American fighter plane North American P-51B Mustang COBI 5869 - World War II 1:48

Did you know:

• Mustang, although the American aircraft was developed based on an RAF requirement.
• When you feel that a task cannot be completed, remember the engineers of North American Aviation who, at the request of the RAF in 1940, developed a completely new aircraft in 120 days, which became a true legend.
• The first flight took place on October 26, 1940, that is, 178 days after the order.
• Over time, the Mustang became one of the most successful Allied aircraft.
• The original combat names of the aircraft were Apache and Invader, but in the end the designation "Mustang" prevailed among pilots.
• It was the Mustang pilots who introduced a new tactic for protecting bombers. They broke the order to stay close to the bombers. Instead, the pilots attacked German fighters at the moment they were forming for an attack. This new strategy definitively turned the balance of air power over Europe.
• When German Marshal Hermann Göring saw Mustang fighters over Berlin one day, he told his deputy, "We have lost the war."
• Probably the most successful Mustang pilot was the American George Earl Preddy, who was unfortunately accidentally shot down by his own anti-aircraft defense.
• Another air ace was William Arthur Shomo, nicknamed after his civilian profession "Gravedigger", who shot down 6 enemy aircraft in one day.
• The P-51 is actually the fastest piston-engine fighter with a maximum speed of 885 km/h.
• A total of 15,875 units were produced in various versions.
• In the Dominican Republic, Mustangs served until 1984.
• Thanks to its robust construction, many airworthy aircraft still exist around the world.

Technical Specifications:

• Dimensions: wingspan 11.28 m, length 9.83 m, height 4.13 m
• Weight: 3,103 kg empty
• Maximum takeoff weight: 5,488 kg
• Engine: 12-cylinder Packard V-1650-7 (Rolls-Royce Merlin) with an output of 1,100 kW
• Fuel tank capacity: 1018 l + 2 auxiliary tanks of 284 l
• Range: 1,900 km (maximum range 3,701 km)
• Service ceiling: 12,802 m
• Rate of climb: 16.6 m/s
• Maximum speed: 708 km/h
• Crew: 1
• Armament: 4× Browning AN/M2 machine guns (12.7 mm) + 907 kg of aerial bombs, or 6 unguided HVAR rockets

From the recollections of American air ace George E. Preddy:

"It was a perfect aircraft. It was very agile, had excellent performance, and was very precise. I was able to shoot down 27 enemy aircraft with it and it became the most successful Mustang fighter. It was adventurous, but also sad."