Hello chaps,
Nick pointed out this thread about the upcoming Aeroplane Heaven/Flight1 P-51D.
I run the European office of Flight1 and thought would drop a few answers and thoughts to the various questions here. I am not one really for forums, so go easy on me. I am very blessed to also fly a very high performance aircraft for real, love old aircraft, know many owners of them and so this project became a little bit of a passion of mine. So here I am saying hello and joining in
Yep, there are other P51 add-ons out there. But there weren't any good ones when we started this project well over a year ago now - maybe longer!
Yep the first images on the Simforums thread were pretty early shots. We've done a lot of tweaking and alterations to a whole number of areas since then. Nick's two shots here are representative of the final product. He will post more I hope
First thing to remember is if you ask three different pilots about something to do with flying you will get three dfferent answers! The same is is with P51 owners and pilots. Each plane has been restored slightly differently, there are countless different canopies for one thing - without even getting started on cockpit layouts, compass cards, lighting arrangements and other details.
Even Maurice Hammond who rebuilt two P51s and flies and owns them both (and who helped us with many hours of time pouring over his aircraft and him flying our sim model and advising on how things should be) has canopies which are different on each aircraft. We took a view of modelling as best we could a 'factory-fresh' P-51D. So no rear seats as many restored versions have instead of the centre fuel tank and a cockpit layout that fits the POH c1944.
The cockpit is roomy in a P51, but with a modern helmet on you have to duck your head to close the canopy, so yes the pilot can look big at some angles. But he is the right size in our version I promise you. I took pictures of Maurice in his aircraft and you would wonder with some of them how he would fit at all, at other air to air images he looks tiny.
And yes this is a ground up FSX development, not a port from anything else.
We have modelled everything that makes sense to model - the pilot uses oxygen above 8000ft and you see him with mask on above that height for example.
Yes, we modelled WEP. There is (well was in WWII) a wire gate if you needed to really get the hell out of there. We have modelled this, so full throttle will take you to 61". But you need to 'break the wire' if you want to unleash the final few inches of MP. Just remember that this usually would involve a post sortie engine inspection, strip down in some cases and possible rebuild. Thankfully in FSX you can just load a new one in without a $100,000 bill.
We did initially model engine seizure if you fly inverted for too long (the Packard Merlin had an injection carbuerettor so it was the lack of oil from the scavenger pump that prevented flyig upside down rather than fuel starvation as many seem to think - the POH warns against flying inverted for more than 10s) - but the way FSX and different computers work together meant we couldn't get this to be accurate as it should be. So we removed it as I'd rather not have something in than have it done badly. Does that make a difference? Maybe. But which one of use is going to fly upside down for 30s (well apart from me, but that is a long story for another thread...)
We modelled what happens if you over-prime her. I'll leave that as a surprise, though Nick may post up a shot. Though you can all probably guess.
We have a variety of different weapon load-outs and wing tank fitments and such like for those who want them.
We modelled the gun ports individually for Maurice's aircraft which are different from those on other P51s.
We changed the look of the wing spar internally when the gear is down. We modelled the hydraulic bleed off for the undercarriage doors.
It was impossible to see the centre fuel gauge without Track IR (it's located behind the pilot's left shoulder) so we added a special view for that.
The performance is right on the numbers. She sounds beautiful. She handles as a P51 does. She has massive torque as you'd expect (by way of a sad warning: Maurice told me a story of a friend of his who owned a P51 in the US very sadly died when going around as an aircraft lined wass on the runway and not visible, as he accidentally put on too much power at low speed and the torque flipped the aircraft on its back).
Like most high performance aircraft she is pussy cat when treated right, but will bite if you don't.
There are compromises which as a real pilot bug me a teeny weeny bit but would feel unnatural in FSX - for example the sound when flying aircraft like this is LOUD. Now in a real aircraft with a big lump the sounds tends to go from throaty, thumpy loudness at idle-1200rpm to screaming deafening loudness at anything above that. With perhaps a added wail/ear bleed sound at absolute full throttle. When sitting in the cockpit. It's either quiet or loud basically. The same with the Mustang, their pilots tell me. But this would just annoy you all if we replicated that exactly, so the sound is a real Mustang sound, is real loud but more progressive as you push the throttle forward. It seems better and nicer in the sim that way.
Don't worry, I write the above just to give you a feel for the fact that in simulation there are some little compromises that make it a better product. Just as it's nice not to have ring up the insurance company when you hit a tree/hangar/go off the runway, etc. with a $1.5m aircraft
I am sure you will like how she sounds!
I guess I am saying a lot of love went into this...
We have LOTS of documention with it and a very nice colour feature about Maurice and the rebuild of his Marinell aircraft and touchingly a bit about the man who flew Marinell - the aircradt was shot down after 45 days of being operational. For me I never forget what those chaps did for us all back then and I guess I just want to capture a little bit of the spirit of the aircraft and hope that it gives a little chill down the back of your spine, as it does me whether it's the simulated one or as we all undoubtedly feel when we see and hear a real one fly past.
Anyway indulgent emotions aside, we will be selling this little baby for $34.95 by download) and a few more tweaks aside we should be ready to have this one on sale next week.
Flight1 operates a money-back guarantee on all its products, so you can try it and if you like it keep it and tell others, if not then get your money back and you will no doubt tell others too anyway!
But I hope you like it, have room in your hangar for it. And any other questions in the mean time then I will do my best to answer them!
