Perhaps one of the most iconic aircraft and automobiles of all time share the same name: Mustang.
And what better place to see both than at Oshkosh? This is a fairly rare P-51B, one of 1,988 built. Note the “turtleback” fuselage which has pretty poor visibility to the rear.
You can usually decode the year of manufacture from the serial number – this copy was likely built in 1943.
While not as roomy as the cockpit of a P-47 Thunderbolt (which had a radial engine, and thus a large cross-section through the fuselage), the Mustang was positively cavernous when compared to the Spitfire.
While this looks like a Mustang, and indeed is based on the same airframe, this is actually the A-36 dive bomber and attack aircraft. I’ve only seen one other copy of these in the wild – there were only 500 built.
Those slotted panels are the dive flaps, which allowed a steeper angle of descent without building up excessive speed. Both the A-36 and P-51 were fast enough in a dive to experience localized areas where airflow exceeded the speed of sound, and at least one A-36 shed its wings in a dive possibly due to the buffeting and pressures involved. Folks didn’t understand this phenomenon well at the time, and some groups actually had the dive brakes wired closed, thinking they were the cause of the problem.
The A-36 also carried a pair of .50 caliber chin guns. It was powered by the Allison engine, which, not having a two-stage turbo, never worked out well for the early P-51s (thus the changeover to the RR Merlin, which performed brilliantly at altitude). The Allison worked very well at lower altitudes, and was well suited to the A-36’s mission. The weak spot of both the P-51 and A-36 was the cooling system – the radiator was in the scoop under the fuselage with a good bit of plumbing running up to the engine – ground fire could easily puncture something vital.
Shifting gears a bit, the Ford pavilion had a Mustang show running, with a nice selection of well-restored cars. Some were obvious trailer queens, but others looked like regular drivers.
Love the red striped sidewall tires on this car (a ’65, I believe, going by the “batwing” side scoops) – it had every factory option except air conditioning.
This would be a ’71-’73 model (pipe in if you know the exact model). Engine options ranged from the 250 “Thriftpower” six to the 429 Super Cobra Jet V8.
This clean ’66 is more to my tastes. My high school best friend had a ’65 coupe which I remember fondly.
Another ’66 with optional fog lights. Somehow I conveniently forgot to take any photos of the sole Mustang II.
Ah, Mr. Shelby rears his head!
This appears to be a ’67-’68 model.
If I recall correctly, didn’t the taillights blink sequentially?
Ah, the presence of the Cobra name must make this a ’68 model.
For comparison, we’ll take a look at the original 1965 Shelby Mustang.
These cars used a modified 289 cu in (4.7 L) V8, which made 306 hp.
The “LeMans” stripes running the length of the top of the car were not on most early G.T. 350s (only 28%), which would normally be painted Wimbledon White with Guardsman Blue rocker stripes. Most of these early Shelbys have had the stripes added since, either by the original Dealer, or by subsequent owners.
Coming full circle, let’s move from this iconic Mustang back to another one parked out on the ramp:
That’s another P-51B, and the red tail gives it away as belonging to the 332nd Fighter Group, better known as the Tuskegee Airmen.
My Great Uncle was a flight instructor at Tuskegee, and passed before I ever got to ask him in detail about his experiences. It’s been my privilege to speak with close to a dozen Tuskegee pilots, including Charles McGee (shown below), who holds an Air Force record of 409 fighter combat missions flown in World War II, Korea and Vietnam.
So there you have it. Linked in name only, both “vehicles” have etched a permanent place in history, albeit at different times and for different reasons. Both went on to enjoy storied careers in racing, too, and both rightfully have their place in automotive and aviation museums around the globe.
What was most astounding to me was the short development time for the P-51. The Wikipedia article (my books are away from the computer) says the prototype flew 102 days after the contract was signed. This wasn’t an adaptation of another design, but fresh. To go from scratch to a world-class plane in such a short time, it’s amazing.
FWIW, I’ve read that most of the P-47 T-bolts were scrapped in Europe at the end of the year, while the Mustangs were brought back. A fair number of those flew over Korea.
As I recall, Thunderbirds had the sequential tail lights, so they’d make sense in the Shelby.
Ah, but it really *wasn’t* a world-class plane in the beginning! The P-51 had a lot of teething troubles, including with the Allison engine as I mentioned. The D model was really the one that built the reputation, IIRC.
But yes, it was incredible that they came up with such a solid and long-legged platform in so short a time.
Hearing a Merlin at full song (or even just idling or taxiing) gives me goosebumps every time!
Agreed, but NAA was on the right track from the beginning, unlike, say, Brewster. (which had its contracts yanked in the middle of the war.) Other good and great planes had teething problems, such as the multiple attempts to get the P-38 into a usable escort/fighter. If I recall, the RAF tried P-38s with no supercharging with the usual result. (Other issues, like two right-handed engines, too.)
The P-38 histories I’ve read all wondered how things would have turned out if it got a couple of Merlins instead of turbocharged Allisons. On the other hand, they did all right in the Pacific where its capabilities better matched the situation and environment.
Yep – I have a thick book on the development and operational history of the Lightning. IIRC, Charles Lindbergh gave demonstrations on getting the maximum range out of the Allisons, and there was another pilot whose name I forget who showed how you could roll a P-38 360° into a dead engine on takeoff or landing (given enough altitude) and safely set it down – if you tried to roll away from the dead engine, you simply didn’t have enough control authority and were certain to crash.
I believe the pilot you are thinking of was Tony Levier. He was a great test pilot.
If you study the F-86 Sabre Jet, also built by North American, there are many similarities between it and the Mustang. I think the “turtlebacks” were referred to as “razorbacks”.
The Mustang? One magnificent plane, the Corvette of the air! Yes, that’s a deliberate smack to Ford – only in jest, though.
The 1967-68 Ford Mustangs are my favorites, as I feel they have the perfect proportions and are better all-around cars.
It was “Dutch” Kindleburger of North American Aviation who said, “If it looks good, it will fly good.” (c:
Interestingly, the chief designer of the P-51 (Edgar Schmued) was born in Germany (he was an American citizen by the time he was working for NAA).
+1
Wow! What a great show.
Thanks Ed, the Mustang is a gorgeous design. For different reasons, I also love the tubby P-47 but the one I drool over is the Corsair! did you see any of those?
What an honor to get to shake the hand of Mr. McGee! I’m jealous!
Sure did – “Whistling Death.”
Wow! awesome. Funny how this plane looks positively svelte next to the tubby Thunderbolt.
If I remember correctly, North American Aviation was approached by the British Air Purchasing Commission in 1940 to manufacture the Curtiss Hawk 87 for the RAF. The proposal was countered by a suggestion from North American that the company produce an entirely new design around the Allison engine. The British agreed with the proposal but stipulated that the prototype had to be completed in 120 days. It was completed ahead of schedule, and as they say, the rest is history.
Lots of nice pictures here. I’ve always had a soft spot for the old warbirds. Here in BC they were a common sight up until the early ’80s, lots of Grumman Avengers and A-26s in the summer during fire season. Abbotsford has a pretty decent airshow every year as well. My favourite act was a father/son team in a couple of old F8F bearcats, one of the few prop planes that would leave a P-51 counting it’s propeller blades. Long, long time ago though.
The movie “Empire of the Sun” referred to the Mustang as the “Cadillac of the Skies.” Of course, the Merlin engine was license-built by Packard, still a very viable competitor to Cadillac at the time.
Just a writer putting 1980’s words in the mouths of 1940’s characters?
We get quite a show at Republic Airport every Memorial Day weekend. I remember calling a college baseball game at Farmingdale (Stony Brook hosted its conference tournament there because the home field lacked lights) and mentioning an Avro Lancaster flying by. That was a thrill.
Very impressive Ed. Got to read it early today but don’t type well on my phone. Spent the day at a Granddaughters wedding but kept up on my reading anyway.
Love both type mustangs and appreciate the story that comes with them.
Merlin = Magic. Just about the closest thing to aural porn.
I agree – there is nothing like the sound of a piston engine warplane in the sky. I recall standing still watching and listening to a B-24 flying (lumbering) overhead en route to a nearby airport for an airshow.
The P-51 is indeed a beautiful plane. Back when I did a little flying, a local car dealer owned a P-51 and kept it hangered at the airport that I flew out of. Personally, thought, I have always been more of a P-47 guy.
As for the 4 wheeled Mustangs, I believe that the big black convertible is a 73, which is identifiable by the body-colored bumper. IIRC, 71-72 used a chrome bumper. I also agree that that little silver 66 fastback is a sweetie. I occasionally got to ride in one of those when the son of my Dad’s boss needed to use Dad’s company station wagon. Dad would come home for the weekend with a dark green Mustang fastback with black interior and a 4 speed. It felt like we were the coolest family in the world for the weekend.
It’s a ’73 Mustang indeed: they had vertical turn lights in the grille. ’71-72 had horizontal turn lights. Those years are too subtle for me to ever separate, like 64.5 and 65 and 66s.
Nice one Ed. I’ve seen a Mustang flying but never on the ground.
I’ve always liked P-51s but I love the P-47 Thunderbolt. I think it has something to do with the sound of the Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp. That engine has powerd some of the great American fighters. It sounds much tougher than the Merlin and alowed the P-47 to take a great amount damage and still get home. Plus with 8 .50 cal machine guns it could shred pretty much anything in the air or on the ground.