The Real Reason the P-51 is so Popular

[spit16nooby]

Well the P-51 is a great plane in the right hands but there were better planes in the war.  In here almost everyone jumps right into the P-51 because they have heard it was the best plane in the war.  The reason that I think the mustang is so popular though is not its fighting capapability as much as it being able to get to Berlin.  Who here hasn't been killed by a plane that was worse than his by a large gap.  So say that the P-51 was outclassed in many things it would still be a fighter that would be there in Berlin.  Plus also the Germans were starting to lack pilot skill by the time the P-51 came into action.  So I think the real reason it is so popular is

A.  It was a fighter that could excort bombers all the way to Berlin
B.  It faced worse pilots that pilots in earlier planes had encountered making it look like it was an incredible plane.
C.  It was a great fighter in the right hands but it took experience something that many new people that use them in here don't have.


     Please post any ideas, comments, or disagreemants in a kind manner

[EskimoJoe]

Please post any ideas, comments, or disagreemants in a kind manner

[Spikes]

So you're saying that it's popular in game because it could escort buffs to Berlin?
Sorry...My opinion...P51 is popular because it is fast and turns well, can outrun any plane except jets and maybe the crackshot F4U4/Lgay7.

[Lusche]

Sorry...My opinion...P51 (...) can outrun any plane except jets and maybe the crackshot F4U4/Lgay7.

As long as you believe that, you will get shot down by the other planes faster than the P51

[VansCrew1]

P51B's a great turner.

[Ack-Ack]

P51B's a great turner.

Average at best.


ack-ack

[Guppy35]

First fighters over Berlin were?

I'd suggest that name recognition is a bigger part of why the Mustang gets flown then anything else.  Folks know Mustangs Spitfires and Messerschmitts first, and if they learn a bit more find out about the rest.  Same goes for the B17

[spit16nooby]

Thank you guppy thats what im trying to get it not that its a bad fighter.

[Latrobe]

The reason people alwys take the P51 is because they're afraid of the Spitfire 

[Wingnutt]

51 was probably the best "fly to fight" fighter in the war, but not the best overall fighter by a longshot IMO.

[Dragon]

spitdweebs rule!  P-51 is a good beginner plane as well as a great plane in the hands of a good pilot.  They are also fun to 1v1 vs any spit as it creates a good fight.  Have to agree with the name being popular.  It's the same with the Spits too.

[fuzeman]

Those Pony drivers just haven't learned how to pick any other planes from the hanger yet.

[SirLoin]

P51 is arguably the best prop plane in the game..Period.

You have two versions of it that cater to all altitudes,the best fuel range of any fighter(cept p47n),can carry two large bombs & rockets,exceptional veiws,unequalled zoom and high speed handling,combat flaps,50 cals with good loadout,the ability to digress from an unfavorable situation.

It's only weakness was/is the chance of a radiator hit.

[BnZ]

Of the top four, (Spit, N1K, Pony, LA7), the P-51 is probably the only one which is more popular because of what it is, not what it can do in the MA. You can pick about 10 non-perk planes that are easier for the average pilot to fly in any style other than pure, OPHA boom and zoom.

Thus I salute all dedicated Mustang drivers in AHII, the guys who fly it constantly, relentlessly. You could have taken a few test flights in the AHII representation of your beloved P-51 and given it up for a Corsair or a 190 D9. Instead, you stick by your guns. I truly believe that in the future of AHII, things WILL get better for you...they just about have to.

[Brooke]

The P-51 in real WWII conditions was an excellent fighter.  Real conditions, however, include many things that don't matter in the Main Arena:  range, speed at altitude, maintainability, and production, for example.

I think that the jist of the first post, though, is correct.  I think that the popularity and recognition of the P-51 (the "glamor girl" of US fighters) has a lot to do with it being the most-prevalent US fighter for air-to-air combat over Europe in the later stages of the war.  That and the fact that it is a beautiful-looking plane.

There are two US glamor planes of WWII, planes that even the general (non-WWII-enthusiast) US population tends to recognize:  the P-51 and the B-17.  They are both excellent and beautiful planes.  However, as a couple of other examples, the P-47 fought more than the P-51 during peak power of the Luftwaffe, and the B-24 carried more bombs, was faster, had a greater range, and was produced in larger numbers than the B-17.   The P-47 -- and similarly the P-38 -- and B-24 seem not to get their share of notice, speaking comparatively of US aircraft.