Posted on 02/04/2016 7:51:05 AM PST by DFG
A Second World War fighter plane due to take part in a Tuskegee Airmen tribute flight has been badly damaged after crashing in Texas. The P-51 Mustang, used by the U.S. Air Force to escort bombers on sorties over Europe, made a belly landing - without landing gear - at Dallas Executive Airport this morning. While pilot Bill Shepard is believed to have escaped the crash unharmed, the plane sustained 'substantial' damage - including the loss of its propeller.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Rush Hudson Limbaugh, Sr. (September 27, 1891 – April 8, 1996) was an American jurist, legislator, and ambassador. His legal career spanned nearly 80 years..
-
He would have been 50 years old when the war started.
Yes, I have always liked the Corsair. I built a Corsair model when I was a kid. I thought the wings were cool.
"My father flew P-51s in the China-Burma theater of World War II. He also was an instructor on B-25s. I've seen a picture of him outside one, I think it was in Alabama in World War II, I'm not totally sure about that."
I stand corrected. Thanks for setting it/me straight.
Rush has mentioned that his father flew the P-51 during World War II.
I stand corrected. You are right. My apologies.
YW. I always enjoyed him talking about his grandfather and father. He expresses genuine emotion when talking about them and their influence.
A prop for one of those is about 100 the engine which is going to require a complete teardown another 250 then doghouse sheet metal damage expensive
I missed it or forgot about hearing.
Heck, a bunch of us drove up I-25 to see Rush at Dan’s Bake Sale in 1992 and I remember that like it was yesterday.
They will get it restored. The airframe looks OK. The prop for sure is trashed and engine probably is too. Most of the rest is sheet metal work on the underside.
P.S. The flaps look a little wrinkled too.
It is terrible that such treasures are damaged and/or destroyed.
There’s no doubt the repairs will cost a bloody fortune. I could see .4 or .5 million by the time it’s done, not that I am any expert on it, it’s just that kind of work is astronomically expensive.
I loved reading Jeff’s writings. It must have been a pleasure to know him.
Does anyone know how many P51’s are still airworthy???
A lot of people here equate the RollsRoyce Merlin and the Packard built copy. They are not the same and most of the parts will not interchange.
RollsRoyce did not have a complete set of plans for their engine to give Packard. They depended on craftsmen making the parts fit for that particular engine. Packard did not work that way. Packard had to make drawings from scratch using 2 or 3 engines provided to them. Naturally, details changed. By the time the D-model came, there were a LOT of parts changes.
The anchor points were in the same place, though, so a complete Packard could be dropped in, in place of the RollsRoyce. And it was done commonly. However, most of the individual parts did not interchange.
I have read in WWII books that the Germans and the Japanese both had captured P-51 and tested them. In both cases, they could not believe how little oil leaked out of them compared to their own engines. Packard quality.
I'll make an exception for Bill & Hillary Clinton.
It is a crying shame that this plane could not be part of the dishonest, anti-White Tuskegee Airmen propaganda, that has been completely debunked as a false narrative.
Oh wait: no, it’s not.
It’s just a shame about the plane, though.
me too.
It looks like he did try to get the landing gear down, the tailwheel is down in the pictures, I guess he did’nt have enough altitude to lower the mains.
The parts are reproduced these days and believe it or not are not that expensive. I am in the business BTW. That A/C was extensively rebuilt not too many years ago so its not that big a deal really. Your price guess is pretty close BTW.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.