The P-51 Mustang is arguably the world's most famous fighter of all time. With
its long range, superior speed, lethal weaponry and outstanding maneuverability,
the Mustang has proved to be unequaled as an escort fighter. It was also an outstanding
interceptor and ground attacker as well as reconnaissance aircraft. The fact that
the Mustang remained in service with various Air Forces around the world well
into the 1980"s is a testament to its abilities.
The P-51 began its career as a result of the British considering North American
Aviation as a potential supplier of the Curtiss P-40. Rather than build someone
else's airplane, North American's
Raymond Rice and Edgar Schmued wanted instead to create their own. The British
agreed to let the company try, provided that it could produce a prototype within
120 days. North American Aviation made the deadline, called the NA-73 and made
its maiden flight on October 26, 1940.
The Mustang was a very advanced design and became one of the greatest achievements
in aviation history. It employed a laminar flow wing and other innovative features
such as a centrally located radiator scoop and airflow ducting which combined
made it highly effective in many regimes. The British did not need to wait 
until
the October deadline to realize the potential of this new fighter. In late May
they ordered 320 of the unproven and unfinished design. Under this contract, two
of the new fighters were to be given to the USAAF for testing. The designation
of these American aircraft was XP-51.
Surprising, while the British anxiously awaited delivery of their new fighter,
the USAAF all but ignored the Mustang while focusing their attention on the P-38
Lightning and the P-47 Thunderbolt. Meanwhile, the British, while happy with the
low altitude performance of the aircraft, were less than thrilled with the performance
of the Allison powered Mustang with its climbing 
rate
past 17,000 ft. In an attempt to rectify this they attempted a merge of the Mustang
body and the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine. The result astonished everyone and they
then knew they had a truly advanced fighter on their hands. This Rolls-Royce powered
Mustang became the P-51 Mustang as we know it today.
