North American P-51 Mustang
Our subject depicts a P51D at take-off: with its Packard Merlin singing a song, a trace of exhaust and the heat off the skin can be seen. The pilot has to watch his manifold pressure or he could damage the supercharged engine. The gear is cycling up in the Mustang’s unique way, which requires the main doors to open first before the gear goes in and they close back up. The big prop has a good rate of climb even at this low airspeed. The radiator flap is open for maximum cooling at low speed: the P51 Mustang must have its oil and coolant temps up to operating range before take off, and if left running on the ramp too long it will boil over. The pilot has the rudder deflected to offset the turning action of the big propeller. The Mustang was originally ordered by the British government and named by them. The first few hundred were built with the Allison V12, but were later fitted with the Packard built Rolls Royce Merlin and the bubble canopy. The “D” model shown here has a top speed of over 400 mph and could climb from seal level to 20,000 feet in just over 6 minutes. About 15,000 were made by North American Aviation in two factories. About 50 are currently in flying condition with a number in museums worldwide. And as a trivia point, the original Ford Mustang was named for the airplane, not the horse. The trim on the rear fender is meant to emulate the Mustang’s cooling scoop. |
P-51 Mustang Shirts:
P51 Mustang T-Shirt Click for larger view
P-51 Mustang Shirts:
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