I’m no stranger to the Spitfire. My bookshelf is overflowing with books about the legendary British fighter. That, together with what is surely thousands of hours of flight sim time over the years on various versions of the Spitfire from the days of Aces Over Europe in the early 1990’s to the most modern renditions in 2021. When word came that Flying Iron Simulations was bringing their Spitfire IX model to Microsoft Flight Simulator, I was interested to see what they could do with the new sim engine in an aircraft that I know like few others. My full review is forthcoming but in the meantime I wanted to do a bit of a first look at the aircraft and walk you through my first flight.
From RAF Coningsby and around Lincolnshire
For my first flight I picked a classic RAF scheme from the liveries list and selected EGXC Coningsby as my departure point. EGXC is also RAF Coningsby which is the home of an active RAF fighter base as well as the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and I thought that was fitting place to take a Spitfire out for my first flight with it.
Starting cold and dark, I used a combination of the in-game checklist, my prior experience with the DCS Spitfire IX and several other tutorials to get it started. After a few hiccups, I was on my way and taxiing the fighter out for a takeoff.
Trimming for flight I headed east towards the seaside town of Skegness and then took the fighter to the west towards Boston before bringing it back in to Coningsby for a landing.
My review will have a full accounting of the aircraft’s performance and handling as well as how it compares to two other modern simulations of the Spitfire IX. Each one has their own quirks but the broad strokes of each are remarkably similar. During the flight I tested the feel of the aircraft, its overall handling attributes, I performed some stalls, and tried to ride the edge of the envelop of this aircraft in ways that I don’t do with some of the GA aircraft. This is a Spitfire after all… an aircraft that is widely regarded as one of the best of WWII with a flying character that was beloved by nearly every pilot who flew it.
Enjoy these screenshots of my flight and get a good first look at this aircraft now available from Flying Iron Simulations for $35 AUD. I’ll be gathering my notes on how it flies and why you might want it in your Microsoft Flight Simulator hangar. Look for that to come soon!
Stormbirds 
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