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General Specifications
Wingspan: 37 ft. .5 in. (11.39 m.) Length: 32 ft. 3.25 in. (9.85 m.) Height: 13 ft. 8 in. (4.16m.) Weight: 7635 lb. Engine: Packard built Merlin V-1650-7 Horsepower: 1510 hp Guns: Six .5 in. Browning machine guns ___________________________________________________________
While it is arguable whether another plane could have done what the Mustang accomplished in World War II, what is not arguable is what the P-51 did do. The P-51 Mustang made the Allied victory in Europe possible by taking the fight to the German Luftwaffe anywhere and everywhere on the continent. The P-51's top-notch performance combined with its long range capabilities allowed it to escort and protect the heavy bombers anywhere the American high command wanted to send them. By seeking more and more valuable targets, the Americans forced the Luftwaffe to come up and fight?and therefore suffer destruction. After more than 50 years, scholars are still debating the impact of the American heavy bombing campaign, but there is no denying that the destruction of the German Luftwaffe by the Allied fighters made the invasion of Europe possible. And the P-51 was the lynchpin of that attack, scoring over 50% of all the United States Army Air Forces kills in Europe.
The P-51D was the definitive model of the Mustang, incorporating heavier armament (with six .50-caliber machine guns instead of four) and a new all-round-vision bubble canopy. Though the canopy increased drag over the high-backed design of the B model, it was more than worth it for the improved view afforded the pilot in combat conditions. The Mustang was a rare combination of punishing and forgiving characteristics.
| "Pointing the nose up into the clouds, I am awed by the amount of power I control. Rarely do I fail to smile, though no one is there to see my expression.? It must look idiotic but I can't help it. At 24,000 feet, power back to cruise, alone among the clouds and breathing a self-contained atmosphere, I sense that -- as John Gillespie Magee wrote -- I have 'put out my hand, and touched the face of God.' Flying this magnificent, once-deadly machine becomes a spiritual experience that remains so personal, so unique, it is difficult to communicate once back down on the ground. |
| "The fighter is so well balanced, with just the right compromise between maneuverability and stability, any pilot can look smooth and capable in only a few hours. The only real drawbacks are ever increasing control pressures as speed increases, particularly over 300 mph, and immense fluctuations in yaw with power or speed changes, requiring a fair amount of fiddling with the trim wheels." |
| - Jeff Ethell Famed Aviation Writer |
The P-51 continued to soldier on after World War II, becoming the Air Force's premier ground-attack plane during the Korean War, where an incredible number of missions were flown against Communist forces. A number of Mustangs were re-built by Cavalier Aircraft Corporation in 1967 for use as counter-insurgency attack planes in Vietnam. The plane also supplied the air forces of numerous South American countries up into the early 1970s, figuring prominently in the "Soccer War" between El Salvador and Honduras in 1969. It eventually flew under the flags of over 50 different countries before finally being retired. During its incredible 30-year career, the Mustang set the standard by which all World War II fighters are judged. It is one of the tools that young men from all walks of life in the United States used to shape the world we live in today.
Ethell, Jeff. P-51 Pilot Report. Air and Space Smithsonian.
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