Need advice on how to land Spitfire MkVb

[Zulupapa50]

Every time I land the Spitfire MkVb in IL2 BoK, the plane ground loops as soon as it starts to slow down.  Doesn't matter how smooth my landing is.  I've tried holding the tail up a little longer and I've tried holding the stick back hard  to plant the tail firmly on the ground.  Apparently the Spit does not have a lockable tailwheel, nor individually operated left and right brakes.   Or if it does they are not helping

Any advice would be most welcome.  Thanks!

[LukeFF]

 

[41Sqn_Skipper]

I had the same issue after my transition from IL-2 Cliffs of Dover or 1946. What helped me the most was to focus on the brakes instead of the rudder (in the other sims I mostly ignored the brakes).

 

Some general notes first:

• The Spitfire has differential brakes that are linked to the ruder. This means: brake + left ruder = left wheel brake; brake + right ruder = right wheel brake; brake + neutral ruder = left and right wheel brakes. There's a gauge on the bottom left of the instrument panel that shows the brake pressure for left and right wheel. It's really intuitive to have the brakes mapped to a button on the stick like it is in a real Spitfire (I use the z-axis/twist of the stick but axis is not really necessary) and it allows you to have the left hand on the throttle. 
• Don't idle the throttle, instead keep it at 10-20% so there is still some airflow around the rudder caused by the prop. This ensures that ruder is still somewhat responsive even at slow rolling speeds.
• Approach and three-point landing at recommended speeds for the aircraft.

After touch-down I set throttle to about 10% and a few seconds later I apply brake - initially only in stutters to avoid a flip and keep the nose up and tail down. Once speed is slow enough I apply full brakes (ruder neutral). If there is a tendency to slip left/right I keep brake button pressed and give full ruder in the opposite direction as long as necessary. Key for me is to have brakes pressed for 80-90% of the time.

 

[von_Tom]

 

You are helped by the brakes not being as strong in-game as they are reported as being in reality.

 

The starting point is to nail the 3-point landing.  Get  that right and the roll out is easier.  My method is quite simple:

 

1.  Fly down the runway around 6-700m parallel - speed around 180-200mph.

 

2.  When the end of the runway is at my 8 o'clock I start the turn.  I tighten the turn as needed to get the speed to drop.

 

3.  160mph - gear down.

 

4.  Almost immediately - 140mph flaps down.

 

5.  Side slip or whatever at low power - tweak power so you don't stall.

 

6.  Threshold at 90-100mph.

 

7.  Hold it and the Spit automatically goes into a 3-point attitude as the speed drops.

 

8.  Let it sink onto the runway.  At this point you should be at around 80-90mph so the roll out is gentler.

 

9.  Slam the brakes on, power up slightly and steer with pedals.  Gently though.

 

von Tom

 

Edit:  This takes practice but after a while you can tweak to suit or change things around if you need to.

Edited February 18, 2020 by von_Tom

[cardboard_killer]

I've not flown the spit yet, but I was thinking it was too much brake! Shows you why I suck

[69th_Mobile_BBQ]

Every plane that you find has a tendency to ground loop on the rollout needs a slight bit of throttle added to keep enough airflow over the rudder, but not enough to re-accelerate the plane.  

After you touch down, re-apply power very gently until you have control. You can carefully apply brakes too.  If you have enough runway, you might not need brakes at all, but with most fields we have to use in-game, it's rare.    After the plane slows sufficiently, you should be able to fully cut the throttle and come to a stop.

[JimTM]

Although adding throttle after landing is one way to keep straight, you should not need any throttle. Try the following:

 

1. During the first part of your landing roll (when your rudder is still effective), keep the stick back and apply short stabs of left or right rudder at the first sign of going off the runway.

 

2. During the latter part of your landing roll, keep the stick back and apply short stabs of left or right brake at the first sign of going off the runway.

 

3. Once you slow down sufficiently, you can use more brake to counter any turning tendency.

 

 

[Zulupapa50]

Thanks to everyone for the excellent resources and suggestions.  I will get right to work.  Blue Skies!

[69th_Mobile_BBQ]

Another thing you might want to try to practice is to setup up a landing at a "racetrack" style runway, like the one Requiem uses in his tutorial video.  

Land on the runway and then use careful throttle and rudder control to roll completely to the taxiway at the other end.  Use the taxiway to exit the runway and taxi back to the parking area. 

Try to avoid using brakes until you reach the taxiway and try to be slow enough, but still with enough throttle to keep airflow on the rudder, that you only need minimal braking to make the turn on the taxiway.  

You may have to "fine tune" the amount of propeller RPM to determine what works best for you as well.