I saw these at the first and so far only EAA Oshkosh air show.
https://youtu.be/gbZ1qDIKi60?si=udllWcSEH-PdYH_J
One of the greatest fighting planes ever constructed, though I've always held a soft spot for the F4U Corsair from WW2 as well.
He said the he had “three enemies: the plane, the ocean, and the Japanese - in that order”.
One confirmed kill, two probables, six on the ground.
My friend is going to the Oshkosh air show this week. He and his son have booked a B-25 flight.
There are old pilots, and there are bold pilots. There are no old bold pilots.
A friend of mine, Dick James, once of Fennimore, Wisconsin, found himself handicapped by an excess of money, so he bought a
WW II Mustang, and had it restored. When the bill got up to $750,000 he quit checking in with the specialists who were working on it, “Just send me the final bill.” Well over a million.
Dick took it to the Oshkosh Air Show, and a formation of four went out, but only three came back. Somewhere on that flight, we shall never know, an undetected mechanical failure, a lapse of a moment’s attention, a sudden medical issue, or just unaccountable error, what they found of Dick could be put in a shoebox. It flew right into the ground.
Richard P. James, RIP
Birth 16 NOV 1937 • Fennimore, Grant, Wisconsin, USA
Death 26 JUL 2005 • Oshkosh, Winnebago, Wisconsin, USA
I think that is Crazy Horse. If so, I saw it at Sun ‘n Fun down in Lakeland, Florida.
My husband flew Thunder Mustangs..a 3/4 scale of the P51. I understood they are quite tricky.
A FRiend used to live a few blocks from the final of runway 8 at Reno Stead. End of the street, a couple of lawn chairs and a cooler made for a great day at the races. He’s now on ‘broil’ north of Dallas.
Beautiful aircraft and YES, it does scream!
From my home office, I can see planes taking off and landing and they have P-51 that flies to airshows but when it takes off or lands at its home base, you know just by the sound. That plane goes.
I went to a boogie at a small airport and a retired Lt. Colonel flew his in and they put ropes around it while parked. He took off on a small rock runway and about 10 minutes later, he buzzed the airport. It looked like you could reach up & touch it he buzzed so low.
My dad was the Engineering Officer for 1st Squadron, 2nd Air Commandos in India and Burma 1944 and 1945. He and his crew chiefs had about 25 P-51’s under their control (though a squadron flight was usually only 16 planes). He said that despite regulations, every day was like an airshow.
In the late 1950’s he was tempted to buy the civilianized version of the Mustang. It was called the Cavalier. The going in price was semi-reasonable. The upkeep? - not so much.
Bummer. BIG mistake……
Decades ago I photographed a WWII fighter pilot’s reunion in Colorado Springs. Most of the pilots flew the Mustang and the P-47; all of them preferred the 47, which surprised me.
In chatting, they said the 51 was too sensitive to hits, the 47 would get you home. Another pilot said that in his year in Europe, he never saw one Luftwaffe aircraft that he could fight. By the time he saw one, there were several US guys on his tail. Then he hears about one pilot getting five kills in one day; which frustrated him!
They were so much fun to talk to.
When I was a kid, I built models. WWII planes were suspended by fishing line all around my room. The P51 was my favorite, and this video is awesome. Thanks for posting!