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Description
| Manufacturer: | North American |
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| Base model: | P-51 | ||
| Designation: | P-51 | ||
| Version: | H | ||
| Nickname: | Mustang | ||
| Designation System: | U.S. Air Force | ||
| Designation Period: | 1925-1947 | ||
| Basic role: | Pursuit | ||
| Crew: | Pilot | ||
| See Also: |
Specifications
| Length: | 33' 4" | 10.1 m | |
| Height: | 13' 8" | 4.1 m | |
| Wingspan: | 37' | 11.3 m | |
| Wingarea: | 233.0 sq ft | 21.6 sq m | |
| Empty Weight: | 6,585 lb | 2,986 kg | |
| Gross Weight: | 11,054 lb | 5,013 kg | |
Propulsion
| No. of Engines: | 1 | ||
| Powerplant: | Rolls-Royce (Parkard) V-1650-9 Merlin | ||
| Horsepower (each): | 1380 | ||
Performance
| Range: | 850 miles | 1,368 km | |
| Cruise Speed: | 380 mph | 611 km/h | 330 kt |
| Max Speed: | 487 mph | 784 km/h | 423 kt |
| Ceiling: | 41,600 ft | 12,679 m | |
Known serial numbers
Examples of this type may be found at
| Museum | City | State |
| Chanute Display Center | Chanute AFB | Illinois |
| USAF History and Traditions Museum | San Antonio | Texas |
P-51H on display
Chanute Display Center | USAF History and Traditions Museum |
Recent comments by our visitors
| Ron LA, CA | I like the comparison of the P-51 and G55 Centauro fighters.
Both were first flown around 1942 and met in combat. The G56 would be contemporary with the P-51H. I tend to agree that the Fiat G55 was the best Axis fighter in 1943 Europe. I would even include Japan. Kurt Tank loved flying it. It was evaluated against the Bf 109G-4 and Fw 190A-5 fighters by the Luftwaffe. Some were shot down by the Luftwaffe by 'mistake'. Note the similar wing shape to the Mustang. Like the P-51, the Centauro was fearsome at high altitude. It climbs to 6 Km in 7'12" time; It has 8'34" time climbing to 7 Km; 10'11" time climbing to 8 Km. This was it's best level for speed: 391 mph without WEP boost; 417 mph with WEP. It dives up to 590 mph. Ceiling was 41,830' and maximum range was 1,025 miles. It had no sign of flutter at high speed. It had no stall vices. Great stability even at high altitudes. No structural weaknesses. Could easily up-engine to the bigger DB603A (Fiat G56) later. Was the best series 5 Italian fighter to mass produce. Packed more ammo than the other series 5 fighters. Some had 5x20mm Mauser cannons! Luftwaffe enthusiasm was high to produce the 'excellent' Centauro in Germany until one was delivered to the Allies by a defector with chilling effect. It was test flown in England. But in any case, the Allies had access to the G55 with the Surrender of Rome in September, 1943. So the German order to destroy them in October, 1944 was ignored by the Italians. 10/17/2014 @ 11:02 [ref: 68700] |
| Larry Williams Winters, CA | I recently went up with a friend in a P-51H and it seemed faster than the D model I had flown in before. I believe it is 1500 lbs. lighter. We were doing high speed passes over the October event at the Nut Tree,,Vacaville, Ca. "Mustang Day" air event. We had about 12 Mustangs show up mostly D models. When we made a second pass over the field there was a biplane which we saw shortly before and the pilot abruptly pulled up and this seemed to reflect greater power than the D model. Another thing the Rolls Royce Merlin ran a little rougher, perhaps due to a more radical cam configuration. Anyway it was all the thoroughbred that the fighter pilots of WWII said it was. I would like to go up in a D model one more time to compare. I feel fortunate to be in a position to compare as I refueled them at the air event. They are thirsty monsters about 68 gallons an hour. 10/15/2012 @ 10:38 [ref: 67307] |
| tango38 , TX | In the late 1950s the Texas Air Guard flew P-51Hs in the 181st Ft Sqdn out of NAS Dallas (Hensley Field); the other two suadrons in the TANG both were equiped with "D"s, one from Houston and the other from San Antonio. The "H" were assigned to the Guard to replace F-84B and C models. 06/07/2011 @ 09:43 [ref: 39204] |
| Pikapic , OTH | \"Ever notice how the losers always seem to be the ones trying to re-write history?\"
Yea sure, blah blah blah blah! One could say the same about winner\'s denigratory policies. Americans love to depict theyr enemies like suckers. You\'re talking nonsense. Just put it on the right perspective. Italians suffered a number of flaws in industrial development and technology achievements, and were plagued by a constant lack of resources, topped by obsolete thinking and misconceptions. Due to short-sighted and incompetent leaders, as well as economic limitations, Italians failed to create the conditions to properly take on a war. Italians were not stupid or suckers. Italian Technicians were able to put togheter very good designs: Like it or not, italian machines like the macchi 205 or Fiat G55 WERE a match for advanced allied types of the era. Given the right numbers and conditions they could have influenced the course of the war. After all numbers DO count. If you throw 500 bombers (plus escorts) against 4 fighters, the results are far then unpredictable. 03/07/2010 @ 03:26 [ref: 25836] |
| bob nawrocki bangor pa, PA | Concerning Henry C. Rocks comment on Tyndall's P51H's, go to Google and punch in G. Asher, Tyndall, in Flicker you will see many photos of a couple of contributors during that period of time that worked on them, me included. Never did we dream that the P51's would someday be so highly honored.
Bob Nawrocki 02/20/2010 @ 16:43 [ref: 25756] |
| Henry C. (Curt) Rock , NJ | In 1951-52, before I went to Korea to fly 51-Ds, I was lucky enough to fly the "H" at Tyndal AFB, Fla. I'd been instructing in T-6Gs at James Connally AFB in Texas prior to being transferred to Tyndall to attend Instrument Instrctor School.
While I waited to go school I was itching to get chance to into one of those "Stangs", so I asked if could. The 51s were being used as interceptors to train AC&W comtrollers. The group was short of "tail-dragger" talent, so I was accepted. There were no 2-seater "Temcos" for the "H",so it was Pilot's Handbook, blindfold cockpit check, crank it and go fly. 61in manifold pres. & 3000RPM at take-off was kick,as was .85 Mach. What a HOOT! The H did have its quirks tho,like the finiky hydraulics. 01/23/2010 @ 12:59 [ref: 25619] |
| Mustanger Rantoul, IL | 44-64265 at the Chanute Air Museum is now painted as 44-64195 as it appeared when flown by 359th Fighter Group Ace Claude Crenshaw for the 82FG at Grenier AAF, New Hampshire after the war. His plane was named LOUISIANA HEATWAVE.
More information about P-51H Mustangs is at http://p51h.home.comcast.net/~p51h/ 03/06/2009 @ 16:48 [ref: 23893] |
| Lomcevak , CA | Ever notice how the losers always seem to be the ones trying to re-write history? Heck, I didn't even know Italy had an Air Force in the Big One, let alone that it was operating planes that made Mustang drivers quiver with fear. I mean, I knew the Italian Navy sat out the war on the bottom of the Med, but who'd a thunk their Air Force was so spectacular.
Reminds me of the Lufthansa flight inbound to Berlin that got handed off to the tower: the first officer calls the tower in German and is advised to use English by the tower guy. "We are a German carrier in German airspace with a German crew landing at a German airport. Why must we speak English?" A decidedly different and most assuredly English voice comes up on the tower freq: "Because you lost the bloody war, mate." And as for the Jughead calling the Mustang a Spam Can, the P-47 was a fine aircraft - rugged and well built, but it couldn't turn or climb to save its life. But when B-17s arrived over Berlin in March 1944, the fighters escorting them were 51s. Goering came out of the Reichstag and saw fighters escorting the bombers, turned to an aide and said "The war is over. We've lost". 10/23/2008 @ 15:13 [ref: 22908] |
| g p milanetti Roma, OTH | I dont have all you technical data, but it is a fact that in 1944 the Germans came in Italy and tested for a long time the italian Fiat G.55 fighter, a machine developed by the sicilian genius ingeneer Gabrielli. This plane performed so well against Me 109 and Fw 190 (that in many dogfight had shot down P 51) in every situation that was reported to Goering: "The italian Fiat G. 55 is the best Axis fighter." The Germans wanted to stop the production of 109 and 190 and to produce the Fiat!!!! This tell you something!!! Why they did not do it? Because the italian plane, hand-crafted for many parts, needed double the time to be producted! Anyway, in 1944 and 1945, the Fiat G. 55 faced P. 51 escorting bombers in the skies of northern Italy, and, against all odds (few Fiat against hundreds of american planes), they shoot down Mustangs too. And it was slower than Mustangs! So, you see that pure speed it is not all in dogfights! The P 51 H, anyway, should be compared to the outstanding, probably the most beautiful fighter of Ww2 (please, see pictures on web!)Fiat G. 56, another creature of Gabrielli that outperformed again the Me 109 an Fw 190 of the last generation (Ta 152 too), and that would have been a fierce opponents for every type of P. 51. Now I know that you will write many tecnichal data to show that I am wrong and that usa fighter were more modern, but I think we should not fall in love with the numbers (just numbers are not enough to win a dogfight, if more times the italian biplane Fiat Cr. 42 shot down the much faster Hurricane), even if you won the war exactly for that: numbers! And it is not little, I know! With regards! 08/24/2007 @ 22:36 [ref: 17744] |
| Doug Stenning London, OTH | I know this has'nt been commented on in a while but i figure i'll add my two cents! Im a die hard Spitfire fan but thats irrelavent here, im currently researching a P51H that was based at Ladd AFB in Alaska by all accounts these aircraft were incredibly troublesome (in cold conditions at least) they all suffered from stress fractures on there wings and fusalage which meant that pilots were restricted to making 2.5G turns and the engines weren't all that! in one case all of the aircraft based at Ladd AFB had a compression test on their engines and 7 of them were suffering from low compression apparently without reason which meant that they had to be removed and sent away for further investigation. The thing is i think with more work the plane could of been phenomenal in all aspects the engine needed particular attention. even after all its faults i'd still love to fly one!! 05/14/2007 @ 02:57 [ref: 16482] |
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