FLYING THE NORTH AMERICAN P-51 Mustang

A triple Ace reports from the cockpit

- C.E. BUD ANDERSON

I consider myself lucky to be able to fly a P-51 Mustang so many years after the war. Jack Roush owns this Mustang, which is painted to look like my 357th FG 363rd FS D-model that I flew after it was de-camouflaged.

The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is my all-time favorite airplane. I have other favorites too, but the P-51 got me through WW II so well that it is the obvious choice for nostalgic reasons alone. The Mustang is a beautiful airplane to look at, and it has such a great, distinctive sound. There are so many legendary stories about the Mustang that it must be every flyboy’s favorite WW II fighter, and I think most objective researchers would agree that it was the best all-around WW II combat fighter. But why was the Mustang so great? In a nutshell, because of its advanced design and overall performance. It was superior in many ways, and if it wasn’t the best in a particular area, it was, at least, very competitive.

Early D-model Mustangs of the 362nd FS are out on a post-D-Day patrol.

Once the Mustang was equipped with the Packard-built Merlin engine, its highspeed performance became outstanding. At altitude, the P-51’s top speed (true airspeed) was close to 440 mph, depending on whose evaluation you read. One of the things that made this possible was the engine’s two-stage, two-speed supercharger. The engine could produce takeoff power at high altitude. It was a great performer at sea level as well as at altitudes of 30,000 to 35,000 feet, with the best speed attained somewhere in between.