Okay one can divide the P-51 Mustang and its derivative the P-82 Twin Mustang into two categories: Powered by the General Motors Allison V-1710 and the Packard V-1650 Merlin. The Mustang found its genesis in 1940 after the RAF requested North American to build Curtiss P-40's in their factories. Edgar Schmued, the chief designer said that they could built a much better plane that would be cheaper to produce rather than to start building an obsolete design.
The P-51A on the right is an Allison powered Mustang, the P-51B is a Merlin powered Mustang. The two can be told apart by the bulkier fuselage and the four bladed propeller of the Merlin version. The P-51C was identical to the B model except for it being made in another plant.
Now the Allison was a temperamental engine with a limited ceiling which required turbo super chargers with complex synchronization to really make it work.
But with GM owning a big share of the stocks of the aircraft industry it was fitted as standard to many US-built fighter planes of the day.
The P-51A Mustang and the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk: both powered by Allison V-12 powerplants.
But in service the Allison powered planes were no match against their contemporaries such as the Messerschmitt 109 and the Supermarine spitfire. The Battle of Britain had re-written the rules on aerial combat and the unreliable and complex supercharger systems on the Allisons, meant that when the Royal Airforce got their hands on much needed fighter aircraft via the Lend-Lease pact, they were quick to send the Curtiss P-40 Warhawks to Africa, the Bell P-39 Airacobras to Russia and the Lockheed P-38 Lightnings straight back to the USA. Because NONE was deemed capable of being a successful dogfighter and interceptor: the role they were intended for.
The Brits would do mock dogfights with Captured German planes and Their own Hawker Hurricanes and Spitfires and every single time it was the limited service ceiling of the Allison that did those planes in.
But on both sides of the Atlantic they were looking to improve upon the Mustang, In Great Britain that resulted in the Mustang-X
In the USA that resulted in what would eventually become the P-51B
In both cases though, they took a P-51A model and removed the Allison engine in favor the Roll Royce Merlin. The results were such an improvement on fuel consumption and service ceiling that it was decided to take the merlin powered Mustang into production. A licencing deal was made with Packard Automobiles to start building Merlins in the states.
For the first time there was a plane that could escort Bombers into Germany and Back again, in a very significant way, fitting a Merlin to the Mustang won the allies the war in Europe.
When the need for a an escort fighter to replace the Lockheed P-38 Lightning in the Pacific theater arose, Schmeud apparently thought: twice the range, twice the plane and so the P-82 Twin Mustang came to be.
The twin Mustang actually wasn't just two P-51 fuselages bolted together: the tail had to be redesigned and the actual wing span was less of two P-51's parked next to each other. The powerplants of course were Merlins.
A Mustang and a Twin Mustang flying in formation, the picture clearly showing the difference in the fuselages of the types.
The war ended however before the P-82 would see combat but the twin Mustang would find its niche in Korea where it flew as an all weather night fighter, scoring a respectable number of kills, in fact, it was a Twin Mustang that shot down the very first enemy plane.
But it was a real surprise to many pilots flying the Twin Mustang that all of a sudden near the end of the war North American started fitting Allisons to the later marks of the Twin-Mustang again. Why take a step back was the question.
The answer came from two sides: first of all, as I mentioned before General Motors who produced the Allison had a large stake in the shares of the Aircraft industry and was pushing at Congress that American made Engines should be fitted as standard.
The second reason was that after the second world war ended Rolls Royce started charging a 6000 Dollars royalty fee on each Merlin that Packard made. In hindsight it's actually quite a little sum but for high command at GM it also was their way to get the Allison back into the air.
However, development of a version of the Allison that could match the Merlin began to cost the company so much that the $6000 royalty fee looked like a dime in a bag in comparison. And Allison powered Twin Mustangs were plagued with operational problems as the complex synchronization of the Turbo superchargers persisted.
The Twin Mustang completed the Circle of the Mustang family, which started out powered by the Allison and ended flying with the Allison.
The P-51A on the right is an Allison powered Mustang, the P-51B is a Merlin powered Mustang. The two can be told apart by the bulkier fuselage and the four bladed propeller of the Merlin version. The P-51C was identical to the B model except for it being made in another plant.
Now the Allison was a temperamental engine with a limited ceiling which required turbo super chargers with complex synchronization to really make it work.
But with GM owning a big share of the stocks of the aircraft industry it was fitted as standard to many US-built fighter planes of the day.
The P-51A Mustang and the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk: both powered by Allison V-12 powerplants.
But in service the Allison powered planes were no match against their contemporaries such as the Messerschmitt 109 and the Supermarine spitfire. The Battle of Britain had re-written the rules on aerial combat and the unreliable and complex supercharger systems on the Allisons, meant that when the Royal Airforce got their hands on much needed fighter aircraft via the Lend-Lease pact, they were quick to send the Curtiss P-40 Warhawks to Africa, the Bell P-39 Airacobras to Russia and the Lockheed P-38 Lightnings straight back to the USA. Because NONE was deemed capable of being a successful dogfighter and interceptor: the role they were intended for.
The Brits would do mock dogfights with Captured German planes and Their own Hawker Hurricanes and Spitfires and every single time it was the limited service ceiling of the Allison that did those planes in.
But on both sides of the Atlantic they were looking to improve upon the Mustang, In Great Britain that resulted in the Mustang-X
In the USA that resulted in what would eventually become the P-51B
In both cases though, they took a P-51A model and removed the Allison engine in favor the Roll Royce Merlin. The results were such an improvement on fuel consumption and service ceiling that it was decided to take the merlin powered Mustang into production. A licencing deal was made with Packard Automobiles to start building Merlins in the states.
For the first time there was a plane that could escort Bombers into Germany and Back again, in a very significant way, fitting a Merlin to the Mustang won the allies the war in Europe.
When the need for a an escort fighter to replace the Lockheed P-38 Lightning in the Pacific theater arose, Schmeud apparently thought: twice the range, twice the plane and so the P-82 Twin Mustang came to be.
The twin Mustang actually wasn't just two P-51 fuselages bolted together: the tail had to be redesigned and the actual wing span was less of two P-51's parked next to each other. The powerplants of course were Merlins.
A Mustang and a Twin Mustang flying in formation, the picture clearly showing the difference in the fuselages of the types.
The war ended however before the P-82 would see combat but the twin Mustang would find its niche in Korea where it flew as an all weather night fighter, scoring a respectable number of kills, in fact, it was a Twin Mustang that shot down the very first enemy plane.
But it was a real surprise to many pilots flying the Twin Mustang that all of a sudden near the end of the war North American started fitting Allisons to the later marks of the Twin-Mustang again. Why take a step back was the question.
The answer came from two sides: first of all, as I mentioned before General Motors who produced the Allison had a large stake in the shares of the Aircraft industry and was pushing at Congress that American made Engines should be fitted as standard.
The second reason was that after the second world war ended Rolls Royce started charging a 6000 Dollars royalty fee on each Merlin that Packard made. In hindsight it's actually quite a little sum but for high command at GM it also was their way to get the Allison back into the air.
However, development of a version of the Allison that could match the Merlin began to cost the company so much that the $6000 royalty fee looked like a dime in a bag in comparison. And Allison powered Twin Mustangs were plagued with operational problems as the complex synchronization of the Turbo superchargers persisted.
The Twin Mustang completed the Circle of the Mustang family, which started out powered by the Allison and ended flying with the Allison.
