eBay: North American P-51 Mustang

[Snautzer01]

Poor thing gets gas then...

 

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[vikingBerserker]

 

[bobbysocks]

that's funny. what reason was the jet fitted to the 51?

 

[Wayne Little]

Nothing to do with Blazing Saddles then?

 

[Gnomey]

Nice shot! Thanks for sharing.

 

[GrauGeist]

that's funny. what reason was the jet fitted to the 51?

It was actually conceived as a means of "flash acceleration" in response to the Me262 threat.

There were two test aircraft, both were P-51D-25 airframes (44-73099 44-74050) and the rocket was an acid-aniline rocket motor that was fed by Red fuming nitric acid, carried in a special tank under the port wing and an aniline-alcohol mixture, carried in a tank under the starboard wing.

The fuel mixture was extremely volitile and could prove to be dangerous in a ground error and/or combat, plus the tests did not produce satisfactory results, so it never developed any further.

 

[bobbysocks]

that was kind of what i was thinking. to give them a chance to get a 262 in range long enough to take a couple shots at....OR they were looking at taking off of very short strip or carrier fully loaded. thanks GG

 

[GrauGeist]

The concept was a direct result of the German's jet and rocket aircraft threat and it would never work on a carrier, as the rocket's exhaust would destroy the carrier's deck...

I imagine the exhaust would have been pretty rough on an asphalt runway, too

 

[Snautzer01]

 

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[Old Wizard]

 

[Snautzer01]

Standing in line: P-51 mustang 1st Air Command ~ Karachi India

 

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[Old Wizard]

 

[Snautzer01]

P-51 smokelaying

 

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[Old Wizard]

 

[Snautzer01]

5th AF Fighter Command 35th Group

 

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