Difference between Military/Civilian

[erik550c]

Hello,

I'm planning on purchasing one of these two planes. I'd be interested in knowing what the difference is between the military and civilian P-51? Is the engine/and V information all the same? Are the systems completely different? I would want the GPS and IFR equipment of the civilian. What are the Pro's and Con's of the two planes?

Thanks in advance,
Erik

[SanderK]

All systems like the engine are identical. The biggest difference is indeed as you say the cockpit layout. In the civilian version you get a modern set of avionics including navigation radios, a GPS and also an autopilot. Lastly there are some minor aesthetic differences in the model and you lose the ability to equip your plane with drop tanks and war ordnance.

So, in short, if you want a P-51 that's as authentic as possible, go for the military version. If you want to navigate and fly IFR however pick the civilian one. It's still a proper Mustang, just with an upgraded cockpit like many of the Mustangs still flying today.

[erik550c]

All systems like the engine are identical. The biggest difference is indeed as you say the cockpit layout. In the civilian version you get a modern set of avionics including navigation radios, a GPS and also an autopilot. Lastly there are some minor aesthetic differences in the model and you lose the ability to equip your plane with drop tanks and war ordnance.

So, in short, if you want a P-51 that's as authentic as possible, go for the military version. If you want to navigate and fly IFR however pick the civilian one. It's still a proper Mustang, just with an upgraded cockpit like many of the Mustangs still flying today.

I'm planning flying vfr nearly cross-country trips to national parks, sounds like civilian is a better choice. Thanks.

[DHenriques_]

All systems like the engine are identical. The biggest difference is indeed as you say the cockpit layout. In the civilian version you get a modern set of avionics including navigation radios, a GPS and also an autopilot. Lastly there are some minor aesthetic differences in the model and you lose the ability to equip your plane with drop tanks and war ordnance.

So, in short, if you want a P-51 that's as authentic as possible, go for the military version. If you want to navigate and fly IFR however pick the civilian one. It's still a proper Mustang, just with an upgraded cockpit like many of the Mustangs still flying today.

I'm planning flying vfr nearly cross-country trips to national parks, sounds like civilian is a better choice. Thanks.

If flying for pleasure either VFR or IFR in FSX is your thing then the civilian Mustang is your best choice. We went to great pains to equip this aircraft with all the tools necessary for you to enjoy an extremely fast fully IFR equipped cross country mount with an exceptional long range capability if flown correctly.
You have full GPS and full ILS capability just in case you feel challenged enough to try solid IFR.
There is literally nothing you can't do in the A2A Civilian P51.
Dudley Henriques

[erik550c]

All systems like the engine are identical. The biggest difference is indeed as you say the cockpit layout. In the civilian version you get a modern set of avionics including navigation radios, a GPS and also an autopilot. Lastly there are some minor aesthetic differences in the model and you lose the ability to equip your plane with drop tanks and war ordnance.

So, in short, if you want a P-51 that's as authentic as possible, go for the military version. If you want to navigate and fly IFR however pick the civilian one. It's still a proper Mustang, just with an upgraded cockpit like many of the Mustangs still flying today.

I'm planning flying vfr nearly cross-country trips to national parks, sounds like civilian is a better choice. Thanks.

If flying for pleasure either VFR or IFR in FSX is your thing then the civilian Mustang is your best choice. We went to great pains to equip this aircraft with all the tools necessary for you to enjoy an extremely fast fully IFR equipped cross country mount with an exceptional long range capability if flown correctly.
You have full GPS and full ILS capability just in case you feel challenged enough to try solid IFR.
There is literally nothing you can't do in the A2A Civilian P51.
Dudley Henriques

Great! Glad to hear it is a good IFR plane, too. I saw that it has NAV1 and NAV2 in a video today. Civilian it is.
Thanks,
Erik

[SanderK]

It's not equipped with a NAV2-radio, just COM1, NAV1, ADF and a transponder. It's all you really need though.

[DHenriques_]

It's not equipped with a NAV2-radio, just COM1, NAV1, ADF and a transponder. It's all you really need though.

Little different avionics setup in the civvy P51. The Nav avionics head is a bit different that's all.
You have Nav 2 capability through a switchover with both the primary and standby frequencies set up on the Nav radio. It's all integrated into the HSI.
I set up my primary Nav for 114.0 for my local on field VOR and have the ILS freq of 110.3 set up as my second switchover freq. With the ADF set up for 248 I have complete IFR capability at KILG.
Works like a charm. It's all in the manual on how to set it up properly.
Remember, A2A doesn't always use default radios and some of the best work done by the team has involved our Avionics systems built to exact specifications of the manufacturer.
Dudley Henriques

[erik550c]

Okay. I only use Nav2 for checkpoints, except the occasional complicated IFR procedure. It sounds like I'll still be able to fly a complicated IFR procedure with the Civ.

Thanks again,
Erik

[DHenriques_]

Okay. I only use Nav2 for checkpoints, except the occasional complicated IFR procedure. It sounds like I'll still be able to fly a complicated IFR procedure with the Civ.

Thanks again,
Erik

You'll really like that experience. It's challenging for me. The 51 was never a good IFR platform as every power change required a trim change to keep things honest.
Our A2A 51 has a great flight model so you'll be as busy as I am on the clocks )
Good luck and have fun. I know I do )
DH

[n421nj]

Just curious what navigation equipment does the p51 military version have? A compass I'm assuming at the very least?