The P51-D Mustang was, and is, arguably one of the best all-around fighters ever to grace the sky. Its tremendous range and load capacity made it a good bomber escort, while its speed made it an excellent long-range photo-reconnaissance aircraft.
The plane could also be converted into a fighter-bomber by replacing its armament with bombs. This was one of its main purposes after World War II ended: it served as a ground attack aircraft during Vietnam and in other conflicts around the world where U.S airpower was required but there were no enemy jets to contend with.
The Mustang was a sturdy aircraft that could take a lot of abuse. If a pilot had to make an emergency landing, they would often find themselves just fine after the impact. One British pilot who had flown many missions in B-17s and B-24s said that he never had more than minor damage on any of his P51 Mustangs.
For pilots and crew members who were not used to handling these planes, however, things were different. A common issue for inexperienced pilots was having trouble getting out if there were problems with the canopy (the top part of the plane). The first thing they would try was pulling up on it from below and then pushing down from above—but this didn’t work very well at all because it only popped open about halfway before getting stuck again! After trying unsuccessfully for several minutes (and attracting attention), they finally realized that it opened by pressing forward on both sides simultaneously instead of pulling up or pushing down alone.
But, at first, it never really took off with any air forces. The P-51 was an excellent fighter plane, but it wasn’t the best fighter.
The problem was that the Germans had something better at the time: their Messerschmitt Bf 109s were faster and more maneuverable than most of what they could throw against them. The Mustang might have been able to match speed and dive rate with these aircraft (and out-climb them), but its guns were mounted too far apart for accurate shooting in a dogfight.
The British were the ones who initially embraced the Mustang, recognizing its potential as a long-range escort fighter. The British also recognized that it would need some modifications to improve its range and performance. The Supermarine Spitfire was already an outstanding fighter airplane at that time, but it could only fly up to about 400 miles. The RAF needed something with longer legs to provide cover over Germany from bases on the island of Britain or close by in France and Belgium.
The first P51-D Mustangs arrived at Royal Air Force airfields in September 1942 and immediately began being used in combat against German aircraft like Messerschmitt Bf 109s and Focke Wulf 190s—fighters that had been developed during World War II as more advanced replacements for those earlier models which had appeared during World War I (the Russian Revolution caused them not only not to see much action during their intended era but also prevented any further development).
And when the Americans finally got around to developing it further, they found a winner on their hands.
Meanwhile, the British were toying with their version of the Mustang—the P51B. It was faster and had a longer range than its predecessor, but it was armed with only four .50 caliber machine guns. The British also developed a bubble canopy for this model, which provided better visibility in flight.
In 1943, North American Aviation made further improvements to their aircraft as they created the P51C model. This variant had a more powerful engine and improved armament (6 x .50 caliber machine guns). The new aircraft was known as an excellent fighter in both Europe and Asia; however, there were some issues with overheating due to its high rate of speed (over 460 mph/740 km/h), which led to some early deaths among pilots flying it during combat conditions at high altitudes above 20 000 feet/6400 meters above sea level.
Such a winner that after the Mustangs were delivered to China in 1944, a group of U.S. pilots flew them in combat against Japanese fighters from Japan’s bases! Unfortunately for the Japanese, who were flying on home turf and had air superiority over much of China, the P51-D Mustang was a very effective plane. The only real drawback to using it was that it wasn’t as powerful when carrying bombs or rockets as other planes were at that time. But its primary role was to shoot down enemy fighters and bombers, not attack ground targets like tanks or ships.
So effective were these Mustangs that after they arrived in 1944 there was some discussion about whether they could be used in combat over Japan itself! While this never happened (at least not during World War II) an interesting footnote is that some of those same Mustangs later flew against Japanese forces from bases within Japan itself!
The origins of the P51-D Mustang began with Britain’s unexpected entry into World War II. While the British had been preparing for war since 1936, when Germany remilitarized the Rhineland, their efforts were not as far-reaching as those of Germany’s military buildup. The Battle of Britain in 1940 would prove that despite all their preparations, Britain was still woefully unprepared to meet an overwhelming enemy threat in the skies over England and Europe.
The British immediately requested help from North American Aviation (NAA) and asked if their new fighter could be modified so that it would have an extended range. NAA responded positively and set about making changes to both its airframe and engine configurations so that it could carry extra fuel tanks internally or externally depending on where they fit best on each aircraft model type.
The Royal Air Force had not been able to prepare itself for war as quickly as Germany had prepared itself to fight one, and they were now facing an overwhelming enemy threat in the skies over England and Europe. The British were desperate for new fighters, but America was still neutral at this point.
In 1940, the British War Ministry asked North American Aviation (NAA) if they could design and build a single-seat fighter based on their P-40 Tomahawk/Kittyhawk series of fighters that had been built by NAA under license from Curtiss-Wright Corporation. In addition to facing enormous odds when they went into battle pilots often found themselves without sufficient fuel to make it home again.
For the RAF, this meant that pilots often found themselves without sufficient fuel to make it home again. In those cases, they would have to ditch their aircraft in the English Channel and await rescue by British ships. However, many RAF pilots did not survive these water landings due to hypothermia or drowning as they waited for rescue boats to arrive.
A P51-D Mustang with drop tanks could fly 1,600 miles (2,575 kilometers). This was long enough for USAAF units stationed on island bases like Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima to strike targets deep within Japanese territory—and return safely home after doing so!
The British asked North American Aviation if their new fighter could be modified so that it would have an extended range and be fitted with larger fuel tanks under its wings. The result was the P51-D Mustang, which became one of the most successful fighters of World War II.
The P51-D Mustang had an exceptional reputation for being rugged and easy to fly. It was equally effective at low or high altitudes, and its six .50 caliber machine guns gave it plenty of firepowers. By the end of 1944, over 21,000 Mustangs had been built (more than any other USAAF [United States Army Air Force] fighter plane) and they would go on to serve in various roles until 1952 when they were decommissioned from service by the USAF (the United States Air Force).
The P51-D is still in use by the U.S. Air Force as part of the Heritage Flight program, which allows vintage aircraft to fly in formation with more modern jets for ceremonial purposes. The P51-D is one of five World War II aircraft that fly as part of this program, along with two B-17s and two P-38s.
The airplane was also used by the Flying Tigers during World War II when it was flown by American pilots who had been recruited from the U.S. Army Air Corps before Pearl Harbor. The Flying Tigers were an independent squadron composed entirely of American volunteers who fought for China against Japan during World War II; they flew American planes under Chinese colors and uniforms so as not to anger Japan too much while they were still officially neutral at that time (although that didn’t last long).