P-51 Mustang

[trigger2]

Originally posted by SteveBailey
Get ready to have your heart broken.  She's beautiful, but she'll  leave you unsatisfied.

I'd love to have some of what your smoking :]
Flaps and throttle control mate, that's all you need to outturn a spixteen.
The P-51 is a brilliant plane for more experianced pilots who know how to use flaps and throttle control properly.

[moot]

You won't out turn a spit16 in a knife fight with a P51 unless the spit16 pilot is sedated.

[Odysseus]

Originally posted by Obie303
Odysseus, if you're just starting out with no experience in Aces High, I don't think the P51 would be your best plane to start with.  Steve said it best.  I'll leave you frustrated, especially if this is your first time in the MA.  

My suggestion is to start out with the Spitfire.  Try the Spit 5, 9, and 8.  These planes offer a little bit of everything.  Good guns, fuel, speed, and turning.  Remember, the Spitfire line isn't the best plane, but it'll keep you alive long enough to learn the basics.  

The learning curve here is very steep.  Plan on getting shot down a lot.  And I mean A LOT!  Just remember, don't quit, do your homework (read the help files), and practice with others in the TA.  

Welcome to AH.

Obie:aok

Oh, i'm not starting out.  I've been playing for a while, but mostly in Spits and Hellcats.  I flew a Hellcat when I first started, then moved on to the Spits.  Went from Spit 16, to Spit 8, which I currently fly.  I think Spit8 has the perfect mix of muscle and agility. My friend says he will fly the pony though.  He liked it when I let him fly it, and he says he's still trying to get AH.  I still think the pony's good for high alt flying and fighting,  thanks for the tips.

[Grendel]

Originally posted by trigger2
The P-51 is a brilliant plane for more experianced pilots who know how to use flaps and throttle control properly. [/B]

If you need to use flaps and throttle control, you're just a target...

[trigger2]

Originally posted by Grendel
If you need to use flaps and throttle control, you're just a target...

in the pony, you don't need it, but it's deffinitly brilliant knowledge to have when you get jumped by 4 or 5 spitty's :]

[Larry]

Originally posted by trigger2
I'd love to have some of what your smoking :]
Flaps and throttle control mate, that's all you need to outturn a spixteen.
The P-51 is a brilliant plane for more experianced pilots who know how to use flaps and throttle control properly.

Id like what ever youve been smoking. A pony will NEVER out turn a spit16.

[The Fugitive]

Originally posted by Larry




Id like what ever youve been smoking. A pony will NEVER out turn a spit16.

Happens all the time Larry, but you have to take into account that 75% people flying the spit in this game have no idea how to fly that plane and run it "balls to the walls", so ya a chop of the throttle, a bit of flaps, and your inside...... piece of cake  

[dtango]

Odysseus:

The P-51 is an unremarkable plane in Aces High when it comes to fundamental performance characteristics of aircraft.  The only trait that it has some advantage in is in top level speed but there are more than a handful of planes that are faster than the Mustang as it is.

If you want some advice on the Mustang in AH, here was a thread posted not long ago on the topic:
http://forums.hitechcreations.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=210845&referrerid=3699

On the issue of it's turning ability don't be fooled by folks talking about how you can out turn a Spit XVI etc.  Equal pilot ability, Co-E, & same fuel weight %, the Spit XVI should easily out turn the P-51 no question especially in the vertical.

Here's the rub...

[list=1]

• It's all relative[/b]
  
  My 3 axioms of air combat (for what it's worth !):
  (1) There are no absolutes in air combat; it's all relative
  (2) You can't defy aerodynamics
  (3) The way we fly reflects the way we think
  
  Understanding and mastering #1 is key.  There are times when you can actually out-turn a Spit XVI given the right relative conditions but they only apply when the right relative margins exist for different situations (e.g. Spit XVI is way above it's corner velocity and carrying 75% fuel, the Mustang is at it's corner velocity and carrying 25% fuel, etc.).  These tend to be fleeting but at the right moments they can give you the necessary momentary advantage.  
  
  For success in maneuvering combat with the Mustang you can't rely solely on the basic performance of the P-51 because it has very few areas that it has any advantage in vs. other planes.  For success in maneuvering combat in the P-51 you need to learn how to exploit the relativity in other areas to your advantage such as differences in airspeeds and geometry etc.  You have to recognize when and where you have a relative margin difference and how you can exploit that to your advantage.
  
  
  • A2A advantage isn't only decided by turn radius or turn rate[/b]
    
    Don't be confused between turn-performance vs. forcing an overshoot.  Creating an overshoot in a Mustang vs. Spit XVI doesn't necessarily mean you've out-turned the Spit to do so.  Learn what dictates positional advantage for various situations.  Turn radius and turn-rate aren't the only deciders of gaining an angles advantage.
  Tango, XO
  412th FS Braunco Mustangs

[VonKost]

I'm a jug driver mostly, but as with the Jug, I think the Mustang does not get to reach it's potential because most of the fights are at low altitude. Are my suspicions crrect or am I just crazy? I know that when you get my jug above 20k it's like going from a truck to a sports car. Just a thought.

[humble]

Originally posted by trigger2
I'd love to have some of what your smoking :]
Flaps and throttle control mate, that's all you need to outturn a spixteen.
The P-51 is a brilliant plane for more experianced pilots who know how to use flaps and throttle control properly.

If your T&Bing a pony your flying "stupid". The pony is a great E fighter and it will suprise a +E con rather nicely in good hands. However the pony isnt really a true flaps and throttle bird like the Hog, it simply doesnt handle as well. In fact a well flown D11 will hand the pony its arnold in a turn fight.

The pony is a predators plane, fly it fast, fly it in the verticals and use flaps and throttle just to saddle up but not to turn...easy plane to run a 10/1 K/D ratio in and an easy one to go 1/10 as well.

But show me a guy who flies it "like a spit" and I'll show you a guy who dies in it alot.

[Larry]

Originally posted by The Fugitive
Happens all the time Larry, but you have to take into account that 75% people flying the spit in this game have no idea how to fly that plane and run it "balls to the walls", so ya a chop of the throttle, a bit of flaps, and your inside...... piece of cake  

I was really talking about two people who know what theyre doing. Hell Iv out turned a noob in a spitV with my B25H before.

[Simaril]

Originally posted by dtango
Odysseus:

The P-51 is an unremarkable plane in Aces High when it comes to fundamental performance characteristics of aircraft.  The only trait that it has some advantage in is in top level speed but there are more than a handful of planes that are faster than the Mustang as it is...... [/B]

Tango--

Could you also say that the pony excells at energy retention?

[dtango]

Simaril:  That's a little bit more tricky of a question.  

As a generalization I think it's about average (maybe even just a little above avg) in energy retention.  The Mustang's mystical energy retention is mainly situational.  Let me explain:

It retains energy well if you fly it using low-g or very short duration maneuvers.  But any aircraft would retain energy flying in this manner.  What helps the Mustang in these situations is that it has a lower parasite drag coefficient compared to other planes.  That's part of the reason for it's higher top speed for a modest engine horsepower.  The same factor of course contributes to retaining energy because it bleeds energy slower from parasite drag in low-g, high speed maneuvers.  Enter a fight when you have energy in either altitude or speed, use maneuvers sparingly, be disciplined about trading that speed for alt.  Combine that with a lower parasite drag and the Mustang hangs on to it's energy longer.

However yanking the stick back for max performance turns, it bleeds E in spades especially if you hold that high-g turn for more than a moment in the horizontal or the vertical.  It has a high wing-loading contributing to induced drag in turns.  To top it off, it has a very modest thrust-to-weight ratio so it's like waiting for paint to dry trying to gain that energy back through the powerplant so it really sucks in energy retention in sustained maneuvering .

Tango, XO
412th FS Braunco Mustangs

[trigger2]

Originally posted by humble
If your T&Bing a pony your flying "stupid". The pony is a great E fighter and it will suprise a +E con rather nicely in good hands. However the pony isnt really a true flaps and throttle bird like the Hog, it simply doesnt handle as well. In fact a well flown D11 will hand the pony its arnold in a turn fight.

The pony is a predators plane, fly it fast, fly it in the verticals and use flaps and throttle just to saddle up but not to turn...easy plane to run a 10/1 K/D ratio in and an easy one to go 1/10 as well.

But show me a guy who flies it "like a spit" and I'll show you a guy who dies in it alot.

Depends on where your flying at and where your flying at :]
The pony IS a remarkable E fighter and that's how I NORMALLY use it, I save T&B as my final resort but every now and again, I do have to use it. But even so, I can still rack up points. Altitude and who's in the other plane plays a very important role.

[B3YT]

i had a great fight in my SpitIX the other night 2 P51's cam at me with higher speed an dalt advantage.  I took both out. 1 killed the other limped home with his tail between it's legs.  

Yet i've had Alt and speed advantage over a P51 and lost . use it's advantages (high speed roll rate)

And don't auger as i saw two guys  on the weekend do . they were flying wing and went vert on two of my side . we saw two big bangs in the floor