Conslaw
Senior Airman
Friends,
I think we're too hung up on a number. There is nothing magical about 380 MPH. The tactical advantage doesn't come in a number it comes in the status of being "fast enough". My premise is that entering into the combat area fast, before contact with the enemy is a huge tactical advantage. At this stage, you aren't going to be be using any fluid injection, and you are not going to be using a power setting that requires a tear-down at the end of the flight. In other words, you aren't going to uses "war emergency" power. You also aren't going to use a power setting that doesn't give you enough endurance to do what you want to do. You will use the highest power setting that allows you to do what you need to do. You might call that a "fast cruise". You might call it something else. The Mustang, because of its low drag, could go faster per unit of power and fuel consumption than most or all of its peers/adversaries. Going into the battle fast in a Mustang is crucial because the plane is heavy in relation to its power. Not being caught low and slow is crucial to survivability in a P-51. If a P-51 is bounced while in eco-cruise, all of its performance advantages are gone. Conversely, if the P-51 maintains a continuous speed (none dare call it "cruising") in the combat area which is above the maximum continuous speed of its adversary's, the adversary will be at a significant disadvantage unless the adversary has a substantial altitude advantage. It is unlikely the adversary will have a position advantage at the Mustang's 6 because the Mustang already passed that area faster than the adversary could go. If you start with that speed advantage, add in a numerical advantage and the advantage that the P-51's main job is to protect bombers, and the Luftwaffe's main ob was to shoot down bombers, it is easy to see how the P-51 had the second highest score against enemy aircraft for US fighter types. (#1 was the F6F Hellcat which was slower than the Mustang, but was fast enough to do what it had to do.)
I think we're too hung up on a number. There is nothing magical about 380 MPH. The tactical advantage doesn't come in a number it comes in the status of being "fast enough". My premise is that entering into the combat area fast, before contact with the enemy is a huge tactical advantage. At this stage, you aren't going to be be using any fluid injection, and you are not going to be using a power setting that requires a tear-down at the end of the flight. In other words, you aren't going to uses "war emergency" power. You also aren't going to use a power setting that doesn't give you enough endurance to do what you want to do. You will use the highest power setting that allows you to do what you need to do. You might call that a "fast cruise". You might call it something else. The Mustang, because of its low drag, could go faster per unit of power and fuel consumption than most or all of its peers/adversaries. Going into the battle fast in a Mustang is crucial because the plane is heavy in relation to its power. Not being caught low and slow is crucial to survivability in a P-51. If a P-51 is bounced while in eco-cruise, all of its performance advantages are gone. Conversely, if the P-51 maintains a continuous speed (none dare call it "cruising") in the combat area which is above the maximum continuous speed of its adversary's, the adversary will be at a significant disadvantage unless the adversary has a substantial altitude advantage. It is unlikely the adversary will have a position advantage at the Mustang's 6 because the Mustang already passed that area faster than the adversary could go. If you start with that speed advantage, add in a numerical advantage and the advantage that the P-51's main job is to protect bombers, and the Luftwaffe's main ob was to shoot down bombers, it is easy to see how the P-51 had the second highest score against enemy aircraft for US fighter types. (#1 was the F6F Hellcat which was slower than the Mustang, but was fast enough to do what it had to do.)