The SPAD and I must nee TrackIR.

[Wodin 0]

Every time I sit in my virtual SPAD seat, be it either the VII or the XIII, I wonder how anyone can fly them with out TrackIR. I find the view terrible, all cockpit and a massive super thick top wing...you have a gap the size of a letter box to look through. For me lining up shots to the engine\cockpit is to hard as due to the restricted view the enemy disappears then suddenly appears in that little gap and is gone again. I always have a hard time taking out SPADS due to their speed and super turns so I imagine they are great to fly if you could see. It's also just the same in the SPAD XIII with RoF.

 

Anyone else hate the view on the SPAD?

[Hasse Wind 46]

You get used to it, but I agree that without TrackIR it must be hard. I think the visibility is better from the RoF SPAD, and aiming is also easier as the viewpoint is positioned better. Maybe something to be improved in P4?

 

When you learn to live with the limited visibility (at least there's no engine in front of your face like in the DFW!) you can have successful careers flying the SPAD. It's fast (the S.XIII is actually the fastest plane), tough and climbs extremely well, and as long as you don't try to outturn Fokker Dreideckers, you should have no problems.

[Olham 164]

The SPAD is a fighter you cannot fly like the hound remaining at he heels of your prey.

It is incredibly strong, which provides you with a great speed advantage and a climb.

So you should never remain in an attack too long - when your prey begins to make very

agile evasive maneuvres - let off of him and climb out of the mess to regain overview.

 

Overview and "getting clear from the mess" are the two important points to survive in a SPAD.

This means, to avoid target-fixation by all means.

If you couldn't shoot down craft A, shoot down craft C instead.

Pick the target that looks most perfectly lined up with you, attack, and pull up and away again.

 

Although I feel the same about the SPAD's vision, I like it a lot.

The SPAD XIII would be my favourite French craft, cause it has all you need to survive:

excellent speed and climb, and two guns. You'll get used to it's vision, the better you get

used to flying with TrackIR.

Edited January 15, 2011 by Olham

[Hasse Wind 46]

The same tactics work really well with the SE.5a too. It's quite similar to the SPAD - fast, tough and climbs and dives well.

[Olham 164]

Indeed - more than the Albatros, the SPAD and the Scout Experimental are real good energy fighters.

On the British side, my choice would be Triplane firstly (but then they were not given to many squads),

or the S.E.5a.

[Hasse Wind 46]

What I really like about those fighters is their toughness. You can do all kinds of crazy maneuvers without having to worry about losing your wings. That really helps when you are in a desperate situation looking for escape. It gives me the creeps when I hear the wings of a Nupe or an Alb crackle under stress!

[RAF_Louvert 101]

.

 

Agreed. Both the Spad and SE5 are boom and zoom fighters and as long as you stick to that type of attack you will do well with them. I have never been much of a BnZ pilot so I prefer planes like the Camel, Tripe, and Nieuport 17. But to each their own. And yes to your original point Wodin, the Spad has awful visibility from the cockpit, but it is pretty. I for one have enjoyed that prettiness numerous times as I've plummeted to my death after being shot to hell by the enemy I could not see.

 

.

[Olham 164]

...the Spad has awful visibility from the cockpit, but it is pretty. I for one have enjoyed that prettiness numerous times

as I've plummeted to my death after being shot to hell by the enemy I could not see.

The only things I always still expect to find in a SPAD XIII cockpit, behind a panel of rosewood perhaps, would be a box

of cigars incl. lighter, and an onboard bar. Which would make it a most comfortable way of going down.

Ah, the French and their style...you must love them!

Edited January 15, 2011 by Olham

[RAF_Louvert 101]

.

 

Ahhh, viens voler avec moi, mon ami.

 

.

[Olham 164]

Now, that's a good one, Lou - where did you get this Smiley ?

[Wodin 0]

I love the SE5a. However have you tried flying it in RoF...hate it...wings drop off and engine gives out over nothing....infact the wings in RoF seem to break off way to often...the Nieuports and the Albs in a steep dive fair enough but not the others...it's starting to put me off RoF big time...some may say it's more realistic I feel that if the planes where that fragile god knows what the death rate for pilots would have been...

[Hasse Wind 46]

I don't have that kind of data for the SPAD's, but because they were of such a sturdy construction, they were probably capable of diving just as hard as the SE's and Brisfits without suffering any structural failures. On German side of the lines, the best divers were made by Pfalz. The Pfalz D.III was popular as a balloon attack fighter, because it could dive much better than any Albatros. This is modelled quite well in OFF.

[Olham 164]

Also quite good at diving (in OFF) are the Halberstadt, and the Albatros D.I / D.II,

which did not have that fragile lower wing design.

The Fokker Dr.1 will dive without structural problems, too, but due to it's drag

of three wings, not very fast. The Fokker D.VII should be diving good, I suppose -

I never flew it much yet.

Edited January 15, 2011 by Olham

[almccoyjr 7]

I love the Spad almost as much as my Nupe 17. Where my Nupe is very agile, it still has to be handled somewhat gingerly. The Spad is a tough bird. It'll handle very aggressive Immelmann's, wing-overs and split-s's without nary a whimper or mechanical failure. You can go from breaking off an attack to regaining offensive advantage very quickly and with confidence. The SE5a is very similar according to specs I've read, but I haven't really flown it accept to try it out.

 

Olham's FOV post will help the visibility problem somewhat, but there really isn't a good flying solution to the forward view and a TIR is really needed to fly this plane well. It's really in its element when slashing because it's a very stable gun platform due to its construction.

 

plug_nickel

[+Polovski 460]

We don't fake the views, we make the craft, then put your head where it should be :)

 

With TrackIR you can drop the nose, then look up over the wing some to help you target before you dive fully and attack. You could try [ ] keys to zoom out, or press scroll lock to allow the view to be changed with thumb panning. You can also raise / lower static views with keys (can't rem shift+backspace etc I think, check the key chart and controls in sim.

[Olham 164]

... At around 260mph, you'll forget you have Trackir

The reflector clip must have been ripped off and away by then, I suppose ?

 

About the view problems in some kites, and FOV:

 

- I recommend to set the right FOV for your monitor.

 

- If you fly a kite, where you should sit a little closer to the windscreen to get a better forward view,

just choose a smaller FOV, or zoom in one notch in flight.

 

- The third and most important point may be: fly according to the abilities and facts of your crate.

If your aircraft provides you with a less good overall view, you cannot dive into and wallow in furballs.

You will need to remain out of such situations, make attacks only after firstly gaining overview,

and then step out of the whole mess again, to gain overview. A SPAD is not at all like a Camel.