As pointed out, don't use combat trim and keep the elevators trimmed to the approximate neutral position. This will allow to you make small adjustments if needed to the elevators and quickly back to neutral without any troubles.
Stall buzzer is your friend, crank the volume on that sucker to 100%. Now go offline and yank the heck out of the P-38 and listen to the pitch of the stall buzzer. The louder it gets, the closer to the edge of the envelope you are. Practice until you can get a steady loud pitch out of it without stalling out and spinning in.
Know your flaps and when to use them. General rule...
250mph - 1 flap position
200mph - 2 flap positions
175mph -125mph - 3 flap positions
125mph - below 100mph 4 flap positions
Remember, those are just a guideline and as you get used to the flaps, you'll start to get a feel as to when to deploy them and when to retract them. Do not rely on the auto-retractor to retract the flaps for you. This can lead you to not paying attention to your speed relative to the current flap setting and running the risk of over speeding causing the flap to retract at the most inconvenient possible time that can result in you getting into a rather vicious and in some cases, unrecoverable spin. Any self-respecting P-38 driver detests the auto-retractor and you should too.
The P-38 is a jack of all trades, it doesn't excell in one area but instead does well in all areas. It is an excellent ground attack platform, the L model can carry up to 2,000 pound of bombs and 10 HVAR rockets and a very stable gun platform. It is a good Energy fighter that is excellent (probably the best) vertical fighter in the game. This trait can be used to your advantage using various Energy fighting tactics like the Rope-A-Dope or basic Boom and Zoom maneuvers like the Cuban 8 or Half-Cuban. With BnZ tactics you can use the vertical to trade in your energy for altitude which then in turn gives you potential energy with which to unleash your next BnZ pass.
It is also good in the Angles Fighting department. A lot think that due to its size and weight it's not a very nimble plane but in the right hands you can make it dance all night long. This is were flaps and rudders really come to play. The flaps on the P-38 allow it to turn rather nicely and used with proper ACM maneuvers, you can work in a good angle for a firing solution. The rudders are important because they can help in doing tighter turns, so use rudder in your turns and remember the P-38 turns the tightest nose down. The vertical can also be used. The P-38 can do a sloppy loop at 100mph IAS, basically you'll stall over the top of the loop which then snaps the nose down...a stall loop. This is one way that can be used to cut corners on an enemy's turn for the angle, also Yo-Yo's, Chandelles and other turning or redirectional vertical maneuvers work well too.
Stall fighting...it's a blast to do in the P-38. Again, due to its size and weight, not many expect it to be so nimble in the stall zone. But once more, it's probably one of the better stall fighters in the game. Because of the counter rotating props, the P-38 doesn't have any torque to contend with. This is what helps it give its very gentle stall characteristic and with the use of the flaps and rudders and good throttle management, the P-38 can really hang in the stall. Never be afraid to stall fight in the P-38, against some planes like the Ki-84 and Spitfire, it might just save your life.
Some basic tips on the P-38...
In the L model, you can use the dive flaps above 300mph in high speed maneuvering. The dive flaps will cause the nose to pitch up and can be taken advantage of in high speed turn fights. Remember to retract them after you make the turn, don't leave them out. Not that it really does anything negatively but there is a small drop in energy, a very minor drop but why waste Energy when you don't need to?
Rudders are your really good friend. In high speed dives, the rudders can be used to check your speed so you don't over speed and run the risk of compressability if diving from high altitudes. Rudders, as already noted, will help in making better and tighter turns.
The G model is the more nimble of the lot. It is also the slowest of the three P-38 models, doesn't carry drop tanks to extend its range nor does it have WEP. It can carry 2,000 pounds of bombs and 6x 5 inch bazooka rockets.
The J model is the pretty much like the L model but without the boosted ailerons and dive flaps. The J model does have WEP and can carry drop tanks to extend its range. Its speed is close to that of the L model and at some altitudes, slightly faster than the L model. Like the G model, it can carry 2,000 pounds of bombs and 6x 5 inch bazooka rockets. Maneuvers slightly better than the L model below 15,000 feet.
The L is the best of the lot. It has boosted ailerons, dive flaps and can carry 2,000 pounds of bombs and 10 HVAR rockets.
When selecting your load out, always take the full gun package...no sense taking the lighter gun package...2000 rounds is better than 800 rounds any day.
I'm sure more will come in and add their 2 pesos worth. have fun in the Lightning, it's a great and very fun plane to fly.
ack-ack
