For a fighter, the P-40 is an extremely stable airplane in flight-if you trim it right. Remember, periodic adjustments of 'the trim tabs are necessary as the gas load changes and as speed and power settings vary. When cruising, keep checking the setting of the trim tabs to see if there is any excessive deviation from NEUTRAL. You may find thatyou have too much rudder trim and are compensating for it with aileron pressure. This condition is frequent when flying formation.

If your airplane shows a tendency toward excessive wing heaviness, make a note of it in your Form 1A so that the crew chief can adjust the aileron trim tabs. (In P-40's with electric aileron trim tab control you can trim ailerons in flight.) Your best manifold pressure for cruising is 30" Hg. (28" Hg. for Grade 91) and 2300 rpm. At these settings fuel consumption is usually about 50 gallons per hour, varying slightly among individual airplanes.

The P-40 has few equals in maneuverability below 15,000 feet. It turns inside nearly all other high-performace fighters. You can make any kind of turn if you coordinate your controls aIways use a steady pressure on the controls; don't horse back on the stick. Constant use of the rudder trim tab controls reduces energy required to work the rudder and makes coordination easier. Before the P-40 reaches the stalling point in a turn it gives you plenty of warning by shuddering violently. When it

begins to shudder, relax the back pressure on the stick. You can make a turn just above the stalling point, even while the airplane is shuddering, if you coordinate your controls smoothly. Such a turn is a maximum turn. (A higher rpm setting allows you to make a tighter turn.) A sudden uncoordinated maximum turn usually results in a high-speed stall. If you don't correct the stall immediately, the airplane snaps into a spin. At low altitudes a spin is especially dangerous for you may not have room to pull out of it.