My grandfather flew that prototype. It is one of my favorite stories from him. It was a ferry flight and they said to go get that P-51 and fly it out. He went out looked around the ramp and didn't see anything he recognized as a mustang. "You mean the thing with the damn buggy wheels?". Yes. That one. He shrugged and went out, went through the checklist, started, taxied out and took off. It pinned him to the seat. He said he was at about ten thousand feet before he caught back up. He said it was the best flying airplane ever and he flew all of them. He got to his location, made an overhead pass and started into the break. "Is that all you got?" Proclaimed the tower..."permission to clear the pattern..."asked Grandpa. "Permission granted". He re entered the pattern over 500 mph, pulled vertically and rolled out of sight, came back and landed. "Report to the tower on shut down". He was in a little bit of trouble over that but he felt the juice was worth the squeeze. Best prop plane he ever flew..
Always to the same standard and cross referenced with his other videos! The danger of watching one of Greg's videos is that you may end up on a video binge of his videos if you are not careful! 😂
The fact you are willing to track down every bit of info you can to be as accurate as possible, while also outright stating when things are educated guesses at best, is awesome to me. And being as I am a technology and science nerd, and love all the engineering of the pre and post WW2 era and how quickly things changed in just 10 years, this channel rocks.
They could be a handful to fly due to propeller torque. That's why you see a lot of superprops with counter-rotating props. The de Havilland Hornet solved this with two conter-rotating engines.@@dusk6159
Sure hope you cover the Douglas Skyraider. It missed WWII combat but so did some other Super Props. It was designed during WWII and used the iconic B-29 Wright R 3350. Seems like in some ways the panicle of the Super Prop. And perhaps with best combat record.😎
Greg, I also recommend a video on the Skyraider. My father flew US Navy attack and AEW versions of the A-1/AD (Able Dog or Spad). It was his favorite airplane. His stories were great to listen to. Missing WWII, it still served in Korea and Vietnam with the USN & USAF, as well as some other nations. In the USAF, it took the A-10 to replace it.
A1D SARS were the perfect airframe for long loitering heavy fire support. Endurance, payload and took incredible punishment from ground fire. The team of a C130 King bird, an OV10, two HH3 and our beloved Sandy had an 87% successful mission completed rate in our unit during the Veit Civil War. 322 Americans saved by the 442 AARS is significant, but rarely mentioned.
Greg: Many extremely great photos and great narrative. Lots of good info. Thank you to the max. I used to work at Half Moon Bay Airport back in the '60s and '70s. The guy who ran the place, Frank Sylvestri, had flown P-47s in WW2. His son, Paul, was a high school pal. I rode down there on my '50 H-D Panhead (still have her). One day we could hear a P-51 enter the pattern. The classic pop-pop of the the Merlin on final. Nice, no bounce landing. In it came, toward the gas pump. This action was enough to actually bring out the old man from the office. The pilot was a guy with his kid in the back, in a P-51H! I handed up the gas nozzle. All we had was 100-130, but who makes 130-145 any more? Anyway, they went inside and got their hunnert dollar hamburgers (plus, probably, a milk shake for the kid). They came back outside, fired it up and were outta there. Very cool. I gassed a P-51H!
Oh, my sweet Greg - never underestimate our interest in random niches of history. Seriously, you're so good at going in depth without wearing us out. Great content.
Glad you covered the P-51H, there just isn't too much information out there on this highly refined version of the Mustang and you are right, all attention was focused on jet aircraft.
This is true. I have a book on the Mustang and the H model gets very little attention apart from being described as the lightweight Mustang, almost as if reducing the weight of an aircraft was detrimental to it's performance.
@@markfryer9880 I was reading in one of my old books on aircraft that the P-51H performance was not just due to it being a lighter aircraft, but aerodynamically refined with a far better engine putting out 2K HP and a superb supercharging system. The aircraft apparently is better than the Hawker Sea Fury and the F8F Bearcat. It essentially was an aircraft that remedied all the problems associated with previous models and was the aircraft that P-51 pilots of previous models wish it was.
There is one of these that often flies into the Warbird Roundup airshow at the Warhawk Museum in Nampa Idaho. Tail number 464551. It's a bit plain looking compared to the colorful paint other Mustangs sport, but it runs great and it's neat to see such a rare bird flying around. It definitely does sound a bit different than other Mustangs.
The truly crazy thing is private race teams are doing over 500 mph with P-51's at like 5000 ft. The true highest performing mustangs of all time are air racers like Voodoo which once recorded a pass at 554 mph
As fast as Voodoo was/is, I believe Dago Red and Strega were even faster. Dago holds the record at Reno of 507.XXX, and it's too bad neither of these race teams were willing/able to spend the money to set a new 3K record. I believe either one of them would've beaten Rare Bear's record by a considerable amount....
@@muskepticsometimes9133 Reno is exploring Casper, WY or Pueblo, CO or Roswell, NM as a new location to hold the races. The airport at Reno wanted the land.
Well, the P-51H was designed not only to be fast, but had very long range, too. It would have been used on attacks on Japan from Iwo Jima and Okinawa had Operation _Olympic_ actually started in November 1945.
Hey Greg. I'm 54 , have studied how to fly off and on all my life. Haven't got my pilots license yet . There's always something coming up. Life . I'm gonna try to do this soon . You've been a great teacher . Thanks man. Jeremy Wilson.
Don't think about the license. Go for Your SOLO! Solo takes about 8-15 hours, and maybe $1,500-$2,000 as opposed to 8-12k. You don't need headset, or flight bag or maps or gear. Just study to pass the written exam, get your 3rd class medical, and go fly. P.S. Not all instructors are on your side. Find someone who has a passion for flying and wants you to succeed. Not just some kid trying to build hours for their future airline career. They will just get you to fly a lot so they can gain hours at your expense... You want a professional, middle age, fun loving person. Meet and maybe fly with a few in your first 3 hours then go for the SOLO!
When I was a kid back in the 60’s I bought an Aurora 1/48 scale P-51 kit and was irritated that when I opened it the plane had the wrong shape. It turns out I had bought a now rare P-51 kit which for some reason wasn’t labeled as an H, the box said simply P-51. On eBay the asking price for one with the original issue box art is $250.
Credit to NAA, they seemed to improve upon the D in nearly all areas. Cool to see the ANG period pictures, I like to see the various states on the planes.
My State - Kansas - flew them in their Air Nasty Guard. About 1959 I saw one swoop over the Flint Hills and because it said "KANG" in giant letters and had that big belly scoop I asked my Dad if it was a flying kangaroo . . .
Now I have read, many years ago, that the lightweight frame for the P-51H was derived not from the P-51D, but instead was based on the frame developed for the P-82 Twin Mustang
@@brianrhodes1575 The primary difference between the P-51H frame and the P-51D, that unlike the P-51D, the P-51H was designed to meet European aircraft structure standards, and not the stronger US strength requirements
@@brianrhodes1575 I have heard that - I have also heard disputations of that. I guess that we'll have to wait until somebody like Kermit Weeks pulls them up side-by-side and takes us along as he examines them. I feel that is part of what makes '39-up fighters so darn interesting.
@@martijn9568 The longer P-82 airframe length was forced by the use of twin engines. To prevent the aircraft from leaving controlled flight, when both engines were a full throttle, but suddenly one engine dies. the longer airframe length was to prevent the asymmetric power configuration from throwing the aircraft into a flag spin
Great video! I read in Chuck Yeager's autobio he described the P51D as being very pitch sensitive on take off with a full fuel load in the fuselage tank. It surprised me a bit that even a pilot of this elite skill level and expertise would describe it as being really touchy and even could be dangerous in this situation.
You wanted to empty the fuel tank BEHIND the pilot before transferring to the drop tanks. It was a CG issue. I think Yeager said in his first autobiography that the P-51 could flip onto its back if you didn't burn that fuselage tanks first. He also remarked that they NEVER had the suggestion in the P-51 pilot's manual that you SHOULD burn off that fuselage tank first before transferring to the drop tanks! It seems a STUPID detail to omit from a flight manual but remember that most of these fighter designs had major flaws that generally weren't corrected until the fourth, fifth, or even sixth major production models of those designs! Development of WW2 designs was compressed into months instead of the many years we spend developing aircraft now. Bare minimum development time for any plane that goes into service NOW is at least 4 years flight testing; that's optimistic. A decade from program start to first prototype flight is more likely. They spent close to 20 years from the time the F-35 program was initiated (mid-1990s) until actual initial operational capability of the type designing and testing that plane. It STILL has major maintenance and manufacturing issues. Both the F-14 and F-15 were tested and developed for 4 years before they first deployed (1974 and 1976 respectively). Neither plane was debugged (mostly) until they were in service for at least a decade! They were still working out bugs in the F-14 up to the year it was retired.
Loving the expansion of the superprop series. I would request that you consider looking at the Commonwealth CA15 and Martin Baker MB5 for inclusion in this series please.
Modern diesel pickups have huge water-oil coolers. Ever increasing power and towing capabilities (and how common performance mods are) need ever bigger coolers.
Interesting to see the change in the “buzz” number prefix’s. The are photos of PF-, TF-, and FF-. I’d always thought that the prefix was fixed to the aircraft and didn’t change. Greg notes the he thinks the straight leading edge is the primary visual identifier while I had always gone with the taller tail and rudder assembly. In one of the other comments, it’s noted that there was a a P-51H in civilian hands. As a CAP cadet in the late sixties we had gone to a fly-in at a little grass strip in Plainwell ,Michigan. I was excited to see a P-51 there, the second one I’d seen. The first was a couple years earlier when Bob Hoover performed with his P-51D when the new county airport opened. Looking at the one parked on that grass strip, I realized it had a taller tail and it was an H model. I had also noticed the the tall tail on a Mustang at the 2023 Oshkosh. It’s no longer just the mark of a P-51 H as it was adopted for all the Cavalier Mustangs as well. Just the same, a well done video, Greg.
There were two F-51H aircraft that crashed near where I grew up on March 10th of 1950, flying out of Lockbourne AFB with the 166th Fighter Squadron/121st Fighter Intercept Group. Flying them were Second Lt. Neal Diehl(serial number 44-64616) and Second Lt. William Drazic(serial number 44-64500). A group of five F-51H aircraft left Lockbourne AFB in Columbus, OH with intentions of flying to Selfridge, Michigan on a routine training excercise. Report was Lt. Drazic wanted to buzz his parents' house, which required flying East to Wintersville, Ohio from Columbus, a distance of about 125 nautical miles from Lockbourne field. Lt. Drazic reportedly accomplished buzzing his parents' house before an abrupt maneuver put his aircraft into Lt. Diehl's F-51. Air Force accident reports suggest Lt. Drazic's aircraft crashed to the ground one mile from Fernwood Rd, being killed without exiting the aircraft, and after the collision, Lt. Diehl would bail out of his F-51, nevertheless also losing his life, his aircraft being found three miles from Lt. Drazic's near a coal mining company. Both aircraft were "almost entirely unrecognizable." Lt. Drazic's F-51 was reported to still be burning two hours after the incident with his body still inside and Lt. Diehl being found, also badly burned, by the Ohio State Highway Patrol who first investigated the crash before a wave of military trucks showed up and recovered most of the debris. There are a ton of locals to the crash sites, who believe to this day, that I have talked to, that Drazic and Diehl were peeled off from the three other aircraft headed for Michigan, to investigate a "ufo sighting" during the lapse in official efforts to "chase" unidentified craft between Project Grudge and Project Blue Book, but I figure that simply would be way too coincidental seeing as how Lt. Drazic literally crashed near his own parents' house. People were alarmed by the secrecy and quickness of the military to keep people away from the wreckage and trying to keep anyone from seeing what had happened, rumoring that people had their cameras confiscated after the military showed up and that the two images published in the local newspaper were taken by Ohio State Highway Patrol before the military responded to the two crash sites. One fella I met claimed to know a guy to have a piece of one of the aircraft but refused to mention who or what exactly he had. Very creative imagination on some of these folks! There is currently a memorial at the Jefferson County Airpark (2G2) where a Steubenville Herald Star newspaper from March 11th, 1950 with front page article and before-mentioned images alongside an uncuffed prop, missing two of its four blades, "supposedly" recovered from the wreckage of one of the two above-mentioned F-51H aircraft, mounted to a display pole beside the newspaper in a glass box.
@@Parboiledfrog yeah, if you go to the wintersville airport they have the memorial with the propeller by the pilots lounge little building on the northern end of the runway, the airport was built on the old coal mine company property where the second plane had crashed, neat little piece of history about an unfortunate accident.
Greg, you have one of the few channels in which I will literally drop whatever I am doing and immediately watch. That is the highest compliment I can give.
Thank you very much for posting this. Your video presentations are always of the highest standards and your hard work in creating such content is very much appreciated.
Greg, I'm an old WW2 Air Force guy and I was billeted near the N.A.C.A. Lab and hangars and the pilots to whom I spoke still liked the P-51D the best over all. By the way, when referring to the N.A.C.A. in those days, it was always just that, N. A. C. A., Never one word "naca". Good job on all your stuff!
Simply awesome production again Greg...! My Great Uncle flew P-51K's ( Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation built in Australia ) in Korea in the ground support role. He said it was his favourite airplane to fly ( well not including the F-86 Sabre...! ) . And this is from a guy that lied about his age in 1942 , flew Spitfires in England at the end of WW2, and went on to fly Hueys in Vietnam, and ended his flying days in the French Dassault Mirage Jet. So, thanks for posting this, and all hail the immortal NA P-51...! Cheers mate...!
My P-51H story. I was at Lackland AFB in 1967 for basic training. I was there for was called "casual" status after basic, that is waiting for a school slot. I saw a sort of museum on Lackland with a variety of aircraft outside (including a F-105). There it was, a P-51 but unlike most P-51s. I went inside to ask about it and the men running the "museum" said the pilot's log book is "right their" on that shelf. I read it. That P-51H was flown from New York (ANG) to Kelly Field and towed over to Lackland where it had remained.
Thanks for posting. Will have to watch after work! By the way, the Georgia Air Guard had a few of those that were received after they came home from Korea and had not been re equipped with F-84's... Many years ago I met a pilot who had flown one.
Was blessed to get a ride in the late Bill Hogans P51H back in 75. Thanks dad. Alot of late fighters like this didnt make it, not because of bad design, but because the military has so many parts for early models in stock that its hard to justify taking on new models. The advancement in jets was worth taking on to the militaries future.
The A-1 Skyraider was pretty awesome. Short reminder about water injection, It enabled cooler air (dense/ cool air = more oxygen = more power) As a US Navy Aircraft Mechanic I can highly see the value of removing engine performance settings from the pilot's control. The Pilots are pretty busy. Side note, My 96 impala SS has an oil and transmission cooler. If you are an engine nerd, find a way to be around a Merlin Engine when its started and warmed up. It's like taking a ride in a B-17, once in a lifetime cool.
My father piqued my interest in flight from an early age (3), when I went for my first flight in his '53 Bonanza and I was hooked. From that flight on I had vivid, recurring dreams of flying around and looking down on the city lights . . . and then we moved to California and after our first night flight, I realized the city lights I was seeing in my dreams were the exact ones I was seeing there in real time - rural Michigan didn't have the odd, orange-ish colored freeway and street lights that were the norm/standard in California - astral projection? I've learned to hang glide ('77) and parasail ('82) since that time (1970), while also achieving my private pilot's license in '78. Had to give up flying airplanes because I couldn't afford to either buy a plane or rent/lease one to stay current. These days its all hang gliding and parasailing, which I prefer due to the quiet vs the constant engine noises. Still have an occassional dream of flying after over 50 years. Just something about the perspective you get when flying that you have difficulty explaining to anyone who hasn't flown. It is completely addictive and you can rarely get enough of it, once bitten by the flight bug. Who needs drugs when you can go fly w/o them?!?
Yes, but also the Corsair -5, a couple planes from Supermarine, two from Dehavilland, one more from North American and others I can't think of right now. It's going to be a long series.
If I recall correctly, the H model were mostly issued to ANG Interceptor units for home defense. Thus eligibility for Korea would have been moot and well explained by Greg. Honestly, the P-47 would have been better in Korea and the argument of logistics for them were in my opinion biased to the F-51. Additionally, Oil coolers in modern aircraft are interesting. Inline fuel/oil coolers, air/oil coolers, and fuel cell mounted coolers. Another great job Greg, We all do appreciate it.
The photo at 9:33 of MDANG F51H was led by J.F.R. Scott, an American Samurai (my opinion). Look him up. Wonder personality and a great friend of my Dad's. Scotty couldn't have been more than 5'6" but to me growing up, he was 7' tall. Shot down by ground fire over Japan, picked up by an American submarine, that man could tell a story! By the way, my Father absolutely loved the H.
Years ago at an air show at Travis AFB, this guy flew in a P-51H that he co-owns with other people. I immediately recognized it and probably spent a good deal of the day hanging out with him and dropping a ton of questions. He said no parts are interchangeable between the other Mustang models and the H model. When it came to performance comparisons he says the P-51H is easily superior to the P-51D and other World War II aircraft.
@@Mentaculus42 We talked about World War II fighters in comparison to the H model. He did say the 51H easily outturned the 51D and had a comparable turn rate with the Spitfire. In terms of climb rate, another pilot outclimbed the BF-109K. Basically he said the P-51H fixed things that were wrong with the previous Mustangs and had the improvements other pilots wish the previous models had.
@@jerryavalos9610 Thank you for the reply, I have always wondered where the “H” was in relation to its contemporaries. Had a relative that was at NAA from the beginning but I was too young at the time he was around to ask him very much about the inner workings and technical details. What you say is fascinating to me.
@@charlesrousseau6837 I am a proud American but the Hornets were without a doubt the most beautiful Winged Killing Machines ever crafted by the Hand Of Man...
I can't say for absolutely sure (it was a 'H') but at the Hamilton Air Show in Ontario,Canada back in the early 80's I saw a P-51H fly low & slow, then it raised flaps, cranked on the power and went straight up until you couldn't see it anymore ! A prop-job ! WOW
I read somewhere that one of the objections the Army Air Cor had with the H was the smaller wheels and lighter landing gear struts. I don't think the P-51H would be very safe operating off of grass strips. Great video Greg as always
@@drgondog The gross weight of the P-51H is nearly twice that of the Spitfire and it appears the wheel diameter is smaller than the Spitfire as well. Just looking at it you can tell this aircraft is only meant for a paved runway. Something tells me the Army Air Corp wouldn't be eager at all to allow a P-51H to take off and land on a grass field which the Spit did as a matter of routine. The smaller the wheel the more vulnerable the aircraft is to ruts. The P-51H is a "Runway Aircraft". The D model would handle a grass strip much better due to its beefier gear and larger main wheels.
I'm glad you finally did a video on the P-51H. I've been saying for years it was the hottest propeller driven fighter in the skies, but there were always people claiming that there were others that were faster, or would outclimb it, etc. We now know those claims were not true. The P-51H was THE hotrod of the skies for prop driven fighters, however, it was mostly pushed aside with little fanfare because of two reasons. It never saw combat, and it came out too close to the jet age. Had the H come out a year earlier, I believe it would've been a much more heralded aircraft. I'm surprised your video didn't go into any more detail about the H model's predecessors, the F and G prototype models. I have a book titled "Building the P-51." The book goes into great detail about every version of the plane, every power plant used, all of the different HP ratings for each engine based on fuel octane, manifold pressure, etc. Test pilot Bob Chilton talked about test flying the F model and said climbing out after takeoff at 7500 FPM was quite common. It took years before a jet was developed that could top that rate of climb. He also said that while he was never able to attain 500 MPH in level flight it would certainly do over 490. All of the "light weight" Mustangs were at the very top of the heap in terms of propeller driven aircraft performance...
That's what 40-45psi boost, that is amazing!! That is a tremendous force inside the engine during combustion, it's really incredible for the time, even today.🙂
No, it's about 29psi of boost at sea level. Boost is measured above ambient, manifold pressure is total pressure including ambient. Now as the plane goes higher it needs more and more boost to hold it's manifold pressure. I have a video about this somewhere. Now up at very high altitudes that 90 inches of manifold pressure will be about 38psi of boost above ambient because the pressure there is so low, but still only 29psi above pressure at sea level.
Oh, thank you for correcting me. I have watched numerous videos of yours that are very interesting, I will look for this one too. Thanks Greg!@@GregsAirplanesandAutomobiles
Greetings, this is Greg! My favourite incipit! I'm really sorry i'm a poor man, otherwise i'd surely be one of your Patreons! Another great vid...thank you so much❤!
Noticed in some of the pictures of the P/F-51H that had the tail gear locked down in flight. I seem to remember that they had done the same with ANG F-51D aircraft as well. There was some maintenance issue with the retraction of the tail wheel, and the solution was to have them locked in the down position. I am guessing that it was a similar situation with the F-51Hs that had their tail wheel locked down as well.
Thanks - it makes me realise what a wonderful plane the Sea Fury was, particularly with the original Bristol Centaurus engine. I also find the later Mustang less aesthetically pleasing to my eye than the earlier models.
@@yosemite-e2vIf they'd have put more rake on the windscreen, maybe like a Fw190, the B would have been the Roto Finish Special (1972 Reno Unlimited Champion) but for the modified Merlin and clipped wings.
This is a great informative video. The H model was my favorite and I never saw an actual model in person until I was at Lackland AFB. Unfortunately, it was hand painted static model in the wrong paint scheme. Later saw one that is hangered at KVCB (Nut Tree Airport) that is a flying museum piece. Back in the late 80s, I found out that there was an XP-51 that was being restored by John Morgan in La Canada, CA. Its current disposition is unknown.
Greg, thanks, great video. I'd please like to make 2 comments. The first being the use of the hollow steel bladed Aeroproducts A542 propeller on the P-51H. This saved +/- 100 lbs over the Hamilton Standard Hydromatic unit, but more importantly, the near constant-chord "H20" series of blades had a high activity factor (ability to absorb horsepower) of 130.6 and was favored by post-war air racers for decades. The Aeroprop H20 design series was used on the later models of the P-63, all P-82 and F8F aircraft, and early models of the Skyraider. The other item is that late war German fighters such as the FW 190D-9 and Ta-152H also used liquid-liquid heat exchangers to cool their oil.
The Aeroproducts prop is coming up a lot in this discussion. It's interesting because in another video I talked about Aeroproducts and based on the comments there nobody was interested in it. I wonder what the difference is here?
@@GregsAirplanesandAutomobiles , I can't explain the difference in interest. The Aeroprops are a research fascination of mine, particularly the CRP units found on the XP-72, XF8B-1, XP/P-75, A2D, XP5Y-1, and R3Y Tradewinds.
Thank you for this one Greg. My father was a P-39 instructor (this irritated him because he wanted to fight) during the war. He did deploy to Nuremberg in June 1945, flying the P-51D doing aerial recon vs. the Soviets. He also did military testing of the P-63. After the war, he was the first CO of one of Ohio's ANG Squadrons at Wright Patterson from 1946-1951. He had both D & H models of the P-51s in his squadrons. Thank you for the picture of the Ohio ANG Mustang in your video As usual; your presentation was fantastic.
I have talked about them, the N is a real borderline superprop. It's sort of like the TA152, it saw action, but not by much. However I have to draw the line somewhere. I may do a video specifically on the N as it's a fantastic airplane.
Hi Greg...Cool video on the P51H..! An observation...the P51H profile "nose droop" looks remarkably like CAC's CA-15 "Kangaroo" design that Sir Lawrence Wackett and Fred David kicked-off in June 1943. Originally, the CA-15 was designed for a radial engine...e.g. 😮the 2,300 hp (1,715 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp plus a turbocharger😵💫...guessing the R-2800-44 or the R-2800-73 with the General Electric CH-5-A3 turbocharger..?!? However, with the P & W R-2800 Double Wasp becaming unavailable; suspect, that's because of more pressing war demands, they fitted an in-line Rolls-Royce Griffon Mk 61 (2,035 hp/1,517 kW) leased from Rolls-Royce.with the intention for production engines to have a three-stage supercharger.. One could say that these boys were serious 🥵"hot-heads". Story goes that after some initial "issues"...CAC's CA-15 "Kangaroo" and Flt Lt J. A. L. Archer reportedly achieved a 🥶speed of 502.2 mph (803 km/h)🥶 over Melbourne, after levelling out of a dive of 4,000 ft (1,200 m), on 25 May 1948. So, I'm not surprised that the P51H is a "Hot Ship"..! Is it possible that some design data was shared with NAA..??
Another wonderful video Greg. I am really enjoying these Super Props series. Must admit I love the P51. The H model was really something special and only made me love this model even more than the D model. The Sea Fury is a wonderful aircraft, as are most of the Super Props, probably a better all round winner but like you said it has a combat record to back it up. The H missed out in the Pacific but I'm pretty confident it would have done just swell. North American weren't newcomers when bringing out new types for combat. Think of the first Mustang, Twin Mustang, F86 etc. The late piston jobs had one advantage over the early jets and that was endurance. Very good for loitering and with good range. You mentioned the H not being used in Korea, for a number of reasons. If the claim of the H wasn't as rugged as the D, the P47 Thunderbolt would have been ideal for the ground attack role. The Mustangs' water cooling was it's main vulnerability, forget a hit in the oil cooler, a hit to the radiator and it's good night nurse. Speaking of oil coolers, the Corsairs oil cooler was it's weak spot as well. Anyway, will you be including the Martin Baker MB 5? I think only a couple were built but that also is a hot ship. Keep up the excellent videos!
On the note of water to oil based oil coolers, many Japanese cars have such coolers, typically built into the oil filter mount. My ‘08 Nissan Altima with a 3.5 L had such a cooler. And in my experience, many Mercedes diesels engines work roughly the same way
Some of the big brothers to the Merlin, the Griffon 57 and 57A, gave 1,960 hp (1,460 kW); 2,345 hp (1,749 kW) with water-methanol injection on take-off:
Years ago when playing Battlefield 1942 the Mustang was always referred to as the Pwnstang because it was far superior than any other aircraft in the game assuming equal skilled pilots were facing off. THIS thing actually, probably, IS a Pwnstang. Note: For those that don't know 'Pwned' was a mistyped 'Owned' by some player who was taunting someone else in the game chat and this stuck as a colloquial term for a long time. Another great video Greg! Hopefully you are finishing up the P-38 series next maybe?😊👍🏻 Though you said you had a bit more you wanted to put into it.
Great video. I always found the H subtly less aesthetically pleasing than the preceding models. With the stretched radiator housing and the slicked out nose section she went from being curvaceous in the right places to the wrong places to my eye.
Personally, I've never have been the biggest of the early Mustang in the looks department, although its not bad. For me the B/C/D models are the pinnacle, especially the later. I definitely agree with you on the H. It's always struck me as a misshapen D. The profile of the plane just looks a little "off."
Everything Hawker produced was breathtaking to look at, Very much their own style yet every bit as staunch looking as the best of them. Love the seafury and that sleeve valve wonder by bristol was the icing on the cake for audio-philes like myself 😂
My grandfather flew that prototype. It is one of my favorite stories from him. It was a ferry flight and they said to go get that P-51 and fly it out. He went out looked around the ramp and didn't see anything he recognized as a mustang. "You mean the thing with the damn buggy wheels?". Yes. That one. He shrugged and went out, went through the checklist, started, taxied out and took off. It pinned him to the seat. He said he was at about ten thousand feet before he caught back up. He said it was the best flying airplane ever and he flew all of them. He got to his location, made an overhead pass and started into the break. "Is that all you got?" Proclaimed the tower..."permission to clear the pattern..."asked Grandpa. "Permission granted". He re entered the pattern over 500 mph, pulled vertically and rolled out of sight, came back and landed. "Report to the tower on shut down". He was in a little bit of trouble over that but he felt the juice was worth the squeeze. Best prop plane he ever flew..
Awesome story, thanks for sharing!
Awesome! And...
It's easier to get forgiveness than permission. He did good!!!
awesome!
Totally rings true. Men were bolder back then !
Any relation to a Gleeson who flew CH-53s in the USMC?
The breadth and depth of Greg's coverage is astonishing. Love these videos.
Seconded
Unrivaled
Absolutely ! My favorites bar none !
Truly
Always to the same standard and cross referenced with his other videos!
The danger of watching one of Greg's videos is that you may end up on a video binge of his videos if you are not careful! 😂
Hands down, the best place on TH-cam to get your WW2 aircraft history fix… great work as always Greg!
Yes, this is, infact; Mecca.
Greg is a national treasure and is not allowed to die!
Be sure to check out "WWII US Bombers" as he also uses period documents.
Absolutely. Greg is my favorite aircraft history TH-camr & it’s not particularly close.
And Greg doesn't suffer fools lightly
Greg for planes and Drachinifel for warships up to the 50's. It's almost information overload!!!
Almost.
The fact you are willing to track down every bit of info you can to be as accurate as possible, while also outright stating when things are educated guesses at best, is awesome to me. And being as I am a technology and science nerd, and love all the engineering of the pre and post WW2 era and how quickly things changed in just 10 years, this channel rocks.
Agreed. It's golden.
The Superprop series are simply brilliant, nice work Greg.🛩
Some of the most beautiful and coolest planes ever
They could be a handful to fly due to propeller torque. That's why you see a lot of superprops with counter-rotating props. The de Havilland Hornet solved this with two conter-rotating engines.@@dusk6159
I'm waiting for the Chain Lightning. A four engine Lightning with a wild amount of firepower. Just a matter of time until he covers it.@@dusk6159
Sure hope you cover the Douglas Skyraider. It missed WWII combat but so did some other Super Props. It was designed during WWII and used the iconic B-29 Wright R 3350. Seems like in some ways the panicle of the Super Prop. And perhaps with best combat record.😎
Greg, I also recommend a video on the Skyraider. My father flew US Navy attack and AEW versions of the A-1/AD (Able Dog or Spad). It was his favorite airplane. His stories were great to listen to. Missing WWII, it still served in Korea and Vietnam with the USN & USAF, as well as some other nations. In the USAF, it took the A-10 to replace it.
A1D SARS were the perfect airframe for long loitering heavy fire support. Endurance, payload and took incredible punishment from ground fire.
The team of a C130 King bird, an OV10, two HH3 and our beloved Sandy had an 87% successful mission completed rate in our unit during the Veit Civil War.
322 Americans saved by the 442 AARS is significant, but rarely mentioned.
Wait . The sky raiders that were also used in Vietnam? Lol
Greg: Many extremely great photos and great narrative. Lots of good info. Thank you to the max.
I used to work at Half Moon Bay Airport back in the '60s and '70s. The guy who ran the place, Frank Sylvestri, had flown P-47s in WW2. His son, Paul, was a high school pal. I rode down there on my '50 H-D Panhead (still have her). One day we could hear a P-51 enter the pattern. The classic pop-pop of the the Merlin on final. Nice, no bounce landing. In it came, toward the gas pump. This action was enough to actually bring out the old man from the office. The pilot was a guy with his kid in the back, in a P-51H! I handed up the gas nozzle. All we had was 100-130, but who makes 130-145 any more? Anyway, they went inside and got their hunnert dollar hamburgers (plus, probably, a milk shake for the kid). They came back outside, fired it up and were outta there. Very cool. I gassed a P-51H!
Thanks, that's a great story. These days it's ultra rare to see a warbird just cruise in to get a burger.
@GregsAirplanesandAutomobiles Do you have plans to do the Spitire mk 22 and 24? Love your channel by the way.
Oh, my sweet Greg - never underestimate our interest in random niches of history.
Seriously, you're so good at going in depth without wearing us out. Great content.
That's what she said😂❤
I'm going to say it. You are most probably the most important Aviation information Source on TH-cam. Thank you.
Glad you covered the P-51H, there just isn't too much information out there on this highly refined version of the Mustang and you are right, all attention was focused on jet aircraft.
This is true. I have a book on the Mustang and the H model gets very little attention apart from being described as the lightweight Mustang, almost as if reducing the weight of an aircraft was detrimental to it's performance.
@@markfryer9880 I was reading in one of my old books on aircraft that the P-51H performance was not just due to it being a lighter aircraft, but aerodynamically refined with a far better engine putting out 2K HP and a superb supercharging system. The aircraft apparently is better than the Hawker Sea Fury and the F8F Bearcat. It essentially was an aircraft that remedied all the problems associated with previous models and was the aircraft that P-51 pilots of previous models wish it was.
There is one of these that often flies into the Warbird Roundup airshow at the Warhawk Museum in Nampa Idaho. Tail number 464551. It's a bit plain looking compared to the colorful paint other Mustangs sport, but it runs great and it's neat to see such a rare bird flying around. It definitely does sound a bit different than other Mustangs.
Holy shit I didn’t know any of the lightweight mustangs survived.
The truly crazy thing is private race teams are doing over 500 mph with P-51's at like 5000 ft. The true highest performing mustangs of all time are air racers like Voodoo which once recorded a pass at 554 mph
Yes lap record at Reno like 505 mph, that's 5000 ft and w turns.
Shame Reno air races ended
As fast as Voodoo was/is, I believe Dago Red and Strega were even faster. Dago holds the record at Reno of 507.XXX, and it's too bad neither of these race teams were willing/able to spend the money to set a new 3K record. I believe either one of them would've beaten Rare Bear's record by a considerable amount....
@@jamesbottger5894 the speed record now held by P51. Look it up, partly new standard
@@muskepticsometimes9133 Reno is exploring Casper, WY or Pueblo, CO or Roswell, NM as a new location to hold the races. The airport at Reno wanted the land.
Well, the P-51H was designed not only to be fast, but had very long range, too. It would have been used on attacks on Japan from Iwo Jima and Okinawa had Operation _Olympic_ actually started in November 1945.
The H. A P51 seldom discussed. A video on the twin Mustang might be a good follow on to this one. Thanks!
Seconded! F-82! F-82! F-82!
Just watch the H video twice ... ;-)
@@darrellid :D :D :D
Hey Greg. I'm 54 , have studied how to fly off and on all my life. Haven't got my pilots license yet . There's always something coming up. Life . I'm gonna try to do this soon . You've been a great teacher . Thanks man.
Jeremy Wilson.
Don't think about the license.
Go for Your SOLO!
Solo takes about 8-15 hours, and maybe $1,500-$2,000 as opposed to 8-12k.
You don't need headset, or flight bag or maps or gear.
Just study to pass the written exam, get your 3rd class medical, and go fly.
P.S. Not all instructors are on your side. Find someone who has a passion for flying and wants you to succeed. Not just some kid trying to build hours for their future airline career. They will just get you to fly a lot so they can gain hours at your expense... You want a professional, middle age, fun loving person. Meet and maybe fly with a few in your first 3 hours then go for the SOLO!
When I was a kid back in the 60’s I bought an Aurora 1/48 scale P-51 kit and was irritated that when I opened it the plane had the wrong shape. It turns out I had bought a now rare P-51 kit which for some reason wasn’t labeled as an H, the box said simply P-51. On eBay the asking price for one with the original issue box art is $250.
Holy shit, $250 sounds cheap. Did you build it I hope?!
Credit to NAA, they seemed to improve upon the D in nearly all areas. Cool to see the ANG period pictures, I like to see the various states on the planes.
My State - Kansas - flew them in their Air Nasty Guard. About 1959 I saw one swoop over the Flint Hills and because it said "KANG" in giant letters and had that big belly scoop I asked my Dad if it was a flying kangaroo . . .
Thank you Greg…What a Super way to start the day …!
Agreed! Off to work now! Have a great day!
Now I have read, many years ago, that the lightweight frame for the P-51H was derived not from the P-51D, but instead was based on the frame developed for the P-82 Twin Mustang
I've heard it explained the P-82 was not sticking 2 P-51Ds together, but the P-51H was like breaking the P-82 into two.
@@brianrhodes1575 The primary difference between the P-51H frame and the P-51D, that unlike the P-51D, the P-51H was designed to meet European aircraft structure standards, and not the stronger US strength requirements
@@brianrhodes1575 I have heard that - I have also heard disputations of that. I guess that we'll have to wait until somebody like Kermit Weeks pulls them up side-by-side and takes us along as he examines them. I feel that is part of what makes '39-up fighters so darn interesting.
@@brianrhodes1575 Except that the P-82's airframes are a lot longer.
@@martijn9568 The longer P-82 airframe length was forced by the use of twin engines. To prevent the aircraft from leaving controlled flight, when both engines were a full throttle, but suddenly one engine dies. the longer airframe length was to prevent the asymmetric power configuration from throwing the aircraft into a flag spin
Great video! I read in Chuck Yeager's autobio he described the P51D as being very pitch sensitive on take off with a full fuel load in the fuselage tank. It surprised me a bit that even a pilot of this elite skill level and expertise would describe it as being really touchy and even could be dangerous in this situation.
You wanted to empty the fuel tank BEHIND the pilot before transferring to the drop tanks.
It was a CG issue.
I think Yeager said in his first autobiography that the P-51 could flip onto its back if you didn't burn that fuselage tanks first.
He also remarked that they NEVER had the suggestion in the P-51 pilot's manual that you SHOULD burn off that fuselage tank first before transferring to the drop tanks!
It seems a STUPID detail to omit from a flight manual but remember that most of these fighter designs had major flaws that generally weren't corrected until the fourth, fifth, or even sixth major production models of those designs!
Development of WW2 designs was compressed into months instead of the many years we spend developing aircraft now. Bare minimum development time for any plane that goes into service NOW is at least 4 years flight testing; that's optimistic. A decade from program start to first prototype flight is more likely. They spent close to 20 years from the time the F-35 program was initiated (mid-1990s) until actual initial operational capability of the type designing and testing that plane. It STILL has major maintenance and manufacturing issues.
Both the F-14 and F-15 were tested and developed for 4 years before they first deployed (1974 and 1976 respectively). Neither plane was debugged (mostly) until they were in service for at least a decade! They were still working out bugs in the F-14 up to the year it was retired.
Loving the expansion of the superprop series. I would request that you consider looking at the Commonwealth CA15 and Martin Baker MB5 for inclusion in this series please.
Yea. Any day Greg puts out a video is a good day.
Thanks Greg for always posting such high quality content!
Much appreciated :D
Modern diesel pickups have huge water-oil coolers. Ever increasing power and towing capabilities (and how common performance mods are) need ever bigger coolers.
Watching within 30 seconds of being published, superb😉
Interesting to see the change in the “buzz” number prefix’s. The are photos of PF-, TF-, and FF-. I’d always thought that the prefix was fixed to the aircraft and didn’t change. Greg notes the he thinks the straight leading edge is the primary visual identifier while I had always gone with the taller tail and rudder assembly. In one of the other comments, it’s noted that there was a a P-51H in civilian hands. As a CAP cadet in the late sixties we had gone to a fly-in at a little grass strip in Plainwell ,Michigan. I was excited to see a P-51 there, the second one I’d seen. The first was a couple years earlier when Bob Hoover performed with his P-51D when the new county airport opened. Looking at the one parked on that grass strip, I realized it had a taller tail and it was an H model. I had also noticed the the tall tail on a Mustang at the 2023 Oshkosh. It’s no longer just the mark of a P-51 H as it was adopted for all the Cavalier Mustangs as well. Just the same, a well done video, Greg.
There were two F-51H aircraft that crashed near where I grew up on March 10th of 1950, flying out of Lockbourne AFB with the 166th Fighter Squadron/121st Fighter Intercept Group. Flying them were Second Lt. Neal Diehl(serial number 44-64616) and Second Lt. William Drazic(serial number 44-64500).
A group of five F-51H aircraft left Lockbourne AFB in Columbus, OH with intentions of flying to Selfridge, Michigan on a routine training excercise. Report was Lt. Drazic wanted to buzz his parents' house, which required flying East to Wintersville, Ohio from Columbus, a distance of about 125 nautical miles from Lockbourne field.
Lt. Drazic reportedly accomplished buzzing his parents' house before an abrupt maneuver put his aircraft into Lt. Diehl's F-51.
Air Force accident reports suggest Lt. Drazic's aircraft crashed to the ground one mile from Fernwood Rd, being killed without exiting the aircraft, and after the collision, Lt. Diehl would bail out of his F-51, nevertheless also losing his life, his aircraft being found three miles from Lt. Drazic's near a coal mining company.
Both aircraft were "almost entirely unrecognizable." Lt. Drazic's F-51 was reported to still be burning two hours after the incident with his body still inside and Lt. Diehl being found, also badly burned, by the Ohio State Highway Patrol who first investigated the crash before a wave of military trucks showed up and recovered most of the debris.
There are a ton of locals to the crash sites, who believe to this day, that I have talked to, that Drazic and Diehl were peeled off from the three other aircraft headed for Michigan, to investigate a "ufo sighting" during the lapse in official efforts to "chase" unidentified craft between Project Grudge and Project Blue Book, but I figure that simply would be way too coincidental seeing as how Lt. Drazic literally crashed near his own parents' house.
People were alarmed by the secrecy and quickness of the military to keep people away from the wreckage and trying to keep anyone from seeing what had happened, rumoring that people had their cameras confiscated after the military showed up and that the two images published in the local newspaper were taken by Ohio State Highway Patrol before the military responded to the two crash sites.
One fella I met claimed to know a guy to have a piece of one of the aircraft but refused to mention who or what exactly he had. Very creative imagination on some of these folks!
There is currently a memorial at the Jefferson County Airpark (2G2) where a Steubenville Herald Star newspaper from March 11th, 1950 with front page article and before-mentioned images alongside an uncuffed prop, missing two of its four blades, "supposedly" recovered from the wreckage of one of the two above-mentioned F-51H aircraft, mounted to a display pole beside the newspaper in a glass box.
I live in Steubenville and never heard of this. Interesting info
@@Parboiledfrog yeah, if you go to the wintersville airport they have the memorial with the propeller by the pilots lounge little building on the northern end of the runway, the airport was built on the old coal mine company property where the second plane had crashed, neat little piece of history about an unfortunate accident.
I've always been fascinated by the potential of the P-51H. Thank you for this.
Greg, you have one of the few channels in which I will literally drop whatever I am doing and immediately watch.
That is the highest compliment I can give.
I opened youtube this morning and not only did I get a new Greg’s cideo but also a new Not A Pound For Air to Ground video…I’m gonna be late for work!
Thank you very much for posting this. Your video presentations are always of the highest standards and your hard work in creating such content is very much appreciated.
Greg, I'm an old WW2 Air Force guy and I was billeted near the N.A.C.A. Lab and hangars and the pilots to whom I spoke still liked the P-51D the best over all. By the way, when referring to the N.A.C.A. in those days, it was always just that, N. A. C. A., Never one word "naca". Good job on all your stuff!
Simply awesome production again Greg...! My Great Uncle flew P-51K's ( Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation built in Australia ) in Korea in the ground support role. He said it was his favourite airplane to fly ( well not including the F-86 Sabre...! ) . And this is from a guy that lied about his age in 1942 , flew Spitfires in England at the end of WW2, and went on to fly Hueys in Vietnam, and ended his flying days in the French Dassault Mirage Jet. So, thanks for posting this, and all hail the immortal NA P-51...! Cheers mate...!
My P-51H story.
I was at Lackland AFB in 1967 for basic training. I was there for was called "casual" status after basic, that is waiting for a school slot. I saw a sort of museum on Lackland with a variety of aircraft outside (including a F-105). There it was, a P-51 but unlike most P-51s. I went inside to ask about it and the men running the "museum" said the pilot's log book is "right their" on that shelf.
I read it. That P-51H was flown from New York (ANG) to Kelly Field and towed over to Lackland where it had remained.
Thanks for posting. Will have to watch after work!
By the way, the Georgia Air Guard had a few of those that were received after they came home from Korea and had not been re equipped with F-84's...
Many years ago I met a pilot who had flown one.
Greg, have you considered writing a book or having a "blog" or some such? You're a champ.
Just rewatched the original video again last night with my kids. What a pleasant surprise this morning!
I love the sound of p-51s being talked about in the morning
Sounds like....Victory.
I love this nerd stuff. Keep it up man, awesome depth and explain it in a way that a layman can understand :)
Was blessed to get a ride in the late Bill Hogans P51H back in 75.
Thanks dad.
Alot of late fighters like this didnt make it, not because of bad design, but because the military has so many parts for early models in stock that its hard to justify taking on new models.
The advancement in jets was worth taking on to the militaries future.
The video I've been waiting for since I was like 10 years old! Will be savored from the elliptical trainer a bit later!
The A-1 Skyraider was pretty awesome. Short reminder about water injection, It enabled cooler air (dense/ cool air = more oxygen = more power) As a US Navy Aircraft Mechanic I can highly see the value of removing engine performance settings from the pilot's control. The Pilots are pretty busy. Side note, My 96 impala SS has an oil and transmission cooler. If you are an engine nerd, find a way to be around a Merlin Engine when its started and warmed up. It's like taking a ride in a B-17, once in a lifetime cool.
My father piqued my interest in flight from an early age (3), when I went for my first flight in his '53 Bonanza and I was hooked. From that flight on I had vivid, recurring dreams of flying around and looking down on the city lights . . . and then we moved to California and after our first night flight, I realized the city lights I was seeing in my dreams were the exact ones I was seeing there in real time - rural Michigan didn't have the odd, orange-ish colored freeway and street lights that were the norm/standard in California - astral projection? I've learned to hang glide ('77) and parasail ('82) since that time (1970), while also achieving my private pilot's license in '78. Had to give up flying airplanes because I couldn't afford to either buy a plane or rent/lease one to stay current. These days its all hang gliding and parasailing, which I prefer due to the quiet vs the constant engine noises. Still have an occassional dream of flying after over 50 years. Just something about the perspective you get when flying that you have difficulty explaining to anyone who hasn't flown. It is completely addictive and you can rarely get enough of it, once bitten by the flight bug. Who needs drugs when you can go fly w/o them?!?
This was amazing - always been fascinated with the H model, as well as the P 47 N.
Absolute peak of the airframe
Curious to hear about the American turbo project. Enjoyed this video too!
Amazing video as usual. If you could look at some of the twin engined superprops, like the sea hornet etc. That would be amazing
Ah yes the Hornet. That and the F7 Tigercat. Hot ships.
I love superprop series! Awesome as always
Just missing the super corsair. great job as usual
Yes, but also the Corsair -5, a couple planes from Supermarine, two from Dehavilland, one more from North American and others I can't think of right now. It's going to be a long series.
Please do Dehavilland Hornet if you have enough material for a full video. Thank you so much for these
If I recall correctly, the H model were mostly issued to ANG Interceptor units for home defense. Thus eligibility for Korea would have been moot and well explained by Greg.
Honestly, the P-47 would have been better in Korea and the argument of logistics for them were in my opinion biased to the F-51.
Additionally, Oil coolers in modern aircraft are interesting. Inline fuel/oil coolers, air/oil coolers, and fuel cell mounted coolers.
Another great job Greg, We all do appreciate it.
I love Superprop series.
And for that matter, I love this videos.
Hugely respect the experience, knowledge and perspective, and ability to go in-depth and to the maths.
Very great information on the late 1940 developments of superprops...
The photo at 9:33 of MDANG F51H was led by J.F.R. Scott, an American Samurai (my opinion). Look him up. Wonder personality and a great friend of my Dad's. Scotty couldn't have been more than 5'6" but to me growing up, he was 7' tall. Shot down by ground fire over Japan, picked up by an American submarine, that man could tell a story!
By the way, my Father absolutely loved the H.
Thanks Mark.
Great! Had an H at my local airport several months ago and am very curious about them. Thanks Greg!
Years ago at an air show at Travis AFB, this guy flew in a P-51H that he co-owns with other people. I immediately recognized it and probably spent a good deal of the day hanging out with him and dropping a ton of questions. He said no parts are interchangeable between the other Mustang models and the H model. When it came to performance comparisons he says the P-51H is easily superior to the P-51D and other World War II aircraft.
@@jerryavalos9610
Have heard that a Spitfire could out turn a P-51 D, BUT what about the “H”, being that it was lighter than the “D”.
@@Mentaculus42 We talked about World War II fighters in comparison to the H model. He did say the 51H easily outturned the 51D and had a comparable turn rate with the Spitfire. In terms of climb rate, another pilot outclimbed the BF-109K. Basically he said the P-51H fixed things that were wrong with the previous Mustangs and had the improvements other pilots wish the previous models had.
@@jerryavalos9610
Thank you for the reply, I have always wondered where the “H” was in relation to its contemporaries. Had a relative that was at NAA from the beginning but I was too young at the time he was around to ask him very much about the inner workings and technical details. What you say is fascinating to me.
Thank you for yet another highly interesting video! I'd love to hear your assessment of the F-82, a personal favourite of mine, too.
Or perhaps that other British superprop, the De Havilland Hornet 😁
@@charlesrousseau6837
Yes, please. There are so many interesting aircraft to cover.
@@charlesrousseau6837 I am a proud American but the Hornets were without a doubt the most beautiful Winged Killing Machines ever crafted by the Hand Of Man...
I love this series, thank you Greg!
Thanks!
Thank you very much. I really appreciate that.
Fantastic stuff as ever Greg. My fingers are crossed for a DH Hornet episode. Any plane that was Eric Brown’s favourite has to be worth digging in to.
Greg, you spoil us with these videos.
I can't say for absolutely sure (it was a 'H') but at the Hamilton Air Show in Ontario,Canada back in the early 80's I saw a
P-51H fly low & slow, then it raised flaps, cranked on the power and went straight up until you couldn't see it anymore !
A prop-job ! WOW
I read somewhere that one of the objections the Army Air Cor had with the H was the smaller wheels and lighter landing gear struts. I don't think the P-51H would be very safe operating off of grass strips. Great video Greg as always
@@drgondog The gross weight of the P-51H is nearly twice that of the Spitfire and it appears the wheel diameter is smaller than the Spitfire as well. Just looking at it you can tell this aircraft is only meant for a paved runway. Something tells me the Army Air Corp wouldn't be eager at all to allow a P-51H to take off and land on a grass field which the Spit did as a matter of routine. The smaller the wheel the more vulnerable the aircraft is to ruts. The P-51H is a "Runway Aircraft". The D model would handle a grass strip much better due to its beefier gear and larger main wheels.
I'm glad you finally did a video on the P-51H. I've been saying for years it was the hottest propeller driven fighter in the skies, but there were always people claiming that there were others that were faster, or would outclimb it, etc. We now know those claims were not true. The P-51H was THE hotrod of the skies for prop driven fighters, however, it was mostly pushed aside with little fanfare because of two reasons. It never saw combat, and it came out too close to the jet age. Had the H come out a year earlier, I believe it would've been a much more heralded aircraft. I'm surprised your video didn't go into any more detail about the H model's predecessors, the F and G prototype models. I have a book titled "Building the P-51." The book goes into great detail about every version of the plane, every power plant used, all of the different HP ratings for each engine based on fuel octane, manifold pressure, etc. Test pilot Bob Chilton talked about test flying the F model and said climbing out after takeoff at 7500 FPM was quite common. It took years before a jet was developed that could top that rate of climb. He also said that while he was never able to attain 500 MPH in level flight it would certainly do over 490. All of the "light weight" Mustangs were at the very top of the heap in terms of propeller driven aircraft performance...
I didn't cover the F and G because they were not production models.
@@GregsAirplanesandAutomobiles Fair enough! Thanks again for the video, I enjoy all of your videos!
The H was not the fastest.
@@WilhelmKarsten what do you claim was faster?
@@jamesbottger5894 The fastest propeller driven aircraft in operational service during WW2?
I just finished my two year Tamiya 1/32 plastic model build. I love your channel, I look forward to watching all your videos. 😊
That's what 40-45psi boost, that is amazing!! That is a tremendous force inside the engine during combustion, it's really incredible for the time, even today.🙂
No, it's about 29psi of boost at sea level. Boost is measured above ambient, manifold pressure is total pressure including ambient. Now as the plane goes higher it needs more and more boost to hold it's manifold pressure. I have a video about this somewhere. Now up at very high altitudes that 90 inches of manifold pressure will be about 38psi of boost above ambient because the pressure there is so low, but still only 29psi above pressure at sea level.
Oh, thank you for correcting me. I have watched numerous videos of yours that are very interesting, I will look for this one too. Thanks Greg!@@GregsAirplanesandAutomobiles
Greetings, this is Greg! My favourite incipit! I'm really sorry i'm a poor man, otherwise i'd surely be one of your Patreons! Another great vid...thank you so much❤!
Thank you. A nice cap to my Friday. Always good content.
Noticed in some of the pictures of the P/F-51H that had the tail gear locked down in flight. I seem to remember that they had done the same with ANG F-51D aircraft as well. There was some maintenance issue with the retraction of the tail wheel, and the solution was to have them locked in the down position. I am guessing that it was a similar situation with the F-51Hs that had their tail wheel locked down as well.
I'm guessing it was some short term problem addressed by locking it down, but I just don't know.
8:47 very informative
I always thought the H had a griffin I wonder why not?
That was another fabulous documentary, thank you very much!
Always admired the Mustang, but this ultimate model must have been quite something!
You’re second to none, Greg. Thank you.
Thanks - it makes me realise what a wonderful plane the Sea Fury was, particularly with the original Bristol Centaurus engine. I also find the later Mustang less aesthetically pleasing to my eye than the earlier models.
I agree, I think the P-51B is the best looking one.
Me too. The H model just looks a bit more "sneaky" somehow 😉
I like the H. Better yet the p51HH
@@yosemite-e2vIf they'd have put more rake on the windscreen, maybe like a Fw190, the B would have been the Roto Finish Special (1972 Reno Unlimited Champion) but for the modified Merlin and clipped wings.
This is a great informative video. The H model was my favorite and I never saw an actual model in person until I was at Lackland AFB. Unfortunately, it was hand painted static model in the wrong paint scheme. Later saw one that is hangered at KVCB (Nut Tree Airport) that is a flying museum piece. Back in the late 80s, I found out that there was an XP-51 that was being restored by John Morgan in La Canada, CA. Its current disposition is unknown.
Yes I heard that, think it was a G model IIRC. There’s been little said about it sadly.
A high performance Mustang indeed. Learned a lot from this video, and a whole lot about a plane I have come to fear in War Thunder.
thanks Greg. I always look forward to your thoughtful presentations
yesssss another superprop video!! yyou are absolutely one of myy top favorite yyoutube creators of all time, love your videos
Greg, thanks, great video. I'd please like to make 2 comments. The first being the use of the hollow steel bladed Aeroproducts A542 propeller on the P-51H. This saved +/- 100 lbs over the Hamilton Standard Hydromatic unit, but more importantly, the near constant-chord "H20" series of blades had a high activity factor (ability to absorb horsepower) of 130.6 and was favored by post-war air racers for decades. The Aeroprop H20 design series was used on the later models of the P-63, all P-82 and F8F aircraft, and early models of the Skyraider. The other item is that late war German fighters such as the FW 190D-9 and Ta-152H also used liquid-liquid heat exchangers to cool their oil.
The Aeroproducts prop is coming up a lot in this discussion. It's interesting because in another video I talked about Aeroproducts and based on the comments there nobody was interested in it. I wonder what the difference is here?
@@GregsAirplanesandAutomobiles , I can't explain the difference in interest. The Aeroprops are a research fascination of mine, particularly the CRP units found on the XP-72, XF8B-1, XP/P-75, A2D, XP5Y-1, and R3Y Tradewinds.
Have a super great day Greg. And thanks for the content
Thanks buddy.
Love your videos! Provides some great background to building model planes.
Takk!
Wow, thanks very much, I don't see a lot of donations from Norway, which is my favorite foreign country :)
Fascinating as always. Keep up the good work.
Another brilliant video Greg! Love the superprop series.
Thank you for this one Greg.
My father was a P-39 instructor (this irritated him because he wanted to fight) during the war. He did deploy to Nuremberg in June 1945, flying the P-51D doing aerial recon vs. the Soviets. He also did military testing of the P-63.
After the war, he was the first CO of one of Ohio's ANG Squadrons at Wright Patterson from 1946-1951. He had both D & H models of the P-51s in his squadrons.
Thank you for the picture of the Ohio ANG Mustang in your video
As usual; your presentation was fantastic.
I'd love a dedicated video on the P-47M and N which to me are bordering into Superprop territory.
I agree I rarely hear about these variants and I always found them interesting
I have talked about them, the N is a real borderline superprop. It's sort of like the TA152, it saw action, but not by much. However I have to draw the line somewhere. I may do a video specifically on the N as it's a fantastic airplane.
I only was aware of the P-51 (D/G). Sea Furys are so cool ! Didn’t know they were made by Hawker
Greg i love your presentations. So interesting to hear that you are a very serious car guy.
Thank You for Your time and efforts Greg.
Great video Greg…love the background information.
Hi Greg...Cool video on the P51H..! An observation...the P51H profile "nose droop" looks remarkably like CAC's CA-15 "Kangaroo" design that Sir Lawrence Wackett and Fred David kicked-off in June 1943. Originally, the CA-15 was designed for a radial engine...e.g. 😮the 2,300 hp (1,715 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp plus a turbocharger😵💫...guessing the R-2800-44 or the R-2800-73 with the General Electric CH-5-A3 turbocharger..?!? However, with the P & W R-2800 Double Wasp becaming unavailable; suspect, that's because of more pressing war demands, they fitted an in-line Rolls-Royce Griffon Mk 61 (2,035 hp/1,517 kW) leased from Rolls-Royce.with the intention for production engines to have a three-stage supercharger.. One could say that these boys were serious 🥵"hot-heads". Story goes that after some initial "issues"...CAC's CA-15 "Kangaroo" and Flt Lt J. A. L. Archer reportedly achieved a 🥶speed of 502.2 mph (803 km/h)🥶 over Melbourne, after levelling out of a dive of 4,000 ft (1,200 m), on 25 May 1948. So, I'm not surprised that the P51H is a "Hot Ship"..! Is it possible that some design data was shared with NAA..??
Please cover the Martin-Baker MB-5!
Another wonderful video Greg. I am really enjoying these Super Props series. Must admit I love the P51. The H model was really something special and only made me love this model even more than the D model.
The Sea Fury is a wonderful aircraft, as are most of the Super Props, probably a better all round winner but like you said it has a combat record to back it up. The H missed out in the Pacific but I'm pretty confident it would have done just swell. North American weren't newcomers when bringing out new types for combat. Think of the first Mustang, Twin Mustang, F86 etc.
The late piston jobs had one advantage over the early jets and that was endurance. Very good for loitering and with good range. You mentioned the H not being used in Korea, for a number of reasons. If the claim of the H wasn't as rugged as the D, the P47 Thunderbolt would have been ideal for the ground attack role. The Mustangs' water cooling was it's main vulnerability, forget a hit in the oil cooler, a hit to the radiator and it's good night nurse. Speaking of oil coolers, the Corsairs oil cooler was it's weak spot as well.
Anyway, will you be including the Martin Baker MB 5? I think only a couple were built but that also is a hot ship.
Keep up the excellent videos!
Great as always. A video about the P-82 (F-82) would be very appreciated.
On the note of water to oil based oil coolers, many Japanese cars have such coolers, typically built into the oil filter mount. My ‘08 Nissan Altima with a 3.5 L had such a cooler. And in my experience, many Mercedes diesels engines work roughly the same way
Thank you i always wonder how this plane is perform thank for the detail👍
Some of the big brothers to the Merlin, the Griffon 57 and 57A, gave 1,960 hp (1,460 kW); 2,345 hp (1,749 kW) with water-methanol injection on take-off:
Great video, Greg. Thanks for making it.
There is a P-51H racing at this years Reno Airraces
Years ago when playing Battlefield 1942 the Mustang was always referred to as the Pwnstang because it was far superior than any other aircraft in the game assuming equal skilled pilots were facing off. THIS thing actually, probably, IS a Pwnstang.
Note: For those that don't know 'Pwned' was a mistyped 'Owned' by some player who was taunting someone else in the game chat and this stuck as a colloquial term for a long time.
Another great video Greg! Hopefully you are finishing up the P-38 series next maybe?😊👍🏻 Though you said you had a bit more you wanted to put into it.
Great video. I always found the H subtly less aesthetically pleasing than the preceding models. With the stretched radiator housing and the slicked out nose section she went from being curvaceous in the right places to the wrong places to my eye.
I agree, it doesn't look quite right to me, but that could be because I'm so used to seeing the other models. To me the A and B look the best.
@@GregsAirplanesandAutomobiles Totally agree, the fastback Mustangs are pretty sweet. I really like the Bs both with and without the Malcom hood.
A Malcolm Hood P-51A would have been a real good looker.
Personally, I've never have been the biggest of the early Mustang in the looks department, although its not bad. For me the B/C/D models are the pinnacle, especially the later. I definitely agree with you on the H. It's always struck me as a misshapen D. The profile of the plane just looks a little "off."
She got that junk in the trunk that only a brother would admire vibe going on😂
Thanks again, Greg.
To me, the Sea Fury is one of the best-looking Fighters from WW2, Excellent video, as usual.
Everything Hawker produced was breathtaking to look at, Very much their own style yet every bit as staunch looking as the best of them. Love the seafury and that sleeve valve wonder by bristol was the icing on the cake for audio-philes like myself 😂
The Hawkers had sort of a functional beauty to them. I can' t quite explain it.