MSFS: Spitfire Mk IXc Update 1.3.0 is Now Available!

G'day everyone!

Today we have released version 1.3.0 of the Spitfire Mk IXc - one of our biggest updates to date, almost 2 years from release! The update is available right now for our website customers and will be available to our Microsoft Store customers sometime in the coming weeks.

 We approached this update as a complete overhaul of the Spitfire, with the goal of bringing it up to our latest development standards, implementing many significant new in-house development features. These include an all-new, completely custom ground-handling model that accurately simulates taildragger physics, CFD implementation & tuning of the FM, significant sound improvements, improved art & visual FX, quality of life changes, thermodynamic model updates, significantly increased electrical system modelling fidelity, immersion additions, prop-strikes and much much more. 

Read on for the full list!

Flight Model
- Implementation of full CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics)
- Tailored AoA/Winglift profile
- Improved Adverse Yaw
- Retuned yaw, roll and pitch stability
- Rudder, aileron and elevator fine-tuning
- Retuned component drag numbers for droptank, canopy and radiator
- Additional fine tuning of the Clipped Wing version (adjusted weight, moments of inertia, roll rates, wing loading and drag)
- Increased propeller drag at low boost / high RPM settings (disc braking in preparation for landing)
- Slightly increased low RPM shake
- More torque on roll effect
- More effective propwash on ground making it easier to turn (e.g. you can now start a static turn at around 850RPM instead of 1200RPM and with one wheel fully locked)
- Default aileron trim now 25% up from 15% in order to counter the increase roll by torque (tuned to fly level at cruise speed so 2200 / +4)
- Retuned AoA Lift profile in order to achieve 0.5kts accurate stall speeds

Ground Handling
- CFD ground effect
- FlyingIron taildragger physics, finely tuned to match actual Spitfire behaviour for a highly authentic experience (in cooperation with a Spitfire pilot)
- Free castering tailwheel (steer with differential braking or propwash/rudder)
- Gear static compression lowered from 50% to 33%
- Gear bouncyness restored (needed after a recent SU update)

Sounds
- Wing, Tail & Fuselage Scrape sounds added
- Flyby sounds overhauled; default Asobo processing replaced
- Ground Roll overhauled & updated to reflect surface types
- Updated & improved touchdown & rattle sounds, dynamic processing based on vertical velocity on landing
- Wing loading & G-force stress sound added
- Added custom cockpit reverberation effects, realistically affected by canopy insulation (canopy open = no reverb)
- Replaced all attenuation sets with FlyingIron_Attenuation_Custom_xx sets. New attenuation model has more realistic sound cones & - distance modelling, which are now dynamic and affected by airspeed (eg the emitter cone will flatten with airspeed, meaning sounds will become less audible from infront of the aircraft at high speeds)
- Beefed up engine sounds via parallel compression to add more low-end in response to higher throttle settings & vice versa
- Overhauled exterior reverberation, with more realistic processing on all sounds
- Wind sounds updated & improved; better tones/sounds, more realistic processing, ground effect influence at low altitudes, ambient - weather now affects wind sounds
- Overhauled PropWash sound implementation
- Implemented flap, gear & AoA based drag sounds
- Improved & rebalanced propeller sounds
- Crash & Water Impact sounds added
- Overhauled engine starter sounds, increased complexity & realism of starter soundscape sequence
- Added prop sounds for extremely low prop RPM (ie prop turn from flywheel)
- Fixed engine idle loop artifacts
- Additional cockpit foley implemented: throttle/prop/mixture lever movements
- Improved timings on engine startup & shutdown
- Implemented control surface foley sounds (Rudder, aileron, elevators)
- Replaced fuel pump sounds, improved fuel pump sound modulation
- Added gyro/electrical sound

Visual Model
- Fixed nose gap
- Fixed flaps clipping through wings
- Fixed rudder trim animation
- Added a small gap between spinner and nose
- Prop strikes will bend the prop (to repair, click a blade from within the cockpit)
- Fixed external light on/off status
- Tailored exterior lights (plus the starboard nav light is now more blue)

Cockpit
- Control column now deflects according to actual control surface deflections
- Ground roll and low RPM vibrations added to the control column and the RPM and Boost gauges for a deeper immersion
- Improved various tooltips
- Transponder now turns off when there is no power
- Transponder is on by default when spawning in a running aircraft
- Transponder and Radio display layouts improved
- Transponder IDENT functionality added
- Transponder 0 and 7 digit jumping fixed
- Fixed Pitot and Deice switches, they can now move when there is no power
- Clock can be adjusted using the time adjustment knob
- Improved and added various cockpit switch and knob sounds
- Functional gear indicator night shade curtain
- Replaced GNS430 with the larger GNS530
- Accurately simulated gear pneumatic control indicator (right side of gear lever)
- Rudder trim interactions improved

Systems
- Electric and wobble fuel pumps now work with mixture in the idle cutoff position
- Slightly less radiator heating when deployed flaps block the radiator
- Max boost regulator improved delivering a steady 18 boost when more is asked (sea level, or at 13,000+ right after the Super Charger is engaged)
- Slew mode will no longer interfere with engine thermo dynamics
- Oil and CHT cooldown is much slower

Electrical
- Corrected total battery capacity to 11Ah
- Improved generator delivered amp curve to match known Spitfire specifications

Tablet
- Clickspot moved from right bottom switch to 2 side window bolts in right front
- Added Hobbs meter to the Live Data page
- Added the Hide Pilot, Hide Spinning Prop and Simplified Ground handling options to the Settings page
- Added the Workshop page
- Added Aileron Trim percentage number to the Settings page
- Added "update available" notification system
- Entirely new autopilot code (fixes ALT hold, climb and fully supports AP hardware integration)

Checklists
- Complete MSFS Toolbar checklist
- Tablet checklist adjusted to match MSFS Toolbar checklist fully

Miscelaneous
- Multiplayer model static height adjusted
- Persistent show weapon status

We hope you enjoy flying the updated Spitfire as much as we did developing it,
Alex, Dan, Raimond & Iakov
FlyingIron Simulations