The Real Reason the P-51 is so Popular

[DoNKeY]

To quote (I believe) either Yeager or Anderson (sorry stopped halfway through Yeager's bio to read another book), "The 51 wasn't great becuase it could flat-out dogfight.  It was great becuase it could do it over Berlin," or something like that.

donkey

Correct me if I'm wrong.

[Yeager]

if dweebs had on/off switches would anyone ever pull them out of the closet?

This thread is good reason not to.

[toonces3]

Try as I might, I can't do crap in the Pony.

Give me some Japanese or Russian iron any day.

[Saurdaukar]

To quote (I believe) either Yeager or Anderson (sorry stopped halfway through Yeager's bio to read another book), "The 51 wasn't great becuase it could flat-out dogfight.  It was great becuase it could do it over Berlin," or something like that.

donkey

Correct me if I'm wrong.

More or less correct. 

In AH, the 51 gets a bad rap because 90% of the drivers BnZ and then run when the advantage is lost.  Its actually quite a potent little airplane in the right hands.

Seems to do just about everything at 75% which means the driver has multiple options if a single weakness is exploited by a bad guy.

[Max]

Everyone always says the P-51 is a great plane in the right hands. Where can I get a pair of those hands? 

[AquaShrimp]

I love the P-51.  If you have good tactics, you can absolutely destroy Spits, Nikis, LAs, and any other turn fighters on the deck.  The 51 converts from an energy fighter to a turn fighter in a heartbeat, and remains competitive. 

I've been in low, slow dogfights with multiple turn-fighters in my P-51 and still come out the winner.  Just from using basic tactics, where the other guys weren't using any.  Such as : Turning towards my opponent when hes getting a firing solution, making him dive to shoot at me, high or low yo-yo, pitchbacks.

Spend half a day learning a few maneuvers, and your Mustang will be a killing machine.

[uptown]

I fly the P51D the most because it's american first and foremost. It has a good ord loadout, great fuel range, pretty good gun package.It's has good speed, high speed flaps, a awesome skin (ty Fencer) , and sounds great (ty Ranger)  . It's not great in any one role but it's not bad either. Good all around fighter/attack plane.

[Tr1gg22]

problem with the pony in a slow fight is once u loose ur e.U are in one of the slowest excelratin plane in the game..Not good! I flew the pony for 2 years..I no alot about it but if u get slow with a some what good spitty pilot or hog pilot ur done thats all there is 2 it..I dont care who u are..The only thing that makes it a killer in the right hands is its ENERGY retintion..Keepin it just faster with just that much more E than that turny birdy. I dont care who u are and how good u think u are in ur pony.If u dont fly it just right ur gonna go boom..Thats why I really think the guys who have stuk with it and i mean the elite pony pilots are veterans...For the most part the average fellas are pikers flyin it the way it was meant to be flown in the first place. I changed 2 the hog as my fav ride just got tired of havin to alway rely on my e while it will dive as well as a pony. Any one who wants to test there pony against my hog let me no and Ill show u...In a friendly duel of coarse
!!S!! Prove me wrong and ill have to take some pony lessons from u...

[BnZ]

I agree about acceleration Trigg...someone in another thread mentioned how he thinks D9s are flown bolder than Ponies in the MA...not sure about that, but if it is so, the reason would be that a D9 can slow down and fool around playing the E game with a Spit or something, but can also REGAIN its speed in a reasonable time frame when 2-3 of the Spit's buddies come in.

Right now about the only thing the P-51 does better than the D9 in the MA is beat D9s like a red-headed stepchild in turn-fights...that is, P-51 is the worse turner vrs. 90% of the other aircraft, whereas for the Dora its 99.9%. Dora has the better weight-to-power ratio at MA alts, cannon package, roll rate, and here is the clincher, D9 is an incredibly steady gun platform vrs. the slight odd "twitchy" feeling Ponies and Jugs have for some reason.

Now if the AHII Pony actually turned somewhat better than say, the Typhoon/Tempest, (as the Brits say it did), that would be enough of a margin to put the Mustang head and shoulders above the Dora IMO.

[evenhaim]

The 51 in good hands in ah can provide fierce opposition for a large chunk of the plane list.

[BnZ]

No doubt evenhaim, but take that pilot is a killer in the AHII P-51, put him in a Jug or FW190, he's just as big a killer. Put him in a Corsair, a 109, a Spit, and heaven help you if you cross him.

[Masherbrum]

P51B's a great turner.

No it isn't.   Not even close to "Good".   

[Masherbrum]

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

First off this comment is funny:  "Who here hasn't been killed by a plane that was worse than his by a large gap."    By stating this you are giving too much culpability to the cartoon plane and NOT to the person operating the cartoon plane.   

Next:  The P-51 was deemed the Best Fighter of WWII by the History Channel.    I'm not qualified to disparage their claim.   

I'm trying to decipher this one:   "It faced worse pilots that pilots in earlier planes had encountered making it look like it was an incredible plane."    Not only is the fracture sentence garbled, devoid of proper English, but the Luftwaffe went on regardless of the ride they had at the time.   The I.A.R. 80 series was just as capable as a Pony.   The Gustav's and Kurfürst's were just as capable.   The 190's were IMO, the best fighters of WWII.   They had advancements that are still use today, or have been the "foundation" for current usage.   

The Pony is a great RUNNERin this game for 95% of the folks using it.    The 5% that will gut out a fight, know who they are and should NOT be offended.   

[miraj]

 It is as American as apple pie.

 

[Gixer]

Average at best.


ack-ack

And even then not sustained for very long, maybe two or three turns at best. Both models are very nice in verticle though, with a nice controlled drop. Of course nothing holds in verticle as well as two props and a porked stall model. 


<S>...-Gixer