The Gathering of Mustangs and Legends 9/27-30/2007 (Columbus, Ohio)

Yea....we where there with Sparknot. 7 hrs out and 8 hrs return. Great show. Columbus is an awsome place. The redeveloped Arena dist very neat. Great restaurants, hotels, etc. 75 51's showed and the weather was fantastic.

 

I saw my buddy at lunch today who was there with his P-51.

He said to check out www.airshowbuzz.com

Don't mean to advertise other sites, but Rob would probably not object under the circumstances.

I love my AviatorChat!

 

51 holds 180 gals and burns 1 gal per min. Figure runup, t.o. and climb out about 30-35 gals. Two hr legs are the norm at 120 gals. You want to be over the designated airport with 30 gal reserve. Weather and course dictate everything else. Like to be 10-12k ft up. We used 1,100 gals for trip and flew 2 hours at the event fo which they provided fuel. Total time on clock is 18.5 hrs. A bunch of flying for one week.
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Better shot by Ryan.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

A gallon per minute. Wow.

Thanks for posting the pics

 

There oughta be a law against painting airplanes like that!



Planeflyr

 

No paint. Vinyl graphics. We dont like the 'artwork' either but they are excellent sponsors. 1100 gal gas bill over 6k. They paid it plus extra for eng time. Still a Mustang even if its in sheeps clothing. Having them on board makes the 51 a ligimate business and a vehicle for all sorts of tax things.

 

Great pics! As a fan of the P-51 and an engineer on the F-22, you can guess which one I like the best.....

 

The Columbus Dispatch : index

 

Thanks so much for that , Roy. Got the ol' heart pumping and my air show days flooding back ! Good memories!
Switches

 

I desparately wanted to go there,
but alas, it wasn't in the cards.

I will be working the McGuire AFB Air Show,
in May of this year, though...

Charlie

 

Hey Buddy
I deeply wish I could have been there. Glad you got to go & thanks for the pix. If it ever happens again, I want to go!! (The aircraft carrier ride was an opportunity I just couldn't pass up this year)
Looking forward to spending time with you at Reno this year!
Byron

 

Very rare to see the Malcolm hood. That is an old bird. Did it have the ALLISON? What a combo of old canopy and Laminar flow.

 

Hi Byron. See you at the NW Ferrari Club Stennis tour in July. Finally get to meet Spasso and the rest of the group. Maybe he can get us a tour of the big aircraft model works. See ya. ss
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

So How big where the drop tanks to get the P51's to Berlin and back and and how long did it take ??

 

First tanks were 75 gal. Later models were made of compressed cardboard and held 108 gals. 180 gals internal wing tanks plus 150 external plus 60 fuselage. 390gals at 60 gph burn=7hrs approx total run time. Paper tanks add another 60 gals=1 hr for a total of 450 gals=8 hrs. A very long time to sit in that little howling monster. Normal cruise 260mph x 7=1800mi. 2k miles with 108 gal tanks.

 

God love everyone of them who volenteered to do it, and as a Brit I thank them deeply for the service and courage. One of my favorate books to read as a kid was
"Tumult in the Clouds".... Can anyone remember the author.. with out using google. Oh and if you are ever in LA can I get a ride pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee .
LOL

 

The Air Museum at Chino sells 51 rides to members of that group. You have to join their club and a ride will be yours. Their no is 1-909-597-4754.

 

4.3 mpg at 260 mph; That is truly remarkable.
There must be something to that laminar flow wing.
Just amazing.

 

Thanks for the figure Russ. Always sortta figured about 4mpg on anything over 600 hp. About the same on your 28 I'd think. Wonder what Mike Brown gets on his racer? This is their nightly almost dark run at Reno a few weeks ago. They have coils on each spark plug and this is the most efficient way to check them out. Check out no 2...always not working. A Wright 3350 on a Hawker Sea Fury airframe. Runs about 460 mph.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

I read an analysis of the P-51's performance that attributes much of its efficiency to the radiator design and not the laminar wing section. It was written by an Englishman...an engineer...so perhaps he is a bit biased but he said that there is quite a boost from the outflow coupled with the low drag scoop design. A laminar section really only works if there aren't any smoothness interruptions to the surface and the airflow is above 300 I've been told. Even bugs and the edges of the paint on an insignia can mess up the laminar flow. Think of what the gun bay doors would do? Over all it has to be a damn good wing section, though and the second degree lofting of the rest of the airplane had a tremendous positive effect on keeping the drag down. The bubble canopy didn't help, however, and Paul Mantz said that the fast back B model was the fastest of the Mustangs.

 

The P-51B wing is a thinner design than the D model hense less drag. The Bs four .50 cals were mounted in the wing at a 45deg angle and were subject to feed chute stoppages. The D wing allowed a higher wing to accomodate six .50s rightside up. Thicker slower wing but more boomboom.