I confess the P51 has got a hold on me... building models as a kid I
never quit day dreaming about what would it be like to fly and fight
in a Mustang... so if I ever got lucky enough to actually pilot this
rare and sexy fighter I began preparing by 1)reading books, 2)honing
my skills on a Simulator and 3)logging time in Tail Draggers...
Books
Building the Mustang by Michael O'Leary
If you want to understand what it took to create America's Iconic fighter
from the first prototype and initial production Mustangs built for the
RAF, to the P51B Razor Backs and classic P51D Bubble Backs... If you want
to be right next to the factory workers assembling subcomponets,
wiring harnesses, engine mounts and sighting the 6 50 cal Browning machine
guns... If you want to listen to the engineers debate employing the new
NACA laminar flow airfoil and how aerodynamicist Ed Horkey
specifically adapted it for North American... If you want to be in the
cockpit with test pilot Paul Balfour as the first prototype lost
engine power and he was forced to dead stick in a plowed field and
come to a halt flat on its back...
Read and heed AAF Manual 51-127-5 P51 Pilot Training Manual
The techniques and procedures in the official manual are standard and
mandatory... In this respect the text serves the dual purpose of a
training checklist and a working handbook... I paid particular
attention to the pages covering Aerobatics because I did not want to
fly in moderation...
Quote Page 78
The P-51D has really exceptional acrobatic qualities; stick and rudder
pressures are light and the aileron control is excellent at all
speeds. Be sure of one thing before entering any acrobatic
maneuver-have plenty of altitude. You can do chandelles, wingovers,
slow rolls, loops, Immelmans, and split-S turns with/ease. However,
remember that you must limit inverted flying to 10 seconds because of
loss of oil pressure and failure of the scavenger pump to operate in
inverted position
In a loop you have to pull the airplane over the top, as the nose
won't want to fall through by itself. If you don't fly the airplane on
over the top of the loop, it has a tendency to climb on its back.
The aerodynamic characteristics of the P-51D are such that snap rolls
cannot be satisfactorily performed. This has been proved by a long
series of test flights. So don't try any snap rolls in an attempt to
show that you're the guy who can do them. You'll invariably wind up in
a power spin-and that's bad. Caution: Acrobatics must not be attempted
unless the fuselage tank contains less than 40 gallons of fuel.
MicroSoft Flight Sim has one of the visually stunning and highly
accurate P51 flight modeling you can buy... coupled with a
Thrustmaster joy stick and CH Products rudder pedals this 1G flight
training helps you understand whats it takes to counter the props
torque and how to work the differential braking... Just beware,
Microsoft's P51 is a clip wing, souped up, limited fuel loaded Reno
Air Racer... this is not your typical War Bird, you're in command of
one over powered and sassy race bred Mustang... mercy it will show 150
inches manifold pressure and hit 500 mph pulling 4Gs...
I logged tail dragger time:
Stinson 108
North American AT6
Beechcraft Twin Model 18
Boeing PT17 Stearman
RV8
Piper Cub
Champion Citabria
Naval Factory N3N
DeHaviland Chipmunk
From a mere dreamer to actually slipping into aft the cock pit I'm
greeted by the full range of controls... it's now my turn to tackle a
real P51 named Betty Jane... I feel ready to do it all... from taxiing
to S turns across the ramp to the run up area at McClellan... taking
the active I felt prepared and my confidence was high that I could
control the P51 in moderation... The solid and harmonious feel on the
stick during loops and rolls had me giggling in the headset but it was
time to yank and bank a 1450HP fighter in a mock dog fight like I had
done in a AT6... my first "gotcha" moment occurred half way through a
hard 90 bank elevator turn to the left... I failed to coordinate
rudder with ailerons and the props torque gave an immediate opposite
physical force which altered our path wide and away from the tight
turn... Mercy that sucked but what if I reverse??? so with out
hesitation I yanked the stick over hard right and initiated another 90
bank elevator turn... props torque got me again as it took control
wrestling the airframe down and out of the tight turn... So there I am
hurling towards the ground in a 3,500 ft per min dive... Abort and
recover... OK "pudknocker" getting spanked twice is not education...
executing a harmonious tight combat turn is not as easy as real
fighter pilots make it look... the prop is indeed the boss, all 11 ft
2 in of it... Even though I lost the fight (bandit 1, xlax 0)I loved
every second of my learning experience flying Betty Jane a rare Razor
Back Mustang... Salutes to the Collings Foundation for their keep'em
flying dedication... I must get back up there and try again...