Author Topic: P51 (Read 2115 times)

Sway · « **Reply #45 on:** February 05, 2004, 06:31:05 PM »

Im not buying it.. lol

gofaster · « **Reply #46 on:** February 06, 2004, 08:43:45 AM »

A quick run-down on the P51s:

P-51B Compared To P-51D:

P51B is lighter, climbs better, rolls better, turns better. The downside is that it has 2 fewer guns and less ammo that the D-stang. The D-stang seems to accellerate in a dive a bit better, plus it doesn't compress nearly as bad as a B-stang does. The B-stang has a blind spot behind it that the D-stang doesn't. The D-stang can carry heavier bombs. The B-stang will suffer drag penalties if you carry rockets, whereas the D-stang will be "clean" after you've fired all your rockets. The D-stang "blinks" beyond icon range, letting everyone know that you're a D-stang and gives them a chance to runaway. A B-stang can close the gap before the icon gives it away.

I prefer to use the B-stang as my fighter plane and the D-stang as my bomber. The B-stang is just a better air-to-air performer overall. All things being equal, a B-stang should "pwn" a D-stang in a fight once the airspeeds drop below 400ias.

The D-stang is the better air-to-ground aircraft and a better bomber interceptor (just remember to stay off the tails of B-17s and B-26s and instead use deflections shots and make high-speed swooping passes). Its also a better Boom-n-Zoom fighter in that it can put out more punishment in a snapshot than a B-stang can.

The B-stang will start to shudder just over 400ias, and will compress at around 450ias. The B-stang will slip sideways before it starts to shudder, an indication that speed is about to become a problem. Listen to what the airplane is telling you. If you feel that sideways slip, drop a notch of flaps, retard throttle (if you haven't already), and kick a bit of rudder. If you find yourself in a state of compression, use the trim keys to get your nose up.

I set my convergence at 450 but usually don't start shooting until 350. The reason why I have it set to 450 is so I can shoot from a farther distance and land my shells, increasing the duration of my firing window. I typically carry 50% gas and drop tanks and avoid engagements until I'm over 10k. The D-stang can have a vicious stall if it gets too slow and may need that alt to recover.

Sway · « **Reply #47 on:** February 06, 2004, 08:48:11 AM »

If you use trim wrong though.. it hinders you. I wouldn't plan on doing so hot in it until you learn it well. I know how to use trim very well, but I still stick with combat trim because I haven't had anyone really prove to me that I needed to manual trim.

Maybe some of these guys wanna go to DA when my money gets to HTC, because I want to see what this trim can really improve.

WldThing · « **Reply #48 on:** February 06, 2004, 09:38:26 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by Sway
If you use trim wrong though.. it hinders you. I wouldn't plan on doing so hot in it until you learn it well. I know how to use trim very well, but I still stick with combat trim because I haven't had anyone really prove to me that I needed to manual trim.

I know that HTC said once that there was no significant difference between manual trim and combat trim.. Im too lazy to find that post but i remember him saying it. The only plus to manual trimming is that it helps you get out of compression dives.

gofaster · « **Reply #49 on:** February 06, 2004, 10:00:06 AM »

Theoretically, manual trim would only hinder you if you have the plane trimmed "out of plane", meaning you've trimmed the plane so that it wants to go in another direction other than straight and level. If you've done that, then you end up countering the trim by applying stick pressure. You would then be countering drag in one direction with an equal amount of drag in the other direction, doubling the amount of drag on the plane than if you'd trimmed it for neutral flight all along.

Typically, what I do is use manual trim to get out of compression, then set combat trim to get back into neutral trim condition.