Bazooka

That might be but none of the "H" variants saw combat in either WWII, because of limited numbers being delivered, or in Korea because the "D" was widely available and a more proven aircraft.

Im waiting for mine to arrive and after Ive had some play time with it I'll be doing a review. Im really impressed with the workmanship I've seen in the pictures so far. This should be a welcome addition to any P-51 pit.

My 2 cents worth.....as a retired B-52 crew member I spent most of my life preparing for nuclear war....and I can emphatically say that not a single person I ever served with wanted to use a nuke in war. All the pretty graphics and videos posted by folks on here DO NOT scratch the reality of what you advocate and most likely only a small percentage of players have ever been in actual combat. Most of us started flying the sims because we wanted to experience flight as best we could and as we get better we want to compete and pit our skills against others so we go further and develop scenarios and virtual theaters for "simulated combat". All that is cool and fun. But I fail to see where the fun would be by ratcheting things up to the level that one player and one weapon could end a simulated battle for all involved. Checkers on a park bench would be more fun! There are lots of things the folks at DCS could do to improve the sims and scenarios but this is one thing that shouldn't be even thought of!

It still goes back to experience....and training. I don't believe the Germans had much of either in the later stages of the war...mounting loses and limited resources would have prevented later German pilots from gaining the experience and training on the Allied level. Ive read several books written by P-51 pilots and they all stated that new pilots to the Mustang were required a minimum of 200 hours of flight time in aircraft qualification and tactics training before they were sent into combat for the first time. I would suspect that if anyone new to DCS P-51 spent that much time learning the aircraft, practicing basic aerobatics and air to air combat maneuvers before engaging in "combat" probably would not find it near as tough to come out the victor in an engagement!

Great idea and I hope those in charge are listening. 3D printing is becoming a standard in pit building as it may be the only way or best way to replicate those impossible to find parts we all need to make our creations seem just a little more real!

I have an old TM Cougar and a nearly new TM X-fighter (B8 grip). I'm looking to strip the Cougar grip and rebuild/update the B8 grip for use in my P-51 sim. Thinking the only real change I need make is a stronger tailpeice to support an extension the approximate length of the P-51 stick. Everything else should be good to go.

This was my very first pit from my childhood in the 60's! I think I was 7 yrs old, many many hours of fun was had.

Thats not really what I would call a straight extension....more like an offset. I can guess its the offset piece on the rear thats banging against your seat. I think if you tried a typical straight extension you probably wouldnt be banging the seat when you pull full back...or move the stick base forward enuf so that it doesnt hit the seat at full rear deflection. Those changes do change the geometry but not enuf to be appreciable. Car seats work for many and are worth considering (unless your are a scale purest!).

Its not real complicated but you didnt mention what your pit is modeled after or the stick you are using so its difficult to give you a complete answer. I suggest you start by searching the net and downloading MIL-STD 1333B Aircrew Station Geometry. That may help solve some of your interference issues. Not sure what seats your are looking at but there are a number of plans available to build an ejection type seat that dont require a woodshop to build and some folks opt for a car seat since they plan on spending a lot of time flying and comfort is a factor. Every stick has a limit on how much movement in each axis it allows. A little research on the aircraft you are basing your pit on will tell you the stick limits and will help you in joystick placement.

I take it from reading thru the posts that neither of these are suited to be a floor mounted stick (ie for a full P-51 pit). Any recommendations on a floor mounted unit?

Good idea but not sure about the strength of the arch made like that for a canopy/windscreen. IMHO its going to be subject to a lot of stress each time you enter and exit the pit as some amount of your weight shift will be transferred to it. This would be a viable method if a harder wood was used but that would most likely require steaming the wood prior to bending it. Either method will require a jig matching the outline of the frame for clamping the structure to. Also a better type of glue such as a urethane glue would dry faster and stronger. A easier method would be stacking layers flat ways, making one large piece and cutting and shaping using a sanding machine to the desired profile.

I used 1/8" aluminum for my levers also, purchased at your friendly Lowes...mine was little difficult to bend so it might be a different alloy....who knows! I spent some time yesterday looking at some YouTube vids on working and bending aluminum and have see the error of my ways. Will try some heat and some dowel pin type bending fixture on the final product. Need to master some metal working skills as my design calls for some of the same offset bends as the original levers and Ive found several different laser cut aluminum seat kits on eBay for a reasonable price that will go nicely in the pit. We're having fun now!!!

I figured I might find some at Michael's craft place...if not Ill take a short drive to the nearest HL. Watched some videos today on working and bending aluminum, should be helpful as I go along. I had two attempts on the throttle arm break before I got one close enuf to work with on the prototype. More to follow.

OKay...lets try this

Direct for my local Area 51 here are a few pics of my first prototype home built P-51 throttle. As a prototype I used what I had laying around so the faceplate and spacers are of 1/8 in aircraft ply and of course the hardware is all from the local hardware store. I tried to keep this within my KISS rules hence the crude levers and such. My design calls for the friction to be set during construction on the mixture and prop levers and is applied to the throttle lever by tightening the hex bolt in the center. Final construction will be all laser cut metal. Looking for any suggestions for improvement and any ideas for the round knobs. Once I have this nailed down, I will share my drawings and info for anyone to use to build their own.