P-51 MUSTANG SPECIFICATIONS
Q. Was the p51 Mustang a good plane?
The Mustang, with its high speed, long-range, low-cost, and six . 50 caliber M2 Browning machine guns, made it the ideal fighter for the job. The P-51 dominated air combat in Europe, destroying nearly 5,000 enemy aircraft. It was also a very capable fighter-bomber and could carry 1,000 pounds of bombs and rockets.
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Q. Why was the P-51 Mustang so fast?
Over the years, new features and technology were added to the P-51 to keep it updated with the times. These updates began as early as 1942 when the Mustangs were equipped with the British Merlin engine for speed. Adding the Merlin engine increased the speed of the P-51A (original Mustang) by 110 mph.
| AIRCRAFT: | TF-51 Mustang |
|---|---|
| MAX CEILING: | 41,900 ft |
| CLIMB RATE: | 3,475 ft/ minute 7.3 min to 20,000 ft. |
| RANGE: | 2,080 miles with two 110 gal. drop tanks |
| ARMAMENT: | 6 X .50 caliber Browning machine guns 2 with 270 rounds per gun 4 with 400 rounds per gun |
Q. How did the P 51 get its name?
“Dutch” Kendelberger, the president of North American offered to build an entirely new advanced fighter using the same Allison V-1710-39 engine used on the P-40. It was said that “Dutch” got his inspiration for the P-51 after a 1938 tour of aircraft industries in Great Britain and Germany.
Q. Why was the P-51 Mustang the most famous airplane that the Tuskegee Airmen flew?
The most famous airplane they flew was the P-51 Mustang. It was the fastest fighter airplane at the time. To make their airplanes easy to see in the sky, the Tuskegee pilots painted the airplane’s tail bright red. They were known as “Red Tails” during the war.
Q. What fighter plane has the most kills?
“[W]ith over 100 victories and no losses in aerial combat” the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is the most successful aircraft ever made when looking at air to air win/loss ratio.
