Specifications

[P-51D Mustang]
DCS
EAGLE DYNAMICS
107
Special Flight Conditions
Full Fuselage Tank
Special care must be taken with the control stick when the fuselage tank contains more than 25
gallons of gas. In such cases, the flying characteristics of the aircraft change considerably –
increasingly so as the amount of fuel in the tank is increased. When carrying more than 40 gallons of
fuel in the fuselage tank, it’s necessary to avoid any high performance maneuvers. The fuel weight
shifts the CG back, making the aircraft highly unstable during maneuvering.
Reversibility
With the fuselage tank full, the CG of the aircraft moves back so far that it is nearly impossible to
trim for hands-off level flight. Also, as soon as a sharp pull or turn is attempted, the stick forces
reverse due to the effects of high G on an aft-positioned CG airframe. For example, once the G is
loaded into a turn, the aircraft will naturally tighten the pull and may require pushing forward on the
stick to balance. Similarly, when recovering from a dive with an aft-positioned CG, the aircraft tends
to recover too sharply and may require changing from pulling the stick back to pushing it forward to
maintain a desirable pullout rate.
The tendency for the CG to affect stick forces to the point of reversing them is called Reversibility. In
the P-51, this effect can be expected when the fuselage tank is loaded with a significant quantity of
fuel. Reversibility is reduced rapidly as the fuel quantity in the fuselage tank drops to half and below.
Additionally, the P-51D features a bobweight added to the elevator control system bellcrank. This
weight reduces the amount of forward pressure required to overcome reversibility tendencies.
Drop Tanks
When equipped with drop tanks, only normal flight attitudes are permitted. Only normal climbing
turns and descents should be performed when carrying drop tanks.
Low Level Flight
When flying at extremely low altitudes, the aircraft should be trimmed slightly tail-heavy to avoid
dropping the nose toward the ground in case the pilot’s attention is momentarily taken away from
aircraft control.
High Altitude Flight Characteristics
The P-51D’s 2-stage, 2-speed supercharger provides plentiful power up to well above 35,000 feet. As
a general rule, the greater the altitude, the greater the control movement required to achieve the
same response.
The supercharger blower will automatically shift into high speed at between 14,500 and 19,500 feet.
This change will be accompanied by a momentary surge in power and increase in manifold pressure,
until the manifold pressure regulator catches up. There is no noticeable effect when the supercharger