Of all the legendary warbirds that cut the very air during World War II, hardly any captures the imagination like the P-51 Mustang. It was its slick shape, immaculate performance, and decisive role in making sure of Allied air control that made the Mustang part of the lore of aviation. These great fighters are now resting in the museum, but a few are still airworthy, affording the chance to watch powerful and graceful vehicles once again. A heaven-sent view for all aviation fans and history lovers.
Betty Jane: A Rare Dual-Control Gem
N76WJ is a TP-51C, an especially unusual model being dual-control and based at the Collings Foundation in Stow, Massachusetts. This is an example of a special airplane, built at a North American plant in Dallas, with a second seat and advanced instrumentation to support full training missions. The second seat can be used to give visitors a look at how Mustang pilots of the war years were trained.
Saluting the Legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen
The squadron based at South St. Paul, Minnesota, in the Commemorative Air Force, is exceedingly proud to operate a fully functional P-51C Mustang in the exact livery of the legendary Tuskegee Airmen. N61429 is the tail number of this dramatic flying representation of a squadron made up of the top African American fighter pilots, which established a very remarkable record in battle in World War II for valor and skill. After decades on display at Montana State College, this Mustang flew again in 2001, assuring the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen would also live on.
Planes of Fame Air Museum P-51D Fresh Out Of The Box
And to the Planes of Fame Air Museum in Chino, California, where one of the most original, splendid, and best remaining flying examples of a P-51D—the most numerous variant of the Mustang— patiently endures the attention of the aviation enthusiast. This aircraft, bearing the tail number N5441V, rolled off the Dallas assembly line on July 26, 1945. During its career, right up until retirement in 1956, this bomber served in several different units, including the Strategic Air Command. It remains in excellent condition for a museum airplane because of outstanding preservation.
American Beauty: A Canadian Connection
The Olympic Flight Museum in Washington has a P-51D on display in extremely good condition – N6313T “American Beauty”. Built to order in 1944, this aircraft with the tail number 44-73163 was accepted by the Royal Canadian Air Force only in 1951; therefore, it was one of the very last Mustangs to serve. The fact that Frame 31,632 of over 15 thousand Mustangs ever built is still in flight condition is proof that the beautiful fighter of the 1940s is still guaranteed to be in demand. Designed and brought to serial release in 117 days, the P-51 Mustang remains an excellent aircraft even by today’s standards.
Kiss Me Kate: Tom Cruise’s Airborne Passion
The film “Top Gun: Maverick,” has Tom Cruise flying again in the summer blockbuster, only now in a P-51K Mustang, sharing his airborne passion and attention to detail. As far as his flying metal horse, it remains airworthy and owned by Cruise himself, but it carries the popular nickname “Kiss Me Kate,” later attached to him in 2001 for around $4 million. A skillful pilot himself, Cruise still takes his cherished Mustang out on invigorating flights to this day, embodying the spirit of the daring aviators who once flew these iconic warbirds.
Today they still fly, these five astounding P-51 Mustangs, carrying in their embodiment of the pioneer spirit the causes of valor, sacrifice, and industrial might that typified the cause of the Allies in the Second World War. With every ground-shaking surge of their engines, they carry us back to a time when these machines were the very glue that held history together, the stage set for the dreams yet to be realized by those who would one day take to the heavens.