P-51D Mustang (Replica)

Designed by North American Aviation the legendary P-51 Mustang was a single-seat, low-wing, single-engine aircraft, widely considered to be the best all-around fighter of the Second World War.

The Mustangs unusual history began in 1940 when the British government approached North American Aviation with a proposal for license-built Curtis P-40 Warhawks. Instead, North American offered to design and build a more advanced fighter. Using a low-drag laminar-flow wing and an efficient low-drag engine cooling system, North American engineers achieved a giant leap in performance over the outdated P-40.

Initially the P-51, although excellent at lower levels, its Allison engine severely limited performance at high altitude. To address this issue, Mustangs in the United States and Great Britain were experimentally fitted with British Merlin engines. The switch created an exceptional all-around fighter capable of an astounding 441 mph at 29,800 feet – about 100 mph faster than the P-51A.

In December 1943, the first P-51B/C Mustangs entered combat in Europe with the 354th Fighter Group. By the time of the first U.S. heavy bomber raid against Berlin in March 1944, the USAAF fielded about 175 P-51B/C Mustangs providing sorely needed long-range, high-altitude escort for the U.S. bombing campaign against Germany. 

By the spring of 1944, design improvements including a new “bubble” canopy that improved the pilot’s vision, an increase from four .50 caliber machine guns to six and a redesign of the ammunition feed system to reduce jamming made the P-51D the United States primary fighter. Sweeping the European skies clear of the Luftwaffe by the end of the year P-51D’s moved into the Pacific theater where it functioned as an escort to B-29 Superfortresses devastating the Japanese Home Islands.

By the end of the war over 15,000 thousand Mustangs of all types were produced. The P-51 went to serve in the Korean War and the National Guard before being retired from service in 1957.

The museum’s P-51D is a full size non-flying replica 

SPECICATIONS:
Crew: one

Engine: Packard-built Rolls-Royce Merlin V-1650 of 1,695 hp
Maximum speed: 437 mph
Range: 1,000 miles
Ceiling: 41,900 ft. 
Wingspan: 37 ft.
Length: 32 ft. 3 in.
Height: 13 ft. 8 in.
Weight: 12,100 lbs. maximum 

Armament: Six .50-cal. machine guns and 10 5-in. rockets or 2,000 lbs. of bombs