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Introduction
Engine Performance
Firepower
Maneuverability
Flying the Spitfire Mk VIII
Fighting the Spitfire Mk VIII
Summary
Engine/Range Info
Fuel Tankage: 37 gallons
1/4
74 gallons 1/2
112 gallons 3/4
149 gallons full
185 gallons DT
Engine Settings:
Military: 3000rpm/18mp
331 gall/hr
Military: 2850rpm/12mp
261 gall/hr
Normal:
2650rpm/7mp 205 gall/hr
Max Cruise: 2400rpm/4mp 163 gall/hr
Calculated Durations (Internal Fuel
Only, 2x burn):
Military: 34 mins
Normal: 44
mins
Max Cruise: 55 mins
-Soda
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Introduction:
The Spitfire Mk VIII was added during a revamp that was done on
the Spitfire lineup that also added the Mk XVI. It tended to get overlooked
when the arena sported both versions at the same time. The Spitfire Mk VIII is an
excellent aircraft though and in some ways is the superior of the
non-perked Spitfires. It’s
no slouch and is excellent as the altitudes increase, from 10K and up
it’ll prove to be difficult to handle. With the change in the arena’s to have a mid-war
arena is where it really shines though, even perked it’ll be quite the
match for many opponents.
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Engine Performance:
The Spitfire Mk VIII is pretty solid at low-medium altitudes but
gets better as the altitudes increase. It’s about 5mph slower than the Mk XVI at similar
altitudes, 310mph (337mph wep) at sea-level, improving by about
4mph/1,000ft of altitude gain.
This produces 330/358mph at 5K, 351/379mph at 10K, and
378/400mph at 20K. Those
aren’t elite top-end numbers but they are not too bad. Speed starts to fall off
gradually over 22K so it’ll be tough to keep up with the ultra-high
altitude crowd. One
advantage of the Spitfire Mk VIII is the increase in fuel capacity and
split of the fuel into 4 different tanks. Fuel capacity increases to 149 gallons internal with
an extra 36 gallons in a drop tank, 185 gallons total. Just as important is that the
fuel is split between 4 tanks, a pair of wing-tanks (34 gallons), a top
tank (57 gallons) and a bottom tank (58 gallons). That’s 1/3 more than most
Spitfires and it really improves the fighting range/duration. Climb rate is very good,
4,600ft/min from sea-level, dropping off between 7K and 10K. It
stabilizes at 4,100ft/min all the way up to 18K and then drops away
till it hits less than 2,000ft/min at 30K. Again, the altitude of about
22K is about as high as you want to go without performance falling
away. Acceleration matches
the climb rates and is generally strong.
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Firepower:
It’s telling that the Mk VIII has very limited options, it’s
really intended as a fighter so external options are very limited. All guns are wing mounted, four
.303’s (350rpg) paired in the outer wings and a single 20mm (120rpg)
cannon in each wing inboard.
The cannons are hispanos, hard hitting and with good reach,
certainly effective against fighters but bombers can cause some
problems. Part of the
problem is the .303’s that lack any real hitting power unless you zero
in on someone at perfect convergence. I’d recommend a short convergence for the .303’s,
something in the D200-D300 range, max, but you’ll have to hope to hold
a target at that range for a couple of seconds to get results. Most people use the .303’s only
as a backup, to range an enemy, or to make them react so they can take
a better cannon shot. Externally, the only option is the drop-tank or a
500lb bomb on the centerline.
Most people take the drop-tank but given the increased internal
fuel capacity, the Mk VIII gives you the option to instead put on the
bomb if you wish. The bomb isn’t a whole lot but it could be useful if
you anticipate you might run into a rogue vehicle or light structure
that needs to be knocked down.
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Maneuverability:
The handling is pretty classic Spitfire, well balanced and
overall well mannered. Empty weight is 6679lbs, 350lbs more
than a Mk XVI but the Mk VIII has an extended wingspan which
helps. Turn radius is
good, not a true dedicated turner but much better than average across a
large speed band. The
larger wing also helps with climb rate and at high altitudes. All the extra fuel can add
quite a bit of weight but typically by the time you get to a fight it
shouldn’t be a problem, it’s not exactly an excessive amount of
fuel. Don’t use the flaps,
they are for landings only.
Roll rate is where most Spitfires suffer and the Mk VIII is not
good, the wing-fuel and full wingtips certainly don’t help. Overall the roll can be
considered sluggish but acceptable with a little help from the rudder. Spitfires are fairly speed
tolerant and strong so there is little risk of the aircraft coming
apart within all but the most extreme situations though over 500IAS the
controls will tend to get sluggish and heavy.
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Flying the Spitfire Mk VIII
The Spitfire Mk VIII is a pretty easy aircraft to do well with
but it’s usually a little overmatched by some real high-end opponents
in the late-war arenas.
When flying the Mk VIII, try and gain a little altitude before
the fight (common advice) but also try and burn the wingtanks to reduce
the roll-inertia issues with weight being off the centerline. It’s best to look for where you
can get your opponent slowed down a bit and use the acceleration and
climb to keep an enemy from escaping, then use some in-close fighting
to get some cannon shots in to knock out the opponent quickly. A prolonged stall fight is not
a great idea and the attempt should be made to use vertical performance
to keep energy reasonably high incase you need to put on some quick
speed. Unless you are up
against a pure climber you should be able to match any sort of climbing
fight. Don’t trade shots,
the Spitfires are not good for that, but in the case of the Mk VIII at
least a fuel hit won’t hole your only fuel tank and run you dry and
helpless. I tend to
manually switch fuel tanks when the bottom tank, which burns after the
wings but before the top tank, is about half gone. That doesn’t seem to impact
aircraft balance but leave fuel in two tanks.
If defensive, you probably will have trouble running from a lot
of opponents though quick acceleration and climb can sometimes get you
out of immediate trouble.
Use quick and aggressive break-turns to foul the enemy’s
aim. Try not to make the
breaks predictable, mix up the direction and angle though note that the
Mk VIII rolls better to the left and most people break-turn that
way. Instead of rolling 90
deg, as most people would expect, roll 270 and then break to the right,
for example. The Spitfire
is pretty fragile in general, you can’t afford to take hits lest it
hole a radiator or oil, the inline engine aircraft tend to not last
long and overheat. Make
sure you don’t forget to eject any external ordnance to lighten up and
reduce drag. Overall you should be able to get the enemy in tight and
if the speeds start to slow you should have the advantage in many
scenarios. Use good
maneuvering and you should be able to turn a fight pretty quickly if
you avoid the first couple of attacks. If the enemy breaks away you
might get a parting shot based on the quick acceleration and long reach
of the cannons. If it’s a
bit too far for the shot, use the acceleration and climb to pile on
some quick energy incase they come back.
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Fighting the Spitfire Mk VIII
A Spitfire Mk VIII isn’t an easy opponent and you need to be
quick and effective or decide to break away while you have an
opportunity. The Mk VIII
is not a very strong aircraft, it breaks fairly easily and even landing
some casual hits on it might set in motion a quick fight. Note the
multi-fuel tanks though, don’t get suckered into forgetting a fuel leak
on a Mk VIII doesn’t mean much unless you are lucky. Be careful with speeds under
250mph, the turn-rate and radius of the Mk VIII are very good and
unless you are flying a real premium turner, like an FM-2, Hurricane or
Zero. Stay above your best
turn speed and consider that you are probably losing the energy game
the longer the fight goes on unless you have a really great energy
ride. Spitfires tend to
hold energy well and the Mk VIII also replaces very well what it does
lose. If the fight starts
to turn, turn away and extend, the top end speed of the Mk VIII is only
average and if the enemy has burned his WEP then it should be an easy
escape.
Defensively, the Mk VIII is going to be trouble if it arrives
with an energy advantage that it can use to pin you down. If you get pinned so it can
start to work you over then you are likely to get into trouble. Climbing away is unlikely to
succeed, accelerating away isn’t going to work unless you can get out
quickly from hispano range and the turn rate/radius is going to give
you trouble is speeds start to bleed down. Try and exploit the roll-rate issues of the Mk VIII
if you can to get out of phase and then use the time gained to break
away. You can’t afford to
let the hispanos hit you but a few .303 hits are unlikely to be of
concern. That’s a risky
game though as you can’t tell if the hispanos are out of ammunition or
whether the enemy is just saving them for his best shots. Top speed and roll-rate are
weaknesses in the Mk VIII and can typically be exploited but unless you
are really outstanding in some other area of performance it’ll come
down to some of that piloting stuff to escape.
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Summary
The Spitfire Mk VIII is a very dangerous opponent and all too
often underestimated or misunderstood. The Mk VIII brings a lot of good
abilities to a fight but isn’t typically that common if the Spifire Mk
XVI is available. The Mk
VIII is an excellent opponent, it can outperform a lot of aircraft and
will surprise a lot of people who are not used to facing them.
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