then CLOD and sometimes it seemed to be more difficult then IRL ).

Yes!! +1000! Especially with their latest retail version which finalized some engine settings & effects. It is a challenging plane to fly, but very rewarding. And it has guns, bombs, and rockets! Hear that, A2A? LOL