I found data, Maybe not good for P 51 D's
FM:
One problems with the P51D was that on take-off with a full load of fuel (with drop tanks and ammo) the plane at maximum weight AND was tail heavy.
Instructors in the US trained the new pilots to burn off their drop tanks FIRST, then begin burning off fuel from the tank behind the pilot in order to get maximum range.
The problem was that if a problem came up that meant returning to the field o land, the plane could not be landed in the tail heavy condition: it would flip upside down on its tail on approach.
Many green pilots were killed.
The experienced pilots quickly retrained the green kids to take off on the wing tanks, then at about 2000 feet switch the tank behind the pilot to burn off the 85 gallons that was making the plane tail heavy during the remaining time it took to climb to 30,000 ft plus. That way if they did have to drop the wing tanks to go after BF 109s for FW 190, the Mustang would not have to fight in a tail heavy configuration, which would mean sure death.
Landing the Mustang had some Do's and Don'ts. The plane required itself to be flown onto the runway with ample power. Too many green pilots would find themselves "short" of the runway and at just above stall speed, trying to add a big burst of power from the Merlin. The Merlin is not a high rev engine, but it IS an extremely high torque engine. Opening the throttle would cause an immediate increase of torque to be applied to the massive bladed propeller which reacted slowly causing reaction torque causing the plane to roll in the opposite direction of the propeller rotation, usually causing a stall and crash since there was no time to apply opposite stick to correct. Most experienced Mustang drivers landed well above stall speed and slightly long to assure that they would not be caught with this problem.
This high torque problem showed up on the F6F Hellcat and the Corsair which used the same design prop. Both Navy and Marine pilots reported the problem which was very bad on flat top landing where there was no margin for error.
When the D model became available in quantity in the summer, cases of the aircraft losing its tail surfaces in flight began to be reported.
Flight restrictions were placed on the aircraft and the tail surfaces were beefed up. Wing failures were also reported due to control stick force reversal in high-speed dives.
The bobweight was added to the elevator control system to fix this problem. But for the aircraft to be even marginally stable, the fuselage fuel tank had to be less than half full.
The Mustang still had problems a year later when the 7AF began B-29 escort missions to Japan. Incidences were reported of tail surface failures in
dogfights.
History:
The first combat unit equipped with Merlin-powered Mustangs was the 354th Fighter Group, which reached England in October of 1943. The 354th FG consisted of the 353rd, 355th and 356th Fighter Squadrons, and was part of the 9th Air Force which had the responsibility of air-to-ground attacks in support of the upcoming invasion of Europe. However, they were immediately ordered to support the bomber operations of the 8th Air Force. The 354th flew their first cross-Channel sweep mission on December 1, 1943, and scored their first victory on a mission to Bremen on December 16. However, inexperienced pilots and ground crews and numerous technical problems limited operations with the P-51B/C until about eight weeks into 1944. From the early spring of 1944, the Merlin-powered Mustang became an important fighter in the ETO.
The 357th Fighter Group, also initially assigned to the 9th Air Force but was quickly transferred to operational control of the 8th Air Force for bomber escort. It flew its first P-51B escort mission on February 11, 1944.
The 363rd Fighter Group became the third P-51B operator in Europe on February 23, 1944.
Most of the P-51B/Cs were assigned to the 8th and 9th Air Forces in England, with a lesser number with the 12th and 15th USAAF in Italy. The P-51B/C remained the prime Mustang variant in service from December 1943 until March of 1944, when the bubble-topped P-51D began to arrive. However, P-51B/C fighters remained predominant until the middle of 1944, and remained in combat until the end of the war in Europe even after the arrival of large numbers of P-51Ds. Even as late as the l ast month of the war, 1000 out of the 2500 Mustangs serving in the ETO were of the P-51B/C variety.
However, many pilots regarded the Malcolm-hooded P-51B/C as the best Mustang of the entire series. It was lighter, faster, and had crisper handling than the later bubble-hooded P-51D and actually had a better all-round view. Its primary weakness, however, was in its armament--only four rather than six guns, which often proved prone to jamming. Some of the modifications applied to the P-51D to improve the ammunition feed were later retrofitted into P-51B/Cs, which made their guns less prone to jamming. With modified guns and a Malcolm hood, the P-51B/C was arguably a better fighter than the P-51D, with better visibility, lower weight, and without the structural problems which afflicted the D.
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WWII 8thAAF COMBAT CHRONOLOGY
JANUARY 1944 THROUGH JUNE 1944
http://www.8thafhs.org/combat1944a.htm
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XLS spreadsheet showing all the 8th Air Force missions and targets with losses by date throughout the war. The 8th flew Mission #1 17 August 1942 when 12 B-17s attacked Rouen Marshalling yards and the last mission on 8 May 1945 Mission.
http://www.taphilo.com/history/8thaf/8thaf-missions.xls
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