NORTH AMERICAN P-51

P-51D Mustang

I had a friend in my modelling days who flew a P-51 he had built.  I, of course, recognized the aircraft but have come to appreciate it a great deal more since that time.

This plane was built for the British and we kept two for testing.  The British named it the Mustang and the name stuck.  The British suggested a different engine, one with a two-stage supercharger to help it perform at high altitude.  The engine added was the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine, an engine also used in the Spitfire, Hurricane fighters and the Lancaster Bomber among others.

P-51D Mustang

Once the performance problems were resolved the United States saw its possibilities and deployed it as well. The most desirable characteristic of the plane was its range.  It filled the pressing need for a fighter having the range to accompany the Bombers.

P-51D Mustang

I have heard from many sources that the pilots loved this plane.  

One of the reasons that the aircraft could have the long range so desperately needed was the airfoil of the wings.  It was called Laminar Flow which reduced drag and thereby improved performance and range.  

Conventional Airfoil

  In the conventional airfoil, the thick part was about 1/4 of the way from front to back.

Laminar Flow Wing

With the Laminar Flow airfoil, the thick point is about, what appears to be 1/2 of the way from the front to the back.  This, along with the Merlin Engine, gave the added range and performance to the P-51.

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