PITFIRE Mk IXe - 126
This aircraft was built by Bill SPITFRND Wilson using version 2.82.100 of the AvHistory 1% Assembly Line process. It is based on the stock CFS3 Spitfire IXe visual created by Microsoft and painted by ZUYAX.
ZUYAX painted this plane in a livery typical of No 126 (Persian Gulf) Squadron, from March 1943 to December 1944. MK126 was assigned to 126 Squadron in January 1944 and remained in service through the end of the war.
126 Squadron was originally intended to be a day bomber unit in March 1918 at Old Sarum and disbanded on 17 August 1918. 126 Squadron was reformed in 1941 when a flight of No 46 Squadron, en-route for the Middle East was re-directed to the defense of Malta and given that number. It was originally equipped with Hurricanes and mainly concerned with defence of the island and attacks against naval targets such as E-boats.
In October the squadron began to attack Axis targets in Sicily and transistioned to Spitfires in March 1942. In September 1943, the squadron moved into Sicily and later onto the Italian Mainland, but on 1 April 1944, returned to Britain where it flew on shipping patrols and Rhubarbs. In December 1944 the Squadron was re-equipped with Mustangs to provide long range escort to for Bomber Command's renewed daylight operations.
The Mark IXe clipped wing LF was the result of two further variations in the low altitude optimized Mark IX. The Mark IX LF was equiped with the Rolls Royce Merlin 66 with revised supercharger settings and other changes which increased the Mark IXs performance at altitudes up to 22,000 feet with a minor reduction in high altitude performance. The RAF had previously experimented with clipping the wing tips of the Spitfire Mark V aircraft to improve their roll response in an effort to counter the remarkable roll rate of the FW 190.
The clipped wings produced an increase of nearly 40% in low altitude roll rate and even enabled the clipped wing Spitfires to roll more quickly than the FW at slower speeds. A number of Mark IX LFs were given the same treatment. Clipped wing Spitfires stalled at slightly higher airspeeds and sacrificed some measure of stability in return for the improved roll response. Most RAF pilots are said to have preferred the regular tip versions.
The E version of the Mark IX was equiped with two 20 mm cannons and with two .50 cal machine guns replacing the four .303 cal guns of the Mark IXc. The substitution of the .50 cal guns was part of the RAF's ongoing experimentation with weapon configurations the Spitfire to improve firepower and counter the increased use of aircraft armor. A three second burst with the "E wing" configuration discharged a shell weight of around 26 pounds.
This was a significant improvement over the "C wing" arament which discharged a shell weight of approximately 20 lbs. For comparison, the original "A wing" 8 x .303 calibre configuration discharged a shell weight of only 8 pounds with a three second burst. Many later model Spitfires received the E wing armament or were armed with four 20 mm cannons. To increase range, late model Mark IXs were produced with an additional rear tank ranging in size from 32 to 85 imperial gallons.
This aircraft flight model is based on the clipped tip LF to match the stock Spitfire IXe visual and with a 41 imperial gallon rear tank. If you desire to fly the aircraft in a condition simulating an empty rear tank, you may select 67% fuel in the aircraft loadout menu. At present, the cg placement of the rear tank is not modeled due to the limits of CFS3.
Unfortunately, the machine guns for this model are incorrectly located at the former position of the inner .303s. The E wing was developed from the so-called universal C Wing which had four cannon bays to allow easy switching between the 2 x 20mm and 4 .303 armament and 4 x 20mm options. The actual E wing aircraft had the longer barreled cannons moved to the outboard cannon bays and used the inner cannon bays with short barrels for the .50 calibre machine guns. The gun placement cannot be changed in CFS3 without access to the model source files.
This aircraft was built by Bill SPITFRND Wilson using version 2.82.100 of the AvHistory 1% Assembly Line process. It is based on the stock CFS3 Spitfire IXe visual created by Microsoft and painted by ZUYAX.
ZUYAX painted this plane in a livery typical of No 126 (Persian Gulf) Squadron, from March 1943 to December 1944. MK126 was assigned to 126 Squadron in January 1944 and remained in service through the end of the war.
126 Squadron was originally intended to be a day bomber unit in March 1918 at Old Sarum and disbanded on 17 August 1918. 126 Squadron was reformed in 1941 when a flight of No 46 Squadron, en-route for the Middle East was re-directed to the defense of Malta and given that number. It was originally equipped with Hurricanes and mainly concerned with defence of the island and attacks against naval targets such as E-boats.
In October the squadron began to attack Axis targets in Sicily and transistioned to Spitfires in March 1942. In September 1943, the squadron moved into Sicily and later onto the Italian Mainland, but on 1 April 1944, returned to Britain where it flew on shipping patrols and Rhubarbs. In December 1944 the Squadron was re-equipped with Mustangs to provide long range escort to for Bomber Command's renewed daylight operations.
The Mark IXe clipped wing LF was the result of two further variations in the low altitude optimized Mark IX. The Mark IX LF was equiped with the Rolls Royce Merlin 66 with revised supercharger settings and other changes which increased the Mark IXs performance at altitudes up to 22,000 feet with a minor reduction in high altitude performance. The RAF had previously experimented with clipping the wing tips of the Spitfire Mark V aircraft to improve their roll response in an effort to counter the remarkable roll rate of the FW 190.
The clipped wings produced an increase of nearly 40% in low altitude roll rate and even enabled the clipped wing Spitfires to roll more quickly than the FW at slower speeds. A number of Mark IX LFs were given the same treatment. Clipped wing Spitfires stalled at slightly higher airspeeds and sacrificed some measure of stability in return for the improved roll response. Most RAF pilots are said to have preferred the regular tip versions.
The E version of the Mark IX was equiped with two 20 mm cannons and with two .50 cal machine guns replacing the four .303 cal guns of the Mark IXc. The substitution of the .50 cal guns was part of the RAF's ongoing experimentation with weapon configurations the Spitfire to improve firepower and counter the increased use of aircraft armor. A three second burst with the "E wing" configuration discharged a shell weight of around 26 pounds.
This was a significant improvement over the "C wing" arament which discharged a shell weight of approximately 20 lbs. For comparison, the original "A wing" 8 x .303 calibre configuration discharged a shell weight of only 8 pounds with a three second burst. Many later model Spitfires received the E wing armament or were armed with four 20 mm cannons. To increase range, late model Mark IXs were produced with an additional rear tank ranging in size from 32 to 85 imperial gallons.
This aircraft flight model is based on the clipped tip LF to match the stock Spitfire IXe visual and with a 41 imperial gallon rear tank. If you desire to fly the aircraft in a condition simulating an empty rear tank, you may select 67% fuel in the aircraft loadout menu. At present, the cg placement of the rear tank is not modeled due to the limits of CFS3.
Unfortunately, the machine guns for this model are incorrectly located at the former position of the inner .303s. The E wing was developed from the so-called universal C Wing which had four cannon bays to allow easy switching between the 2 x 20mm and 4 .303 armament and 4 x 20mm options. The actual E wing aircraft had the longer barreled cannons moved to the outboard cannon bays and used the inner cannon bays with short barrels for the .50 calibre machine guns. The gun placement cannot be changed in CFS3 without access to the model source files.
