I had to do some minor trimming and adjusting before it was ready to fly for the first time. Hobby-Lobby included a Y-splitter to replace the one that already links the aileron servos to the 6-channel receiver. Now it was time for the first taxi. I immediately noticed that this aircraft immensely favored the left. In fact it would begin turning left the instant there was enough thrust to get the wheels rolling. Even with full right rudder this plane could barely keep left of center. I double-checked the trimming and ensured that the tail wheel was not stuck; all were fine. Next I checked the main landing gear. The right wheel turned freely but the left wheel could barely turn at all. It took quite a bit of force to get it to rotate, the wheel was stuck. I turned the end cap on the wheel about a half-turn counter clockwise and that seemed to free the wheel. I tried to taxi again and still noted that the aircraft has a noticeable tendency towards the left. This time with some right rudder I was able to get the aircraft to turn slightly right. With a little right-rudder (as most full-sized aircraft require) I was able to take off straight down the runway.

First flight:
Immediately after takeoff it seemed that the ailerons were stuck as the plane started falling left. A quick jerk (right/left) of the aileron control stick seemed to remedy aileron issue. Once straight the P-51 climbed quickly and effortlessly. The combination of this inexpensive, utilitarian motor and the authentic looking 4 blade prop gave this aircraft more than adequate thrust; what a feat! After a couple of left and right turns I tried some basic aerobatics. The silky brushless motor propelled the P-51 right in and out of a loop. With the stock notch settings on the ailerons I was able to roll this aircraft 3 times (consecutively) quite easily without losing significant altitude.

I continued to perform turns, loops, rolls, Immelman and split-S turns for about 3 or 4 minutes. Then I tried some low flybys and some inverted flight. This aircraft can handle inverted flight but only with some trimming and experience. When passing low over the runway this aircraft was close enough to notice how well its form mimics a real P-51 Mustang. Needless to say there are far nicer and more accurate scale replicas of the P-51 but let’s keep in mind that my review remains in the context of a $200 all-inclusive RTF. In my experience this is a beautiful, scale replica of the real this right down to it characteristics and tendencies.

After about 7 minutes of flight I started a landing pattern. Keeping in mind that this is a scale aircraft I brought it into the final leg at about 50% throttle. Once I was lined up with the runway I pulled back a drop more throttle and allowed the aircraft to sink and bleed airspeed with constant elevator corrections. Immediately before touchdown I put the [conventional, tail wheel] P-51 into a three-point attitude (slight nose up to allow all three wheels to touch almost simultaneously). Even with the appropriate landing attitude the plane’s tail seemed to lift immediately after touchdown, the prop struck the ground and the aircraft skidded on the prop to a stop. No damage was done.

I should note that this first flight was performed in gusts of 5 to 8 MPH winds. These conditions are not ideal for an aircraft of this weight and size and I would recommend flying at little to no wind.

Several more flights:
Over the course of a weekend I performed around 20 flights. Most takeoffs again seemed to favor a slight left roll immediately after breaking ground and each time some right aileron input corrected the aircraft into a level flight. Most landings went well as I held some up elevator to keep the nose up but in some cases the plane just seemed to want to pitch forward and nose over into the ground. I admit I am not a perfect pilot but I know the principles of flight and landing quite well. In the case of a nose over I may have been touching down too fast but I did not think so at the time. Sometimes it just seemed like the aircraft was a little nose heavy (but I could be wrong). I would not recommend adding any weight to the rear of the aircraft, rather to give the main landing wheels a greater tilt forward (wheel tilted towards the front of the plane). After trying that small fix my landings seemed to improve dramatically.

The battery seems to last for about 10-12 minutes. Once the battery is exhausted the plane seems to lose a great deal of power and if you are not close enough to your runway get ready for a grass landing. This happened to me 4 times (I had so much fun flying this aircraft that I lost track of time. Bad pilot! Bad!). Although there suddenly isn’t enough juice to keep the motor cranking fast there is certainly enough battery life to help steer and direct the aircraft to a safe landing within seconds of losing power. Two out of four emergency landings resulted in an undesirable crash-like hit in the final second of the landing but save for a couple of minor scrapes and battle scars no significant damage was done to the aircraft.

Build quality:
This aircraft is made mostly of foam. The fuselage is a marriage of two symmetrical molds with a plastic firewall and nylon screws to secure the wings. The motor mount is very thin and flimsy (but I suppose anything more robust would add too much weight to the nose). The motor is a very basic brushless motor (a bit odd looking) that works well to give this particular aircraft plenty of power. The horizontal stabilizer is secured by two screws that screw into a piece of plastic inside the foam body (warning: do not over-tighten). I must note that the horizontal stab is not secure enough and it moves side-to-side slightly with all elevator inputs. I believe this may affect the aircrafts performance in low altitudes, especially on take offs and landings. The vertical stabilizer is secured by a collar (around the horizontal stab) and several screws. In my opinion the rudder does not provide enough steering to the aircraft while on the ground however it does very well in the air. The wings are secured into the fuselage by the lower intake stump and two nylon screws. Each main landing gear assembly is secured to the wing by 4 screws that screw into a plastic mount. I must note that getting the landing gear installed is a bit tricky. You must align all four screws perfectly into the tiny plastic receiving holes or else you are screwing into Styrofoam; this can cause your landing gear to collapse on landing or even takeoff.

At the time of doing this review I spoke with a representative at Hobby-Lobby and I was informed that a new revision of this aircraft is being worked on with the manufacturer. They will address a number of little issues that can be corrected to improve the quality and performance of this product. It is nice to know that there is a company that cares about providing reasonably priced hobby products while constantly working on quality and design improvements. Most hobby product resellers do not get as involved with the manufacturers to provide feedback and advice regarding product design.

Conclusion:
For the money this is a very well built and forgiving aircraft. Is it a P-51 Mustang that “anyone can fly”? I am not so sure about that. I would say anyone with a little trainer experience, who knows how to take off and land without assistance can easily handle this warbird. In other words 'Anyone who knows how to fly can fly [this plane].' Most beginners however would probably need to purchase some replacement parts even after their very first flight (replacement parts are offered at reasonable prices through Hobby-Lobby.com). If you are a first-timer you could start with this aircraft but you should have an experienced pilot assist you and teach you how to fly it. While I believe some folks can learn to fly with this aircraft I would recommend starting with a 4-channel trainer aircraft first. --- Yes Or Know It Rating: 9/10 * Editor's Choice *