North American P-51 "Mustang"
Left is "Big Beautiful Doll," 84th FS/78th FG, flown by COL John Landers. At right is "Frenesi," 364th FS/357th FG, flown by LTCOL Thomas L. Hayes.
[SOUND]
American industry created many classic aircraft prior to and during WWII. Perhaps the ultimate design of WWII was the North American Aviation P-51. This aircraft's most distinctive feature is the ventral air scoop. The sound is perhaps equally distinctive. No other aircraft purrs like this one does at full throttle. This aircraft was originally designed and built to fulfill a British contract for a reconnaissance aircraft. The first Mustang rolled off the assembly line 117 days after the order was placed. Originally dubbed the A-36 "Apache", the British renamed it "Mustang," and its designation was changed to P-51 (P standing for Pursuit). The British demonstrated the aircrafts utility as a fighter and dive bomber, and at this point the USAAF took notice.
The USAAF had been desperately seeking a fighter capable of making deep penetrations of enemy airspace. The P-47 was limited in range and could scarcely make it past the German coast even with drop tanks. The P-38, an excellent fighter in its own right, was not too reliable for high altitude missions due to cold temperature failures of its systems. All eyes were on the P-51. Unfortunately, the original engine, an Allison V-1710, was not up to high altitude, long range duty. After some serious debate the Americans agreed to do tests with a Merlin-Rolls Royce engine. Allison was unable to build a suitable replacement and the Merlin proved to be superb for the task at hand. In 1942 the first Merlin Mustang was delivered to the USAAF.
Big Beautiful Doll and Frenesi
Long range escort duty was made possible by the addition of drop tanks and larger internal stores. This gave the Mustang the ability to follow the bombers deep into enemy territory, then escort the strike package back to friendly airspace. The design allowed for about 10 minutes of aerial combat maneuvering (ACM) over target. Once the external fuel stores were jettisoned the 51 out performed the Bf-109 and Fw-190. One drawback to the design was the "Green House" Hood. This canopy did not afford the best rearward visibility due to the high fuselage. One modification was the use of the British "Malcolm" sliding hood. This hood had few obstructions than the Green House hood, and gave more clearance to see over the hump. However, this was in short supply and not all P-51B's could be retrofitted. The "C" model was nearly identical to the "B" model.
The next version was the "D" model introduced late 1944. This model had a cut down rear fuselage and a bubble canopy. This gave the pilot superb 360ö visibility. An enlarged dorsal fin also provided enhanced stability. The armament was improved and the external payload was increased. The lethality of this war horse was also strengthened by the K-14 "Ace Maker" gun sight. This gunfight computed the impact point of the bullets at a given range selected by the pilot. The art of "deflection shooting" was now a science. By this time the G-suit was also introduced into the theater. The pilot sat on a water filled pad that was connected to cuffs around the thighs and stomach. As G-forces pushed the pilot into his seat, the increased pressure in the bag forced water into the cuffs. This reduced the pilot's blood from flowing to his legs and causing a black out. This gave the pilot the ability to withstand about an extra G of force. This was an important edge over enemy pilots.
P-51D statistics:- Total Produced: 15386 domestic 200 foreign.
- Wingspan: 11.278 m (37' 0.25")
- Wing area: 21.65 square meters (233 square feet).
- Length: 9.83 m (32' 3").
- Weight: 3232 kg (7125 lbs) empty and 5489 kg (12100 lbs) maximum.
- Engine: Merlin-Rolls Royce 12 cylinder with 1590 hp.
- Max Speed: 703 km/h (437 mph) clean (no external stores, wheels and flaps up).
- Service ceiling:12770 m (41900 ft).
- Range: Maximum fuel load - 3927 km (2,440 miles).
- Armament: Six 12.7 mm (0.5") guns, two 454 kg (1000 lbs) bombs, plus 6 127 mm (5") rockets.
"Glamorous Glennis III," top right, flown by CAPT Charles Yeager, 363rd FS/357th FG. The A/C at lower left is unidentified.