I’ve just gotten back to this game but this time flying joystick only in RB. I’ve noted this problem only on the P-51D-5, the P-51D-20 and P-51D-30 do not exhibit that problem and handle as expected.
When flying with minimum fuel (30 mins), it effectively seems to fly as if there was still fuel stored in the fuselage tank.
The fuselage tank is only meant to be used during long-range missions and it is forbidden to maneuver with fuel still inside it because it shifts the center of gravity significantly. I have noted the wobbliness of the aircraft during a climb and the ease of pulling up that would suggest a shift of the CoG towards the rear of the aircraft.
I don’t really have a way to prove it concretely though. None of the fuel gauges in the cockpit view are visible (the wing fuel tank gauge is at the pilot’s feet and is not really visible, and the fuselage tank gauge is behind the pilot’s left shoulder but is simply not modelled) and there isn’t really a way for me to show which tank has how much fuel.
If someone could tell me how to report what is clearly a bug on this specific aircraft to Gaijin properly, I would be grateful.