Wow TC, I'm flattered by your recognition of the 412th with 3 of us making your Mustang dweeb list
(Sr, Midnight, myself)! Other Mustang dweebs that I think should go on that list like freezeman, bullz, wldthng (where's he at these days?), lucky, beemer & rude (back in the ol' days). I'm sure there are others I'm leaving off.
To the topic at hand for redman555/BigBOBCH...
Here's a thread on the topic of advice on the P-51 posted a few months ago in the training forum worth a look...
http://forums.hitechcreations.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=210845&referrerid=3699Good info in that thread on flying the P-51.
IMHO quite honestly, the P-51 is average at best in AH when it comes to the different dimensions of aircraft performance with only speed being above average. If you rely purely on the performance margin of the Mustang then you'll be limited to what you can do with the Mustang against other planes in AH.
There in lies one of the secrets of learning to fly the Mustang successfully against better planes. You have to learn to use other things besides just the raw performance margin of your airplane to your advantage, like gravity, angles, differences in airspeed or weight, etc. to outsmart the other guy to gain an energy or angles advantage against your adversary to put you in a position for a kill.
Tango, XO
412th FS Braunco Mustangs