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P-51 "MUSTANG"
One of most famous and best fighter aircraft in aviation history
GUNFIGHTER
TYPE
Fighter
MAX SPEED
440 MPH
CREW
1
Ceiling
41,900 ft
RANGE
1,650 miles
WINGSPAN
37 ft
SERVICE DATES
1942-1968
NUMBER BUILT
15,000+
LENGTH
32 ft
About The P-51
The P-51 "Mustang" is an American single engine fighter that was flown by the United States until 1968.
Built by the North American Aviation Company, the Mustang was conceived of after North American had been asked by the British to build Curtiss P-40 and P-46 aircraft under license for the Royal Air Force (RAF). Not wanting to build an older aircraft, North American submitted a design for a modern fighter. 102 days after signing a contract with the British, the prototype air frame NA-73X was completed and first flew on October 26th, 1940.
Mustangs were delivered to the British RAF and used the American Allison V-1710 engine. The Allison engine lacked turbosuperchargers or superchargers which were considered top-secret engine technology at the time and were export controlled. The lack of turbo/supercharger components resulted in Mustangs having poor high-altitude performance although they performed well in fighter-bomber and reconnaissance roles for the RAF.
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In 1942, British company, Rolls Royce, replaced the Allison engine with its Merlin 65 supercharged engine which drastically improved performance without sacrificing range. The engine change was so successful that North American began working on a new model. The P-51D variant, which arrived in 1943, was powered by a Packard V-1650-7 engine which was a license-built version of the Rolls Royce, Merlin 66 engine. Upgraded with a supercharged engine, the Mustang became a potent long-range fighter and began earning its reputation as one of the all time greatest planes.
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Featuring a 360 degree view, bubble cockpit, and six 12.77mm machine guns, the Mustang became famous for their long range, excellent performance and visibility, and their ability to escort bombers at high-altitude. Mustangs were used for long-range escorts, reconnaissance, fighter, and ground attack roles.
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Over 50 Air Forces acquired and used P-51 Mustangs with some operating them into the early 1980s!
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Approximately 150 airworthy Mustangs still exist world wide.
Photo: P-51(D) on an assembly line
The Tuskegee Airmen
The Tuskeegee Airmen were a group of African American airmen, cooks, navigators, crew chiefs, nurses, bombardiers, instructors, mechanics, and support personnel who formed the 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th Bombardment Group of the United States Army Air Forces in the 1940s. The Tuskegee airmen are celebrated for their excellent combat record earned protecting American bomber aircraft from enemy fighters. The group was awarded three Distinguished Unit Citations. Tuskegee airmen flew P-40 WarHawks, P-39 Aracobras, and P-47 Thunderbolts, and P-51 Mustangs with which they are most associated.
P-51D "Gunfighter"
Gunfighter is one of the world’s most famous P-51 Mustangs, having appeared on the airshow circuit and providing rides for over 35 years. The aircraft is a P-51 "D" model, serial number 44-73264. Of the approximately 15,000 P-51s produced in WWII, over 8,000 were “D” models.
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Gunfighter was built in the Inglewood, California North American Aviation plant and accepted into the USAAF in March, 1945. That month, it was shipped to England, where it was assigned to the famous 'Mighty Eighth' Air Force. In July of 1945, after the War ended in Europe, it was returned to the U.S. and assigned to Olmstead Field in Pennsylvania. In 1947 it was transferred to the Air National Guard and it thereafter served with units in Wyoming, New Mexico, Illinois and Kentucky. In 1956 it was declared surplus and sold on the civilian market.
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Today, Gunfighter is operated by the Commemorative Air Force (CAF). The CAF is the largest operator of Historic Aircraft in the world with 160 aircraft and over 9,000 members. Gunfighter is restored in the colors of the 343rd Fighter Squadron, 55th Fighter Group, 8th Air Force, USAAF. The 55th Fighter Group was the first American Air Corp unit to become operational in Europe, first to fly over Berlin and was one of the units that provided top cover over the Invasion Beaches at Normandy on "D-Day", June 6th, 1944.
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Gunfighter is powered by a Packard-built Rolls-Royce Merlin engine. It is rated at 1,490 HP and has a displacement of 1650 cubic inches. Top speed is over 400 mph and its service ceiling is 41,000 feet. Gunfighter has been modified to include a second seat where the original radio gear and fuselage fuel tank were located. This is a perfect vantage point to enjoy the ride of a lifetime in a P-51!
