Mothballing the P-51 trainer for now is an excellent idea.

What very few people seem to realize is that your typical 40 size high wing trainer has a wing loading of mid to high teens. This P-51 trainer has a wing loading of about 26 - 27 oz per sq foot.

What this means in the real world is that the P-51 is going to have to fly faster to stay in the air and is going to have to land faster also to keep from stalling.

While you are learning, slower is better.