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unusual facts about North American P-51D Mustang



2011 Reno Air Races crash

On September 16, 2011, at the Reno Air Races, a North American P-51D Mustang, named The Galloping Ghost, and was flown by James K. "Jimmy" Leeward crashed into spectators, killing the pilot and 10 people on the ground, and injuring 69 others.

Combat flight simulator

The latest module released (release date September 21, 2012) features the North American P-51 Mustang.

Gys van Beek

Among those he helped escape was a P-51 pilot from Wisconsin, Lieutenant Howard Edward Moebius.

Larson Air Force Base

Larson's P-51D Mustang (AAF Ser. No. 44-13881, nose-name "Mary, Queen of Scotts") was shot down and crashed on 4 August 1944 near Uelzen, Germany.

North American P-51 variants

The Vice-Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sir Wilfrid R. Freeman, lobbied vociferously for Merlin-powered Mustangs, insisting two of the five experimental Mustang Mk Xs be handed over to Carl Spaatz for trials and evaluation by the U.S. 8th Air Force in Britain.

North American P-64

In 1940, the NA-68s (along with a parallel order for NA-69 two seaters) ordered by the Royal Thai Air Force were en route to Thailand when their export clearance was cancelled and were returned to the United States where they were assigned the designation P-64, disarmed and used for advanced fighter training.

In 1940, the Royal Thai Air Force ordered six aircraft similar to the NA-50 that were designated NA-68.

Six NA-68s ordered by the Royal Thai Air Force were seized before export by the US government in 1941, after the Franco-Thai War and growing ties between Thailand and the Empire of Japan.

P-38 can opener

However, the P-51 can opener, while larger and easier to use than the P-38 can opener, also has a fighter plane namesake in the North American P-51 Mustang.

Piper Maru

The episode's cold open was filmed in a water tank, using a replica P-51 Mustang plane which had been designed by the art director.

Utah Air National Guard

Flying F-51D Mustang fighter aircraft, 10 pilots flew over 100 missions.

Yakovlev Yak-3

Marcel Albert, the official top-scoring World War II French ace, who flew the Yak in USSR with the Normandie-Niémen Group, considered it a superior aircraft to the P-51D Mustang and the Supermarine Spitfire.


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