[beercamel]

I am interested in a program that duplicates real spitfire brakes. English airplanes of the WWII period did not have toe activated brakes as did te US and LW planes, but had a bicycle like lever on the control column that released compressed air into the main wheel brakes proportionally to the amount of rudder input to one side or the other.
In other words, to activate the left brake, the left rudder was pushed, then the lever on the joystick sqeezed, and the air flowed to the left brake, giving braking action. If the rudder was centered air flowed equally to each wheel brake and onehad a parking brake so to speak.
I had the opportunity to fly a spitfire simulator on a trip to England. It had been flown earlier by two spitfire pilots from the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.

http://www.simcontrol.co.uk/offboard.htm

It took some tweaking--read the Review--but the two pilots said, "If you can fly this, you can fly the real thing".
But, they said, the braking was very unrealistic, compared to an actual spitfire. The problem is, they said, that the rudder on a spit is totally ineffectual for steering on the ground until a speed of 40 knots or so is reached. Up to that point, all steering is done with the brakes. So far as I know, no program yet exists in any Flight Simulator program that realistically simulates real spitfire braking.
So it seems to me that there is a crying need for an accurate spitfire (Hurricane, etc, which is the same) braking program, for all of us who desire ultimate realism in our flight sims.

Nummy,

You already have that available... In the 'Normal' IL2 game!

I have flown some WW2 British aircraft (In Real life).. there aren't brakes on the rudder pedals... but there is a lever on the stick that applies brakes when squeezed... the amount of braking applied to each wheel is PROPORTIONAL to how much rudder input you have... If rudders are neutral, and the brakes engaged.... then equal braking on each wheel is the result.. If you have full left rudder input.. and you apply the brakes the vast majority of the braking action will be applied to to the left wheel with little or none to the right..

The same in IL2..

If you put in full left rudder and press the 'B' key (either by keyboard or macro program on CH or Saitek rudder pedals..) you get EXACTLY the same result.. the more/less rudder input the more/less braking you get on that wheel. Il2 also very closely emulates the tail wheel center 'breakaway' when you want a pivot turn... just as in real life aircraft.. Stop the aircraft.. apply full rudder and brake.. and add power (Don't nose over!) to 'hold one wheel in position and rotate around it as the tail wheel goes into full caster.. just like in REAL LIFE.. ON AIRCRAFT THAT HAVE THE ENGLISH AND RUSSIAN STYLE BRAKES..

US and German aircraft were/are a little different but for tail wheel aircraft this is close enough.. And with the macro programing on CH Rudder Pedals.. is pretty close to the US system except that rudder must be used in conjunction.. which is what would/should be done in real life..in real life you never (well almost never) use ONLY the brakes as it will cause more wear than necessary, and in some cases with the older aircraft, can cause a problem if one locks up..as some of the older drum designs are prone to..

The P-38 single engine taxi in IL2 is pretty wrong.. although, in real life, it is more difficult in twins to single engine taxi than most non-pilots think.. possible .. but not nearly as easy as two engine taxi..

BC