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.
This story is from the June 2020 edition of Flight Journal.
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This story is from the June 2020 edition of Flight Journal.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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Scourge of the Allied Fighters
IT HAD TO BE THE MOST HELPLESS FEELING in the world: you're at 25,000 feet over Europe knowing that your primary function is to drop bombs-or flying escort for the bombers while being a slow-moving target for some of the world's finest shooters. However, you have John Browning's marvelous .50 caliber invention to give some degree of protection. Unfortunately, you're absolutely helpless against flak. Piloting and gunnery skills play no role in a game where sheer chance makes life and death decisions. For that reason, the Krupp 88 mm Flak 18/36/37 AA cannon could be considered WW II's ultimate stealth fighter. You never saw it coming.
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