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The North American P-51 Mustang was one of the most important aircraft, and arguably the finest all-around fighter type, of World War II. The prototype NA-73X first flew in October 1940. It was designed and built in 120 days in response to an urgent request by the British for a low-altitude fighter/reconnaissance aircraft. It combined the proven Allison V-1710 engine with an innovative cooling system, based on earlier work by the Curtiss Aircraft Company, with laminar-flow wings to reduce aerodynamic drag and increase speed. The U.S. Army Air Forces soon began acquiring their own Allison-powered version and a dive-bombing variant called the A-36 Apache. These first Mustangs were a capable aircraft but much potential remained.
Needing a fighter with better high-altitude performance and following the example of the Curtiss P-40F, North American mated the proven Mustang airframe with the British Rolls-Royce Merlin engine. The result was the P-51B Mustang, a long-range, high-performance fighter-bomber with the range to escort bombers from Britain to Berlin and back again. The famous D model incorporated a bubbletop canopy and a total of six .50-caliber machine guns. In the Pacific, the P-51 escorted B-29s on very long range bombing raids over Tokyo.
P-51s continued to serve in the U.S. Air Force into the Korean War (redesignated F-51) and Air National Guard Units well into the 1950s. Many served in the air forces of other countries into the 1980s. Additionally, highly modified Mustangs have enjoyed great success as air racers. More than 15,000 units of the famous fighter were produced.
Although almost certainly one of the best P-51D restorations in existence, the Museum's aircraft retains a certain mystery as to its history. The aircraft is likely serial number 44-72423, which was built by North American Aviation in 1944. It was accepted by the U.S. Army Air Forces for shipment to Europe for duty with the Eighth or Ninth Air Force. After the war, it was acquired for the Swedish Air Force in 1945 or 1946. The Swedes acquired nearly all of their 100 P-51s from war-surplus U.S. Army Air Forces stockpiles in Germany at the end of World War II, making this airframe a probable wartime veteran.
Last serving operationally with the Israeli Defense Force/Air Force (IDF/AF 146), the aircraft was probably acquired by Israel from surplus Royal Swedish Air Force stocks in 1952. (Unfortunately, when Israel acquired its P-51s, many of them had their original manufacturer's data plates removed.) The Mustang was later acquired by UK citizen Robs Lamplough between 1976 and 1978, then sold to a Canadian broker, and later sold to Jack Erickson in Tillamook, Oregon.
This restored aircraft displays the colors and markings of Lieutenant Colonel Glenn T. Eagleston while he was commanding officer of the 353rd Fighter Squadron, 354th Fighter Group, flying from Rosières-en-Haye, France in early 1945. This was the same unit of young Lieutenant Kenneth H. Dahlberg. Many years later, Ken Dahlberg, an ace in his own right, was the primary benefactor in the creation of the Kenneth H. Dahlberg Military Aviation Research Center, now the Dahlberg Research Center, here at the Museum. This accurate restoration was completed for The Museum of Flight by the Champion Air Group and the restoration team at Vintage Airframes in Caldwell, Idaho.
The North American P-51 Mustang was one of the most important aircraft, and arguably the finest all-around fighter type, of World War II. The prototype NA-73X first flew in October 1940. It was designed and built in 120 days in response to an urgent request by the British for a low-altitude fighter/reconnaissance aircraft. It combined the proven Allison V-1710 engine with an innovative cooling system, based on earlier work by the Curtiss Aircraft Company, with laminar-flow wings to reduce aerodynamic drag and increase speed. The U.S. Army Air Forces soon began acquiring their own Allison-powered version and a dive-bombing variant called the A-36 Apache. These first Mustangs were a capable aircraft but much potential remained.
Needing a fighter with better high-altitude performance and following the example of the Curtiss P-40F, North American mated the proven Mustang airframe with the British Rolls-Royce Merlin engine. The result was the P-51B Mustang, a long-range, high-performance fighter-bomber with the range to escort bombers from Britain to Berlin and back again. The famous D model incorporated a bubbletop canopy and a total of six .50-caliber machine guns. In the Pacific, the P-51 escorted B-29s on very long range bombing raids over Tokyo.
P-51s continued to serve in the U.S. Air Force into the Korean War (redesignated F-51) and Air National Guard Units well into the 1950s. Many served in the air forces of other countries into the 1980s. Additionally, highly modified Mustangs have enjoyed great success as air racers. More than 15,000 units of the famous fighter were produced.
Although almost certainly one of the best P-51D restorations in existence, the Museum's aircraft retains a certain mystery as to its history. The aircraft is likely serial number 44-72423, which was built by North American Aviation in 1944. It was accepted by the U.S. Army Air Forces for shipment to Europe for duty with the Eighth or Ninth Air Force. After the war, it was acquired for the Swedish Air Force in 1945 or 1946. The Swedes acquired nearly all of their 100 P-51s from war-surplus U.S. Army Air Forces stockpiles in Germany at the end of World War II, making this airframe a probable wartime veteran.
Last serving operationally with the Israeli Defense Force/Air Force (IDF/AF 146), the aircraft was probably acquired by Israel from surplus Royal Swedish Air Force stocks in 1952. (Unfortunately, when Israel acquired its P-51s, many of them had their original manufacturer's data plates removed.) The Mustang was later acquired by UK citizen Robs Lamplough between 1976 and 1978, then sold to a Canadian broker, and later sold to Jack Erickson in Tillamook, Oregon.
This restored aircraft displays the colors and markings of Lieutenant Colonel Glenn T. Eagleston while he was commanding officer of the 353rd Fighter Squadron, 354th Fighter Group, flying from Rosières-en-Haye, France in early 1945. This was the same unit of young Lieutenant Kenneth H. Dahlberg. Many years later, Ken Dahlberg, an ace in his own right, was the primary benefactor in the creation of the Kenneth H. Dahlberg Military Aviation Research Center, now the Dahlberg Research Center, here at the Museum. This accurate restoration was completed for The Museum of Flight by the Champion Air Group and the restoration team at Vintage Airframes in Caldwell, Idaho.
