The North American P-51 Mustang had a humble genesis as a British request for single engine escort fighters but became, arguably, World War II's most important fighter aircraft. It had incredible endurance, fantastic maneuverability and excellent high-altitude performance, and served throughout World War II and beyond. This aircraft is one that holds a great deal of interest for many modellers around the world. This book takes the modeller from the aircraft's beginnings to the ultimate manifestation of this elegant and deadly bird, the F-82 G/H Twin Mustang. Special attention is paid to painting both both interiors and exteriors, with a wide range of different schemes used.
Aircraft described as flying wing have aroused interest of the designers since the early, pioneer years of aviation. This definition is used to describe aircraft with specific design solutions, allowing for resignation from conventional vertical and horizontal empennage and primarily from conventional fuselage. Virtually the whole airframe comprises only the wing, housing both the cockpit and powerplant. A sugroup of flying wings are tailless aircraft, differing from the traditional designs only in lack of horizontal empennage. 18
The North American P-51 Mustang had a humble genesis as a British request for single engine escort fighters but became, arguably, World War II's most important fighter aircraft. It had incredible endurance, fantastic maneuverability and excellent high-altitude performance, and served throughout World War II and beyond. This aircraft is one that holds a great deal of interest for many modellers around the world. This book takes the modeller from the aircraft's beginnings to the ultimate manifestation of this elegant and deadly bird, the F-82 G/H Twin Mustang. Special attention is paid to painting both both interiors and exteriors, with a wide range of different schemes used.
Bud Anderson is a flyers flyer. The Californians enduring love of flying began in the 1920s with the planes that flew over his fathers farm. In January 1942, he entered the Army Air Corps Aviation Cadet Program. Later after he received his wings and flew P-39s, he was chosen as one of the original flight leaders of the new 357th Fighter Group. Equipped with the new and deadly P-51 Mustang, the group shot down five enemy aircraft for each one it lost while escorting bombers to targets deep inside Germany. But the price was high. Half of its pilots were killed or imprisoned, including some of Buds closest friends. In February 1944, Bud Anderson, entered the uncertain, exhilarating, and deadly world of aerial combat. He flew two tours of combat against the Luftwaffe in less than a year. In battles sometimes involving hundreds of airplanes, he ranked among the groups leading aces with 16 aerial victories. He flew 116 missions in his old crow without ever being hit by enemy aircraft or turning back for any reason, despite one life or death confrontation after another. His friend Chuck Yeager, who flew with Anderson in the 357th, says, In an airplane, the guy was a mongoosethe best fighter pilot I ever saw. Buds years as a test pilot were at least as risky. In one bizarre experiment, he repeatedly linked up in midair with a B-29 bomber, wingtip to wingtip. In other tests, he flew a jet fighter that was launched and retrieved from a giant B-36 bomber. As in combat, he lost many friends flying tests such as these. Bud commanded a squadron of F-86 jet fighters in postwar Korea, and a wing of F-105s on Okinawa during the mid-1960s. In 1970 at age 48, he flew combat strikes as a wing commander against communist supply lines. To Fly and Fight is about flying, plain and simple: the joys and dangers and the very special skills it demands. Touching, thoughtful, and dead honest, it is the story of a boy who grew up living his dream.
Even today, almost eighty years after its first flight, the North American P-51 Mustang remains one of the most famous and recognizable aircraft in the world. Nimble and fast, qualities that lead the Mustang to be used even today in air races, the aircraft was forged in battle. This, the second of two volumes on this iconic aircraft, explores the "bubbletop" versions that helped bring the war to the German and Japanese homelands. These Mustangs were widely used escorting Allied bombers deep into the enemy homeland. The story of this historic fighter is told through carefully researched archival photos, as well as photographs of preserved examples, illuminated through detailed captions, thereby illustrating not only the use of the late WWII Mustang, but also the details of its construction. Large, clear photos, coupled with descriptive and informative captions, put the reader on the airfield and in the sky with this historic aircraft.
Mustang Designer tells the story of American wartime fighter development, including engines and armaments, as part of a nationwide program of aircraft builders and fliers, focusing on Edgar Schmued, the designer of the Mustang. The P-51 Mustang is widely regarded as the best propeller-driven fighter that ever flew. What many might not realize is that the plane's developer was a German migrant. This book tells of how Schmued created a weapon that would ultimately prove lethal to the aspirations of those who had seized control over his native land.
These pilots called themselves the 'Tokyo Club'. It was a simple task to become a member. All you had to do was strap yourself into a heavily loaded P-51 Mustang, take off from Iwo Jima, fly 650 miles north over the sea – often through monsoon storms – in your single-engined aircraft to Japan, attack a heavily defended target and then turn around and fly home despite a shrinking fuel supply and perhaps battle damage as well. Do it once and you earned membership in the club. Do it 15 times and you earned a trip home. But make one mistake or have one touch of bad luck, and you had a very good chance of ending up dead. Featuring photographs throughout and detailed aircraft profiles, this book tells the little-known story of these brave men and their efforts to defeat the aerial forces defending Japan.
The P-47 Thunderbolt, affectionately nicknamed the 'Jug', was one of the most famous fighter aircraft of World War II. Used as both a high-altitude escort fighter and a low-level fighter-bomber, it quickly gained a reputation for being tough and resilient. Many different air forces operated this plane, and it sported a wide range of camouflage schemes, finishes and markings, including stunning nose art. Modellers have been well served with Thunderbolt kits over the years, right up to the latest highly accurate releases. This book takes a step-by-step approach to modelling a wide variety of P-47 types in 1/48-scale, from 'Razorbacks' in USAAF colours to RAF T-bolts in the Far East. It provides expert advice on conversions (including a Bubbletop to a P-47M), adding aftermarket items, detailing, and ways to achieve top quality weathering and finishes.
Not just another book on the P-51 Mustang, this detailed and controversial book forms an investigative analysis into the often - and little-known - troubled design and development history of America's premier piston-engined fighter aircraft. Supported by hundreds of rare photos and superb color artwork, author Paul Ludwig weaves a carefully crafted story.
Fittingly named for a wild horse, this fighter became widely recognized for its power and beauty. It was a key element in Allied air superiority in Europe during WWII, destroying 9,081 enemy aircraft, and with similar results in the Korean War. Striking photos and the personal stories of the men who flew it help to tell the story of this superior aircraft. Full color photos of restored P-51s. Revised and updated
