April 25, 201412 yr It's been far too long since I dusted off the Real Air Spitfire and took it out for a spin. It's testament to Real Air's mastery of their craft this can still be one of the very best FSX warbirds some six years after its release. I decided to eschew the soothing tones and graceful lines of the Merlin powered Spitfire IX, but instead went for a Griffon powered Spitfire XIV with clipped wings.... far more powerful and a real beast. The weather over south east England was pretty poor today... poor visibility, drizzle and rain all day. It started to clear up early evening so off I went in the Spitfire.... Climbing out of a murky Manston - or Kent International Airport as it is now rather optimistically called. Climbing out over Ramsgate with more than a little help from the over 2,000 horses under that cowling. Passing over Ramsgate Harbour and still climbing out over the North Sea. Up at 10,000ft making a turn back west towards the land again. Some nice sun glare. The town of Whitstable under the wing. Famous for its oysters... don't like them much myself! Poor weather today but it's slowly clearing. Catching the early evening sun and just under the right wing is the Isle of Sheppey. Despite the dreary and murky weather down on the ground, it's nice and bright up above the clouds. The famous Kent countryside visible below. But much of the "Garden of England" is still obscured by the clouds... According to Captain Eric Brown the title of best fighter of WW2 was a toss up between the Spitfire XIV and Fw190D... ...and he should know because he test flew them all... more types in his log book than any other pilot in aviation history. A remarkable man with an astonishing flying career, would have most likely beaten Yaeger through the sound barrier had it not been for political interference. I highly recommend his memoirs "Wings On My Sleeve". London is down there somewhere under the cloud. Somewhere up above Maidstone, which is just next to West Malling. Starting to descend over west Kent, heading towards Biggin Hill. Back down in the murk again, heading back east towards West Malling. Slowing down, eyes peeled trying to work out where I am! Then all of a sudden the ghost of RAF West Malling (now a housing development) appears out of the gloom. And over the fence for a nice landing! Nick
April 25, 201412 yr Single overhead cam V12 and a geared supercharger, four valves per cylinder....a great engine makes a great airplane! HLJAMES
April 25, 201412 yr Author Yep the Griffon turned the already formidable Spitfire into an absolute monster. Nick
Create an account or sign in to comment