P-51 Mustang part 1

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North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and other conflicts.
The P-51 Mustang was created in 1940 in response to the RAF demand. The prototype, labelled NA-73, fitted with an 1100 hp Allison V-1710-F3F engine, was tested on October 26, 1940. USAAF tested 4th and 5th exemplars of the first production series, labelled XP-51, and didn’t show much interest in the design.
Most of the first production series aircraft entered the armament of the RAF under the designation Mustang Mk I and Mk IA. Thanks to a very good level of performance, mainly the high speed at low altitude and its long range, the plane was designed to attack ground targets and to carry out reconnaissance. The USAAF bacame seriously interested in the Mustang until after United States entered the war. In 1942 500 attack version P-51s, named North American A-36 Apache, were ordered.
During that time the British replaced the Allison engines in four of their Mk I Mustangs with the Rolls-Royce Merlin (versions: 61, 65, 66, 70 and 71) which resulted in a radical improvement in the P-51 Mustang performance at high altitude. That was the real beginning of the legend of the P-51. The British easly convinced the Americans to their engine due to the fact that it was already manufactured under the licence at Packard under the designation V-1650. The mass production of P-51s with the British engines started at the end of 1942 in the factories in Inglewood – P-51B was the designation. The slightly different P-51C version was produced since 1943 at the North American factories in Dallas.
The most popular and typical version of the Mustang was the P-51D. It had a lowered tail section of the fuselage and a bubble canopy. The fastest version of the Mustang was the P-51H which had a reduced curb weight and a top speed of 784 km/h. A total of 15,486 aircraft, in different versions and variations, were manufactured.
An important feature of the Mustang in addition to excellent maneuverability was its range which allowed it to escort USAAF bombers to Berlin. The Mustang was the best escort fighter of the World War II.

General Description

  • Type: Single-seat fighter aircraft.

Wings

  • Configuration: Low-wing cantilever monoplane.
  • Design:
    • X.A.A.-NACA laminar-flow wing section, in two sections bolted at the fuselage centerline.
    • The upper wing surface forms the cockpit floor.
    • Two-spar all-metal structure with smooth Alclad skin.
    • Spars feature single plate flanges with extruded top and bottom booms.
    • Structure includes pressed ribs with flanged lightening holes and extruded spanwise stringers.
    • Self-sealing non-metallic fuel cells located between spars.
    • Structural doors in the wing undersurface for fuel cell access.
    • Ailerons and slotted flaps hinged on the rear spar. Metal-covered ailerons with a controllable trim-tab on the port side.
    • Hydraulically-operated trailing-edge flaps.

Fuselage

  • Structure: Oval, all-metal, in three sections—engine, main, and tail.
  • Materials: Alclad and aluminum-alloy extrusions, with cockpit armor.
  • Engine Section: V-type cantilever engine-bearers, built up with plate webs and extruded numbers, attached to the front fireproof bulkhead.
  • Main Section: Composed of two beams with longerons forming caps and skin reinforced by vertical frames.
  • Aft Section: Extends into a semi-monocoque structure with vertical frame reinforcement.
  • Tail Section: Detachable and continues the main section’s structure.

Tail Unit

  • Type: Cantilever monoplane with a one-piece tailplane and detachable tips.
  • Structure: Two spars, pressed ribs, extruded stringers, covered with stressed Alclad skin.
  • Control Surfaces: Aluminum-alloy frames, fabric-covered rudder and elevators, dynamically balanced with trimming-tabs controllable from the cockpit.

Landing Gear

  • Type: Retractable cantilever air-oil shock-absorber legs, hinged to reinforced ribs.
  • Design:
    • Retracts inwardly with wheels and legs housed forward of the main spar.
    • Fairing plates and doors form part of wing contour, covering the gear when retracted.
    • Features hydraulic retraction, wheel-brakes, and a fully swiveling, steerable retractable tailwheel.

Power Plant

  • Engine: One 1,590 h.p. Packard V-1650-7 (Rolls-Royce Merlin 69) twelve-cylinder Vee liquid-cooled engine.
  • Propeller: Four-bladed Hamilton-Standard Hydromatic or Aeroproducts automatic constant-speed airscrew.
  • Cooling: Coolant and oil radiators located under the fuselage, aft of the cockpit, with thermostatically-controlled exit-flaps.
  • Fuel Capacity:
    • Self-sealing fuel cells in wings (184 gallons total).
    • Self-sealing fuselage tank (85 U.S. gallons).
    • Oil tank (12 U.S. gallons) in the engine compartment.
    • Option for droppable ferrying or combat tanks on bomb racks.

Accommodation

  • Cockpit:
    • Enclosed cockpit over the wing center.
    • Features an optically-flat 5-ply laminated glass bulletproof windshield and safety glass side panels.
    • Moulded “blister” type sliding cockpit cover.
    • Equipped with stainless steel sheet, armor plate, and a fireproof bulkhead in front, with face-hardened steel plates behind the seat.
    • Cockpit heating and ventilation, 24-volt electrical system, radio, and oxygen supply.

Armament

  • Guns: Six 0.50 in. machine-guns, three per wing, outside the propeller arc.
  • Bombs: Provision for bombs up to 1,000 lbs. on removable streamlined racks under each wing, auxiliary fuel tanks, or chemical containers.
  • Bomb Fusing: Controlled from the cockpit, allowing for bomb release during various flight phases.

Dimensions

  • Span: 37 ft. 50 in. (11.27 m).
  • Length: 32 ft. 3.5 in. (9.75 m).
  • Height: 13 ft. 8 in. (4.16 m).
  • Wing Area: 233.19 sq. ft. (21.66 sq. m.).

Weights

  • Loaded Weight: Approximately 10,000 lbs. (4,540 kg).

Performance

  • Maximum Speed: 445 mph (712 km/h) at 24,000 ft. (7,320 m).
  • Climb Rate: To 20,000 ft. (6,100 m) in 6.5 minutes.
  • Service Ceiling: Over 40,000 ft. (12,200 m).

Reference:

  • American Eagles P-51 Mustang Units of the Eighth Air Force – USAAF Colours 4, Roger Freeman, Classic Publications 2003
  • North American Aviation P-51 Mustang, Production Line To Frontline 01 – Michael O’Leary, Osprey Aviation 1998
  • Mustang, A documentary history – Jeffrey Ethell 1981
  • Mustang at war – Roger A. Freeman, Ian Allan Ltd 1974
  • Mustangs of the RAAF and RNZAF – Peter Anderson
  • North American P-51 Mustang – Frederick A. Johansen, WarbirdTech Series Volume 5 Speciality Press
  • North American P-51B/C Mustang in USAAF service – Osprey Aircam Aviation Series 5
  • RAF & Commonwealth P-51 Mustangs – Jon Freeman, On Target Profiles 2
  • North American P-51D Mustang – Aerodata international 3, Alfred Granger, Roy Mills
  • P-51D Mustang in USAAF – USAF service – Aircam Aviation Series 1
  • P-51B/C Mustang in USAAF service – Aircam Aviation Series 5
  • North American P-51 Mustang – Edward T. Maloney and Uwe Feist, Aero Series 15 1981
  • North American P-51 Mustang – Crowood Aviation Series 2009, Malcolm V. Lowe
  • North American P-51A-C Mustang – Famous Aircraft of the World 28, Bunrin-Do 1972
  • North American P-51 Mustang 1 Monografie Lotnicze 55 (polish) – Jacek B. Zurek, AJ-Press 1999
  • North American P-51 Mustang F-82 Twin Mustang 2 Monografie Lotnicze 56 (polish) – Zbigniew Kolacha and Jacek B. Zurek, AJ-Press 2000
  • North American P-51 Mustang F-82 Twin Mustang 3 Monografie Lotnicze 57 (polish) – Jacek B. Zurek and Piotr Wisniewski, AJ-Press 2003
  • P-51 Mustang – Larry Davis, Squadron/Signal Publications 1995
  • P-51 Mustang in Color – Fighting Colours – Larry Davies, Squadron Signal Publications 6505 1982
  • North American P-51 Mustang – 1940 onwards (all marks) – Owners’ workshop manual
  • North American P-51 Mustang – Rodrigo Hernandez Cabos and Geoff Coughlin, Osprey Modelling Manuals 19, 2002
  • Modelling the P-51 Mustang – Stan Spooner, Osprey Modelling 34, 2007
  • North American P-51 Mustang: B/C/D/K models – Mariusz Łukasik, Kagero Topdrawings 01, 2008
  • The Fight in the Clouds: The Extraordinary Combat Experience of P-51 Mustang Pilots During World War II – James P. Busha 2014
  • North American P-51 Mustang – Flugzeug Profile 37 (german)
  • North American P-51 & F-6 Mustang U.S.A.A.F., E.T.O. & M.T.O. 1942-1945 – Camouflage and Markings 16, 1971
  • P-51 Mustang in action 45 – Squadron/Signal Publications 45
  • P-51 Mustang in detail & scale vol 50, Part 1 Prototype through P-51C – Bert Kinzey 1996
  • P-51 Mustang in detail & scale vol 51, Part 2 P-51D through F-82H – Bert Kinzey
  • Allison Engine Mustangs, Walk Around 13 – Glen Phillips Squadron/Signal Publications
  • P-51D Walk Around 7 – Larry Davis Squadron/Signal Publications
  • Mustang Aces of the Eighth Air Force – Jerry Scutts, Osprey Aircraft of the Aces 1, 1994
  • Mustang Aces of the Ninth & Fifteenth Air Forces & the RAF – Jerry Scutts, Osprey Aircraft of the Aces 7, 1995
  • “The Long Reach” VIII Fighter Command at War – Michael O´Leary, Osprey Aircraft of the Aces 31, 2000
  • “Down to earth” Strafing Aces of the Eighth Air Force – William N. Hess, Osprey Aircraft of the Aces 51, 2003
  • Mustang Aces of the 357th Fighter Group – Chris Bucholtz, Osprey Aircraft of the Aces 96, 2010
  • P-51D Mustang – Topshots 15, Kagero 2005
  • P-51 Mustang – Jeffrey L. Ethell, Warbirds Fotofax
  • P-51 Mustang Nose Art Gallery – John M. and Donna Campbell, Motorbooks
  • P-51 Mustang – Jarrod Cotter, Aviation Classics 2, 2010
  • F-51 Mustang Units Over Korea – Warren Thomspon, Osprey Frontline Colour 1
  • The P-51 Mustang – Len Morgan, Famous Aircraft Series 1963
  • 354th Fighter Group – William N. Hess, Osprey Aviation Elite Units 7, 2002
  • 352nd Fighter Group – Thomas G. Ivie, Osprey Aviation Elite Units 8, 2002
  • 359th Fighter Group – Jack H. Smith, Osprey Aviation Elite Units 10, 2003
  • Very Long Range P-51 Units of the Pacific – Carl Molesworth, Osprey Aviation Elite Units 21, 2006
  • 322nd Fighter Group – Tuskegee Airmen – Chris Bucholtz, Osprey Aviation Elite Units 24, 2007
  • 4th Fighter Group Debden Eagles – Chris Bucholtz, Osprey Aviation Elite Units 30, 2007