Reversing a P51

[Spatula]

Question:
If you were following a P-51D at d 1.1 - 1.2 at about 280-290MPH, would it be reasonable to expect him to be able to reverse (eg turn a complete 180 degrees) within that distance and be able to get his nose around enough to HO you?

Now i would expect a zeke or a spit or niki etc to be able to do that (or come very close to it), but not a P-51D. Ive flew the P-51D in AH1 from its inception for about 2 1/2 years and got reasonable proficient in it, and i aint never managed that myself, even with a notch or two flaps. Now i know the AH2 flight model has undergone some tweaks etc, so perhaps that explains it?

Thoughts??

[Furball]

yes, i think it could get guns solution.

[mechanic]

the least of your worries is if the pony reverses and tries a weak HO on you. The P51D is on a par to the spit 5, certainly better than a spit9.
it has power, uber flaps, E dumping, E grabbing, beautifull guns and the best alround cockpit view of any aircraft in AH.


http://www.freeroleentertainment.com/P51_3vs1_0022.ahf <-- a pretty good example of the Pony's low speed handling from the Combat Theatre.


as a wise player once said 'those of you that are are plane dependant will always worry about what the other plane is, the rest of us worry about who is flying it.'

[Spatula]

Originally posted by mechanic
the least of your worries is if the pony reverses and tries a weak HO on you. The P51D is on a par to the spit 5, certainly better than a spit9.
it has power, uber flaps, E dumping, E grabbing, beautifull guns and the best alround cockpit view of any aircraft in AH.


http://www.freeroleentertainment.com/P51_3vs1_0022.ahf <-- a pretty good example of the Pony's low speed handling from the Combat Theatre.


as a wise player once said 'those of you that are are plane dependant will always worry about what the other plane is, the rest of us worry about who is flying it.'

Uber?? you gotta be kidding? not sure about the E-grabbing part. While it aint the worst at rebuilding E, it most certainly aint the best, let alone uber. try a 109 or an la7 for impressive e-grabbing

[Spatula]

Originally posted by Furball
yes, i think it could get guns solution.

i dont think ive ever managed that in AH1 - not even came close...

[Stang]

Pony is definately uber.

[Nomak]

Originally posted by Spatula
i dont think ive ever managed that in AH1 - not even came close...

With all due respect....... that doesnt mean that it cant be done.

Dave

[Octavius]

It might be possible with a large cost in E.  He's putting himself in a terrible position - easy to avoid, regain position, and dictate the fight.  

Depends on your ride and relative E states, but the majority of aircraft will dominate in that position after the pony's maneuver.  Why is the pony turning and not extending?  Are you closing or separating?

[Wolfala]

BBAW and I were doing some rediculous things when he bounced my 47N vs his F6F. Things that after watching the video I couldn't even believe I did - its always about the person behind the stick.

Most of us can beat 95 % of the guys out there anyday of the week - its just a matter if the bullets happen to fall in the right place or not.

Thats how it works sometimes.

Wolf

[Spatula]

Originally posted by Nomak
With all due respect....... that doesnt mean that it cant be done.

Dave

That is true... Im certainly not claiming to be experten, but i do have a pretty good understanding of its capabilities, at least in AH1.
And, it most definetely *was* done, so im just wondering if there had been some changes made to the FM or the 51s handling etc?

Think im gunna try it out myself with some help from some sqaudies

[Spatula]

I really dont want to get into the specifics of the particular engagement, as was well fought and fun, and i mean no disrespect to the pilot in question. Im just wondering more in general, as the reversal came as big suprise to me.

[Naytch]

Originally posted by Spatula
If you were following a P-51D at d 1.1 - 1.2 at about 280-290MPH, would it be reasonable to expect him to be able to reverse (eg turn a complete 180 degrees) within that distance and be able to get his nose around enough to HO you?

Ive flew the P-51D in AH1 from its inception for about 2 1/2 years and got reasonable proficient in it, and i aint never managed that myself, even with a notch or two flaps. Now i know the AH2 flight model has undergone some tweaks etc, so perhaps that explains it?

Yes, it'll come around easily for a short HO snapshot, even though it's a stupid choice by the pony pilot; he's gonna blow all his speed in the process and he'll only pull through if he's facing something with popguns.

I wasn't here in AH1, so I dunno what changed when the FM was tweaked. But dude, you have to realise that the pony has more than two notches of flaps...

[Morpheus]

There's no good reason to bring it into a 180 degree turn. Yes it can be done. I actually hold my breaking turn until whatever is on my 6 comes within 1k.

1k is for me the perfect distance to break and set up for an over shot. Not coming around 180 reduces the risk of being ho'd by some tard and increases your chances the con over shooting and giving you a shot. There's also a good chance who ever is ining on you will break to try for a shot while you're rolling up and over, at that point they're burning E and allowing you more time for you shot which will come when he does over shoot.

[Spatula]

Cheers for the responses, guys. It seems the consensus is that its no suprise he did what he did. So, i guess i can take something from that.

Cheers!

[dedalos]

Originally posted by Octavius
Why is the pony turning and not extending?  Are you closing or separating?

He might have been trying to have some fun, but I could be wrong.

Maybe he thought he was chased by the Church or a FH?