24 Facts About P-51 Mustang

North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts.

The Mustang was designed in April 1940 by a team headed by James H Kindelberger of North American Aviation in response to a requirement of the British Purchasing Commission.

The P-51 Mustang was used by Allied air forces in the North African, Mediterranean, Italian, and Pacific theaters.

Allison engine in the P-51 Mustang I had a single-stage supercharger that caused power to drop off rapidly above 15,000 feet.

In November 1941, NAA studied the possibility of using it, but fitting its excessive length in the P-51 Mustang would require extensive airframe modifications and cause long production delays.

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P-51 Mustang was initially developed for the RAF, which was its first user.

P-51 Mustang was a solution to the need for an effective bomber escort.

The Mustang was so clearly superior to earlier US designs that the 8th Air Force began to steadily switch its fighter groups to the Mustang, first swapping arriving P-47 groups to the 9th Air Force in exchange for those that were using P-51s, then gradually converting its Thunderbolt and Lightning groups.

P-51 Mustang groups were sent far ahead of the bombers in a "fighter sweep" to intercept German fighters.

The P-51 Mustang, particularly with the advent of the K-14 Gyro gunsight and the development of "Clobber Colleges" for the training of fighter pilots in fall 1944, was a decisive element in Allied countermeasures against the Jagdverbande.

The P-51 excelled at this mission, although losses were much higher on strafing missions than in air-to-air combat, partially because the Mustang's liquid-cooled engine was vulnerable to small-arms fire, unlike the air-cooled R-2800 radials of its Republic P-47 Thunderbolt stablemates based in England, regularly tasked with ground-strafing missions.

The top P-51 Mustang ace was the USAAF's George Preddy, whose final tally stood at 26.

The P-51 Mustang became the most capable fighter in China, while the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force used the Nakajima Ki-84 Hayate against it.

P-51 Mustang was a relative latecomer to the Pacific Theater, due largely to the need for the aircraft in Europe, although the P-38's twin-engined design was considered a safety advantage for long, over-water flights.

In return, the P-51 Mustang pilots claimed 26 "kills" and 23 "probables" for the loss of three fighters.

Two P-51 Mustang pilots received the Medal of Honor during World War II:.

P-51 Mustang was a good fighter and the best escort due to its incredible range, make no mistake about it.

The P-51 Mustang was faster than us, but our munitions and cannon were better.

In 1948, the designation P-51 Mustang was changed to F-51 and the existing F designator for photographic reconnaissance aircraft was dropped because of a new designation scheme throughout the USAF.

The rights to the P-51 Mustang design were purchased from North American by the Cavalier Aircraft Corporation, which attempted to market the surplus P-51 Mustang aircraft in the US and overseas.

One additional P-51 Mustang was a two-seat, dual-control TF-51D with an enlarged canopy and only four wing guns.

The last P-51 Mustang ever downed in battle occurred during Operation Power Pack in the Dominican Republic in 1965, with the last aircraft finally being retired by the Dominican Air Force in 1984.

P-51 Mustang modified the wings, sealing them to create a giant fuel tank in each one; these "wet wings" reduced the need for fuel stops or drag-inducing drop tanks.

P-51 Mustang sold the Mustang to Charles F Blair Jr, who renamed it Excalibur III and used it to set a New York-to-London record in 1951: 7 hr 48 min from takeoff at Idlewild to overhead London Airport.