[ARC5] "Was the P-51 Mustang unbeatable?" on Quora

[Michael Hanz]

I was under the impression that they had a dry sump system (as aircraft 
radial engines also must have).  That collects oil from additional 
scavenger points within the engine, including valve cover areas.  Ball 
valves are used to momentarily shut any scavenge line that starts 
sucking air.  They are not uncommon - I had a dry sump with oil cooler 
in a Lola T70, and they are the only thing that keeps an engine healthy 
in vehicles that corner or accelerate with high G forces.

- Mike  KC4TOS

On 8/17/2021 5:48 PM, Richard Knoppow wrote:
>    I only skimmed the article. One thing that is often overlooked is 
> that the engine in the P-51 like its British counterpart could not fly 
> inverted for more than a few seconds. The method of lubrication used 
> in the Rolls-Royce/Packard engine would not provide adequate 
> lubrication when inverted. That was a limitation in dog fighting. The 
> Spitfire had the same problem since it used essentially the same engine.
>    BTW, I saw a P-51 taking off from the Santa Monica airport a few 
> years ago. The pilot just sat it on its tail and went up at an 
> amazingly steep climb. Very noisy. They are such beautiful planes.
>
> On 8/17/2021 12:10 PM, Hubert Miller wrote:
>> Timewaster warning: this is possibly a waste of your precious time, 
>> but I found this Quora article
>> quite interesting. Which leads to other tempting timewasters...
>>
>> https://www.quora.com/Was-the-P-51-Mustang-nearly-unbeatable-during-the-Second-World-War 
>>
>>
>> -Hue Miller