Two important events in the British history: On the 20th of September 2009, Elite celebrated its 25th birthday. In summer 2010, it will be 70 years since the Battle of Britain.
I think it is the perfect time to honour the birthland of Elite by announcing a(n unofficial) design competition to bring the most legendary of fighters (Spitfire) into the future age (Oolite).
Since there are several months between the birthdays of Elite and the 'anniversary' of the Battle of Britain, there's a lot of time to come up with designs for this (unofficial) competition, and the work will certainly keep the competitors warm during the upcoming winter months.
After this pretty convoluted intro, is there anyone willing to take the bait?
if it goes ahead we'll need a compo (or whatever) to also have a "battle of britain" OXP : Perhaps a coriolis instead of Britain, and a Thargoid (or whoever) invasion force instead of the luftwaffe. a linked series of missions perhaps to drive out the invaders and win the Battle...?
To be fair, the Hawker Hurricane was the real workhorse of the battle of Britain. The Spitfire, being faster, prettier and altogether more glamorous, gets all the attention, but it was by no means superior to the Hurricane in every respect.
The Hurricane was more manuverable than the spitfire, especially at lower atltitudes and was a more rugged aircraft also capable of carrying heavier weapons.
With these two aircraft being quite distinct, the Spitfire fast with smooth lines and greater acceleration. The Hurricane is slower, but handles better and is a tougher nut to crack.
I don't think it is fair to honour one without the other.
The Hurricane clocked-up many more kills than the Spitfire, and was certainly more durable, as well as being easier and quicker to repair. Steel tube and wooden construction meant that cannon shells tended to pass right on through instead of exploding.
As you say, it was slower than both the Spitfire and the Me 109, but could out-turn them both. It was also very good as a night fighter.
Regards
I would advise stilts for the quagmires, and camels for the snowy hills
And any survivors, their debts I will certainly pay. There's always a way!
Of course you are right about Hurricane also deserving some recognition. _If_ there are modellers willing to tackle one of the famous planes, they might just as well try their hand at the other one as well...
