P51 fying for rookies

[TequilaChaser]

Ren was in a hurry to go home

6 = #1
8 = #2
4 = #3
7 = #4
1, 2, 3, 5, 9 10 order how u wish   - as Ren said lots good info alread posted, including Ren's tips

if you want to know some good P51 Flyers, look up  Fencer, DmdDano, WldThing, Fool5047, Boozer, GrayEagl, Tango, Midnight, SkatSr,  DmdJW, Widewing, there is other great ones, but my lunch break is short  


as for convergence is all in what works for you, I prefer 350 for all guns when talking 50. cal.............some prefer harmonzing them ( different distance set each pair)

also, although a F4U, F6f, P51D, F4f etc have a 6 x 50.'s gun package the Shooting platform is very different between them all, so one must get accustomed to the gun platform of the plane, is why I prefer a F4U or F6F  over a P51D..........

[Widewing]

Humble touched upon flap usage in P-51s. I'll elaborate a bit on his comments.

Flaps can be used to tighten up a turn to either get a shot or gain position. Unfortunately for the P-51 pilot, beyond 3 notches (for lack of a better term) the flaps do not provide nearly as much lift as they do drag.

I have tested the P-51s for turn radius with flaps at all positions. What I discovered is that using more than 3 notches decreases your turn radius very little. What it really does is kill your speed. Even three notches is marginal under most circumstances.

This is why managing your speed is so important when flying the P-51s. Contrary to popular opinion, P-51s have a miserable turn radius when below corner speed. Below 200 mph Mustangs are usually getting into serious trouble. This generally goes for the P-47s as well. P-38s to a lesser degree. Big blue fighters have the ability to transition from BnZ, to E fighting, to angles fighting seamlessly. None of the AAF fighters can match that ability. Thus, if you fly F4Us or the F6F often, you may need to adjust your fighting style when flying Mustangs.

With the F4U-1A, for example, you can dump some flaps and roll in behind a Spitfire with confidence that he will not be able to shake you off before he's dead. With the P-51s, you will not be able to follow the Spitfire through a hard break turn. Therefore, should you not get a shot or miss, you will need to develop a sense for when it is time to disengage and reposition. The better P-51 pilots recognize when it's time to bug-out.

Regards,

Widewing