Thank you for the Mustang, what a lovely plane :)

[msalama]

Salud!

 

I've got to admit I was originally a bit hesitant in buying a WW2 prop fighter without a proper theatre to fly it in. But then bought it regardless, because these Chrimbo sales have a way of convincing even stingy bastards like myself And I'm SOOOO glad I did, because the Mustang is an absolute joy to fly!

 

I've flown quite a few simulated prop crates during the years - IL-2, MSFS, RoF, whatever - and I can honestly say I've NEVER experienced a flight and systems model this good and challenging And yeah, I've always thought I'm, like, hotter than a Saharan July with stuff like taking off immediately having not read a line of documentation, because in IL-2 one used to do just that - and survived. But oh how the times have changed since with the introduction of superior sims such as this; tried it with the Stang and promptly ended in a fireball So back to RTFMing it was, and only trying again after I'd actually _understood_ something about this ol' bird.

 

Well, several not-so-Hollywoodish tries later either ending with me in the bushes or as a burning piece of debris again, I finally succeeded in keeping her straight and airborne we got. WOO-HOO! But then I promptly forgot the first operational rule of the big piston, i.e. reduce throttle first and only then RPMs and of course did it vice versa - and the big Merlin seized while I was already far out over the sea at 500ft! SPLAAAAASH...

 

But practice makes, well, if not perfect, then at least capable of surviving I'm now at a stage where I can take off, fly around and land in good weather without overt danger to life and limb (albeit at times a bit wobbly it has to be said) and the experience is so much fun that I honestly don't even think about a proper theatre yet. So a big thank you, ED, from this simmer at least - what a MAGNIFICENT piece of vintage hardware this is!

 

So again, S! S! and S!guys. Keep up the stellar work!

 

PS. Oh, and did I say already that I've fallen in love this bird?

[Anatoli-Kagari9]

I second your oppinion. It's the best proof of concept I can have regarding the quality of the simulation engine in DCS World.

 

Just as you, with many (more than 20) yrs of flight simulation, and simulators "flown", I have never found one that performs in such an amazing way!

 

DCS World has conquered my total dedication to their platform :-)

[Echo38]

And my axe!

[swe_badger]

[msalama]

Ah, some tough HVAR love for the Nazgûl on the cards then it seems :D

 

Yah, slowly getting to grips with the Stang. But whenever I load 4 HVARs I can only fire 3 and the 4th is always a hangup. There's a rotary in the weapons panel where you can (seemingly) input the amount of rockets you carry, but whatever number I dial in I can still fire only 3. Puzzling...

 

PS. I know, I know,:book: is what I should do a LOT at this point - been only flying with an abbreviated startup checklist so far because I just love this bird. No time for doco perusal just yet...

Edited December 31, 2012 by msalama

[Slap_Chop]

It's very frustrating trying to explain to people who haven't purchased the P-51 that just mastering landing and take off is worth the price of the Sim alone.

 

 

I was just like you msalama, not sure I'd like this Sim. But part of my daily routine now is taking off and landing this bird. Just feels good to fly.

 

 

And if you have any nostalgia about WWII birds this just brings you home.

[rrohde]

The Mustang might be a joy to fly, but it's a total pain in the rear to land. Don't get me wrong -- I love every aspect of the DCS series including the P-51D module, but I cannot land that thing for the live of me.

 

I *always* crash. No exception.

 

My Saitek X-52's curvature is 40 for pitch and roll, and 30 for the rudder (with 5 for deadzone).

 

Any pointers? :)

[msalama]

And if you have any nostalgia about WWII birds this just brings you home.

Ohhh maaan... +111111

 

Any pointers?

 

Hmmm... as per the POH (IIRC) I plonk the gear down at 160ish indicated, and just apply flaps gradually while the speed bleeds down (RPM at max & MAP in the green at this point - the exact power depends on the desired glideslope). I've also found that you've got to arrest any sideslip pretty rapidly and trim the nose up to counter excessive stick back pressure, AND take the torque of the big Merlin into account at all times, i.e. NO rapid changes on the throttle or you may even flip over! And finally when I'm over the fence and positive I'm gonna make it I shut the throttle completely, glide lower and flare just above the runway, usually resulting in a three-pointer(ish) touchdown.

 

The final approach speed working for me seems to be somewhere around 110-120 indicated, and in the flare somewhere around 100ish I think - don't know exactly, because there's really no time to monitor it constantly at that point. Hope this helps mate :)

 

To summarize:

 

1) Not too fast! You'll only bounce and wreck the plane.

2) Keep her in trim, and WATCH THE BALL! Trimming out the rudder is tricky in a high-perf prop plane because power changes throw it all off again, but keep the ball centered regardless.

3) When you know you're going to make it, cut the throttle completely (not too rapidly though) and flare her out. Seems to work pretty well.

 

Or something like that at any rate...

[msalama]

And oh yeah, my curvature setting for all controller axes (pitch, roll, yaw) is as follows:

 

0, 0.01, 0.02, 0.05, 0.11, 0.2, 0.32, 0.46, 0.62, 0.8, 1 + deadzone 5.

[159th_Viper]

Any pointers? :)

 

You crashing 3-pointers?

 

Herewith a vid I made a wee while ago illustrating a three-point landing. Basically you get her in a three-point configuration and wait for the inevitable stall, bringing her down to terra-firma. The thing to learn is the 'attitude' or 'cockpit picture' that you need to attain. Basically the attitude on the ground is what you are after a couple of feet from the runway - ease back on the power and she'll settle on all threes.

 

In any event, vid is easier - just looksee and imitate. With practice it will become second nature. Once three-pointers are sorted then move on the wheelers.

 

t9yTD5wJy2g

[SimFreak]

2 for first post. I have yet to meet such a wonderful model in any flight simulator (including military)

[rrohde]

Thanks for the feedback, guys. Greatly appreciated. :)

[msalama]

Glad to be of help mate :) Mind, though, that I actually gave you a tad too low an approach speed for finals in my previous post I think - the correct value is more like 120-130 or thereabouts. Gets a bit too wobbly if you get much below that...

[rrohde]

I will keep that in mind, thank you. :)

[leafer]

Here's a the Mustang Anonymousthread... Enjoy :D

 

And here's mine.

 

Kxj9TEAEpcA

[Anatoli-Kagari9]

It has a learning curve yes, but a VERY REWARDING one :-)

 

In the end I am now mastering landings and takeoofs even under extreme x-winds, with no problem ad using default linear throw on all axis.

 

My problem now are the missions... the mission editor... etc... And there are still two other to learn, the mighty BS2 and the A10C :-)

[Merlin-27]

In total agreement...Amazing aircraft. This sim has totally re-ignited my love for the 'Stang. I dove in full simulation from the start and boy can she give you a run for your money. But as was said in a previous reply, the satisfaction of taming this Pony is worth every bit of initial frustration.

Edited January 14, 2013 by Merlin-27

[Anatoli-Kagari9]

I can't stall it anymore :-( Nor land hard, takeoff slipping off the rw... Nothing, and of course in Simulation mode! Everything looks so damn simple now... :-)

[Python]

I still can't dog fight in the bugger without rolling all over the place at the slightest touch... we'll get there though.... Probably.