eBay: North American P-51 Mustang (3 Viewers)

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I didn't think of it from that perspective. It could be, but absence of a serial number or the rest of the aircraft aside from the nose and one wing makes it hard to ID. Then again, it could be one of the bubble canopy prototypes given that there's a XP-51F in the background.
 
BarnOwlLover said:
I didn't think of it from that perspective. It could be, but absence of a serial number or the rest of the aircraft aside from the nose and one wing makes it hard to ID. Then again, it could be one of the bubble canopy prototypes given that there's a XP-51F in the background.
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If it is one of the two remaining bubble top conversions, it would not be P-51D 42-106539 as it crashed before the first XP-51F Model Specification was released. It could be 540 for some odd reason and also 43-12112 but the '095' suggests P-51B-1 43-12095. But I have never seen a yellow spinner on 12095.
 
That photo and others I've seen in a German article and other places attributed to NAA makes me wish that Boeing was more eager to share or sell HQ images. That's what I also liked about the P-51B Bastard Stepchild book. Pretty richly illustrated with rare photos and diagrams to illustrate the text.
 
BarnOwlLover said:
That photo and others I've seen in a German article and other places attributed to NAA makes me wish that Boeing was more eager to share or sell HQ images. That's what I also liked about the P-51B Bastard Stepchild book. Pretty richly illustrated with rare photos and diagrams to illustrate the text.
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On top of the Boeing image challenges, Lowell and I donated 100+ images they didn't have as well as perhaps copies of 50 reports. Lowell donated all his microfilm - a remarkable and catalogued collection that made retrieval of images and correspondence somewhat less cumbersome.
 
I do have to say that I'm somewhat biased, given that I think the Merlin powered XP-51 lightweights are not only perhaps the most performant of the P-51 family (and the P-51H wouldn't exist without them), but I think they're the best looking members of the family.

Def hoping that the new book will be a feast for the eyes and the intellect :)
 
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drgondog said:
I wonder if the first yellow spinner Mustang might be P-51B-1 43-12122 with bubble canopy. That ship was the only one I remember with yellow spinner. P-51B gun battery and it doesn't have a carb filter screen. More likely is that it is test mule 43-12095.
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Yellow nose starts at the 1:58 mark. Something is painted on the engine cowl just behind the spinner but to grainy to make out.
Looks like the D taxis past an H at the 1:31 mark.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zocLSKWZLkY&t=116s
 
mjfur said:
Yellow nose starts at the 1:58 mark. Something is painted on the engine cowl just behind the spinner but to grainy to make out.
Looks like the D taxis past an H at the 1:31 mark.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zocLSKWZLkY&t=116s
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That Mustang is the one I referenced. It is P-51B-1-NA 43-12102 which alongside P-51D-NA and P-51D-1-NT was modified with bubble canopy. It (102) was essentially the same as the two P-51Ds' save the six gun wing.
 

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Sorry for being a brick short and a day late, but I caught a YouTube upload of the Discovery Wings episode on the P-51, and both it and the previous video makes me glad that Boeing, in addition the photos and documents, has also saved videos from NAA's archives that Rockwell might have rather gotten rid of if they got the chance. Quite a few of which can be checked out at Boeing's Boeing Classics YouTube channel.

Looking forward to seeing some never before seen stuff in new works that'll be coming out.
 
BarnOwlLover said:
This sample page from a book review (of Volume 3 of Detail & Scale's P-51 series) makes me wish I had these photos in high res. I have contacted two of the archives sited as sources.

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If you scroll down, various XP-51 items available from NARA, Not on-line yet, but you can order.

 
Random thought: would the two-seater split canopy conversions be decent for fitting a modified canopy section for a recon camera similar to the RAF recon Mustang I's and II's? Or can a normal canopy be adapted? Just a random thought and because I think those two seat conversions are neat.
 
A little hard to tell here but your idea was put into play after a fashion. Several bomb group commanders mounted a camera behind the pilot's seat to photograph bomber formations to point out mistakes. Here's one mounted on Tar Heel of the 339th FG (the box behind the armor plate). I don't see the advantage in what you describe as the F-6D had 2 well engineered camera ports covering the left side.

View: https://imgur.com/nZWj25k
 
BarnOwlLover said:
That photo and others I've seen in a German article and other places attributed to NAA makes me wish that Boeing was more eager to share or sell HQ images. That's what I also liked about the P-51B Bastard Stepchild book. Pretty richly illustrated with rare photos and diagrams to illustrate the text.
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I wish this thread had come earlier. I'm retired Boeing and personally know the Boeing corporate head historian. Alas, he has retired and I have lost that connection.
 
Spitlead said:
I wish this thread had come earlier. I'm retired Boeing and personally know the Boeing corporate head historian. Alas, he has retired and I have lost that connection.
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Yep, I inquired with Boeing about collecting some P-51 and P-82 photos, but they don't really give that stuff out (at least now), probably for IP/cost reasons. At least I'm finding good ways to add to my collection to study.
 
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