Randall Posted May 24, 2008 Share Posted May 24, 2008 I love that plane. It changed the war. Before it was used escorting bombers fighters could only fly 200-400 miles. It could fly 2000 so Germans could no longer wait until the escorts turned back. The black Tuskeegee airmen were especially good with it. Interesting show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Holy Roller Posted May 24, 2008 Share Posted May 24, 2008 I agree it was an awesome aircraft, the "Cadillac of the Skies". IMHO the most beautiful plane of the war. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savage Beatings Posted May 24, 2008 Share Posted May 24, 2008 I saw one up close a few years ago. Very impressive and powerful piece of machinary! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chargerz Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 The Military Channel ranks the P 51 Mustang as one of the top ten best fighter planes of all time!! I think they're right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I Like Soup Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 The Spitfire does it for me. It and the Hurricane were holding the German air onslaught back way before they decided to put a British engine in to the American design, which ultimately led to the Mustang's success. The deHavilland Mosquito was one of the top fighters of the war that didn't get the props it should. The P-51 helped to start breaking the back of the Luftwaffe, others did the heavy lifting, in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sox Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 A great plane,the Spitfire would never have been mass produced by the U.S.(According to Eric Bergerud-Fire in the Sky). The Spitfire was great at what it did-a short range very maneuverable interceptor.The U.S. designed all of it's 2nd generation fighters with speed,range,and ruggedness(survivability) in mind,standards which the Spitfire wouldn't have met.The Mustang was probably the most frail of the 2nd generation U.S. fighters,but was still more rugged than the Spit.Most importantly,the Mustang could escort bombers all the way to Berlin and back. This doesn't make the Mustang better than the Spitfire,it just did things differently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tazinib1 Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 One of the best planes ever invented was the Wart Hog. If I saw that thing coming at me, I'd crap my pants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randall Posted May 26, 2008 Author Share Posted May 26, 2008 I agree it was an awesome aircraft, the "Cadillac of the Skies". IMHO the most beautiful plane of the war. There are still many around. Aside from being an excellent fighter plane they are also beautiful. The original as produced for the Brits, but when they substituted the RR engine it was capable of long flights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sox Posted May 26, 2008 Share Posted May 26, 2008 There are still many around. Aside from being an excellent fighter plane they are also beautiful. The original as produced for the Brits, but when they substituted the RR engine it was capable of long flights. Actually,it was the U.S. design that gave it long range capability-not the RR engine. Other wise,the RR equipped Spitfire would have had long legs as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I Like Soup Posted May 26, 2008 Share Posted May 26, 2008 Actually,it was the U.S. design that gave it long range capability-not the RR engine. Other wise,the RR equipped Spitfire would have had long legs as well. Yes, but it was the RR engine that turned the Mustang in to a world beater. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Holy Roller Posted May 27, 2008 Share Posted May 27, 2008 Yes, but it was the RR engine that turned the Mustang in to a world beater. I'd give a lot of credit to the pilots. We had freedom and right on our side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sox Posted May 27, 2008 Share Posted May 27, 2008 Yes, but it was the RR engine that turned the Mustang in to a world beater. Agreed...somewhat. The RR engine didn't make the Mustang.The Mustang didn't make the RR engine. It was the marriage of the two that made as you put it,the Mustang into a world beater.The U.S. designers introduced the revolutionary laminar flow wing,which is what gave the Mustang it's fantastic top speed along with it's ability to reach extremely high speeds with out compressing.The U.S. didn't however have an inline engine with the capability to let the Mustang reach it's potential.The British did,with the great RR engine. It was the combination of the two that let the Mustang make its claim to fame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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