Euan Emblin

Remember this is still only beta software. The other warbirds were pretty ropey one way or another in the early days. According to WWII pilots the spit should be very light in pitch and relatively heavy in the other two control axes. I agree with you that at the moment the rudder is much too sensitive. This was an issue with the P-51 too I remember. I don't think that the controls are well harmonised at the moment but it is a work in progress so patience is required.

I think my confusion has been caused on reading the manaul. On page 87 one can read of the unit being described as an HF radio requiring an aerial attached from the fuselage behind the cockpit extending to the top of the rudder fin. This is the aerial that was removed by ED. The literature confirms that post 1940 only VHF and IFF were installed and so the aerial disappeared. I think the answer is that TR 1143 is VHF and no aerial is required.

Can anyone confirm that it is the wrong kind of radio for the era or that if HF is contemporaneous with the time period in question that we should have a wire aerial to go with it? Interesting information about the PTT from Sokol1_br. So there should be an active Tx/Rx switch on the unit itself.

Pilots didn't have the option to program their radios, they were pre-programmed with set channels and frequencies. The whole point of these WWII DCS aircraft is that they are faithful simulations of their historical counterparts taking part in the air war over Europe in the later part of WWII. They are not supposed to be reproductions of airshow worthy old warbirds, despite the fact that clearly that's what has been modelled to a certain extent because they are available in tiny numbers.

Certainly won't be up to DCS normal standards of precision if they have the wrong kind of radio equipment for the Spitfire variant modelled.

The radio in cockpit is I understand an HF one. Is that correct and if so why is it that we don't have the aerial from fuselage to empannage? If the radio modelled is in fact a VHF unit then it clearly doesn't require an aerial as the mast acts as antenna itself. I am aware that VHF sets started coming through into service during the BoB of 1940 but the roll-out didn't happen accross all squadrons immediately. I would have thought that by the 1943/44 period all Spits would be using VHF radios but if anyone can shine light on this then please do.

Anyone notice the Me109 damage model used as a placeholder for the Spit one? I had to bail out after a mid-air collision with another Spit and after nicely landing beside my plane's wreck saw that it was the burnt out wreck of the 109. Interesting!

Solidly written and very instructional, thank you very much. This is just what we need, so please let's have more of it. These essays are very helpful indeed.

Surely, the apu was no longer in use, coffman cartridges had started Spits since the Mk II.

Hopefully the final version has an active Reflector Sight switch which in the Pilot's Notes is to the bottom left of the sight.

Yes, these aircraft were much more about Defence of the Reich weren't they? The situational compromise is just something that we have to swallow as suspension of disbelief and get on with it and fly. We will never have every aspect of every model in a sim able to stand up to total scrutiny from a historical perspective and anyway, who really cares, as we weren't there anyway!

I do share some of the disappointment with the choice of Spit from the perspective of 'a matched confrontation' and it is fair to say, I think, that for many of our fellow pilots this is what they are looking for, perhaps as it then gives indication as to who really is the better pilot. DCS has never really been singularly focussed on the equitability of the air-duel, much stronger is its obsession with high fidelity cockpit coupled with advanced systems modelling and real-life flight data matching within the flight model. This I find totally praiseworthy. Also we do need to bear in mind the various undisclosed parameters and discussions that invariably happen within ED as to how the sim should be configured. They may well have their own very good business reasons governing their final selections and choices. This WWII project began in Luthier's disreputable hands and ED have taken on what he started. I think that has a knock-on into what we see developing now. So be it. I, myself, spend a lot of time flying within DCS offline simply for the pleasure of the aircraft itself. I love the dedication to authenticity displayed within both ED and the 3rd party developers, bring it on VEAO and your Spit Mk1V! The Spit LF MkIX was in many pilots' own words the best flying of the many Spit marks, Al Deere regularly commented on just that. It was also made in great numbers. So what if we have the early MkIX, with the rounded tail and only the c wing type? It's a beautiful looking aircraft and many flew it to glory over better opposition. Let us do likewise chaps.

An Albatros is not just for Christmas!

Thank you to Ells and the VH who helped to make this happen. The evening was authentic and almost spontaneous in feeling. I was struck with how many great virtual pilots there are in our community - we sometimes spend so much time in our own 'cliques' that we don't always see the wider picture. I enjoyed flying for the first time with some new people and flying with Moonbeam McSwine was a real buzz for me as it's the livery that I always fly in myself when possible. It felt great to spend some time on her right wing. There were plenty of guys with real forces connections and some ex-servicemen too, as I am. What we did last night was most certainly in accordance with service traditions and I would love to see more of this community involvement from developers. Well done to Ells and VEAO for this initiative. You built it and we came, this can be merely the start of some wonderful community. I for one feel very positive to have been part of what we did. Blue skies to all 'MadDog'

In our Formation Flying Sochi crew we can probably muster four or five guys to fly P-51s and one for TF-51. We always fly at this time of evening and people are up for your idea Ells228. See you on parade.

This is a nice idea, well done. I will be there.