P-51 vs La or Spits

[Spatula]

For spits, i find that if you keep the fight very fast and use the excellent instantaneous turn performance of the mustang to be very aggressive on the merge, you will find you can be at least the equal of the spit for the first couple of turns. If you have alt and keep the fight descending (to keep your speed up), you can give any spit a run for its money until you run out of alt. The last thing you want is to run out of speed and get into a slow sustained turn contest with it, cause you will never win that match up. Keeping your speed up and being aggressive can yield results. If you haven't gained the angles you need within the time window you have your speed up, then you can always withdraw, use your speed advantage to gain excess E, and come back for seconds.

La's pose a bigger threat than spits. Spits are entrees. Las are the main course. I always go after the Las first. Keep the fight between 8 and 12k for the D pony, and above 12k for the B pony, and you can be the equal of any La, espc with the combat flaps. Dont get below that unless you have a good positional advantage, otherwise it will turn in the Las favour.  Above 8K, you can still do "tactical withdrawals", below that you cant.

[SgtPappy]

As much as I wish we started with altitude, my buddies and I prefer to start duel by taking off from the same bases, rising up only 1K in alt and turning towards each other at 5K away.

If he's got a Spitfire XIV and I have a D-pony... things get really difficult. This opponent has been playing for about as long as I have and there's actually a 50/50 chance of him winning if we were in the same planes.

Any advice on how to use the tiny speed advantage or anything really, of the P-51D (or P-51B) starting at such a low altitude?

[Raygun]

This is often said, and there is a lot of truth to it. A good argument can be made that the P-47 broke the back of the Luftwaffe over the Western front before the P-51s were deployed. I don't think anyone would argue that the Thunderbolt was outright better as an air superiority machine though, although it was good enough at the right time except for the issue of range.

 And of course the Experten were not ALL dead. Consider the fact that a certain number of Luftwaffe high-scorers from the Eastern front did not have such a nice experience when moving to the West. And of course, some German aces survived and went on to write memoirs of their experiences that have inspired more "lost cause" fandom than anything other than the Confederate States of America.... 

Except when they didn't. I'm sure you've already read the combat account quoted by Humble in a thread in General discussion.

Once again, generally this is true, but there are enough instances from WWII when things did not go according to plan and dogfights broke out for us to know that the P-51 was no turkey in fights over Europe with either the 190 or the 109.

One could also say this of the P-38 and what it did for the Army Air Corps in the Pacific. The Lightning, Thunderbolt, and Hellcat don't get near enough air to air credit as they deserve. The Hellcat destroyed more aircraft than any other American fighter, the Thunderbolt went up against the Luftwaffe until basically 1944, and the P-38 was the only Fighter in production throughout WWII (and had the Top two scoring American Aces  ).

I love the Mustang, but my 38 wants some love too 

[BnZs]

Ray, outside of AHII/general WWII aircraft fandom, the P-51 IS hyped to an absurd degree, but inside the "community" as it were some have taken an opposite reactionary position and try to paint the P-51  as The-Single-Worst-Aircraft-Of-WWII, That-Only-Shot-Down-Some-Germans-Because-The-Yanks-Cheated or some such. 

One could also say this of the P-38 and what it did for the Army Air Corps in the Pacific. The Lightning, Thunderbolt, and Hellcat don't get near enough air to air credit as they deserve. The Hellcat destroyed more aircraft than any other American fighter, the Thunderbolt went up against the Luftwaffe until basically 1944, and the P-38 was the only Fighter in production throughout WWII (and had the Top two scoring American Aces  ).

I love the Mustang, but my 38 wants some love too 

[fudgums]

love your avatar spatula LOL