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The P51D Mustang “Cincinnati Miss” will perform both days at this year’s show. Designed by North American Aviation of Inglewood, CA in 1940 the prototype Mustang took just 100 days to construct and fly. Initially powered by Allison V-12 engines early Mustangs lacked the necessary speed and high altitude performance to be an effective interceptor and bomber escort. In 1942 a 1650 horsepower Rolls-Royce Merlin engine was installed in a Mustang with greatly improved speed and service ceiling and in December 1943 Merlin-powered P-51B’s entered combat over Europe. Merlin-powered Mustangs proved to be a superior fighter and bomber escort destroying over 4,950 enemy aircraft; more than any other fighter in Europe. Flying from airbases in England P-51’s equipped with external fuel tanks were able to escort bombers on long range missions deep into Germany, marking the turning point in the air war in Europe. 14,855 Mustangs were produced between 1941 and 1945, including the A-36A dive bomber and F-6 photo reconnaissance versions. 7,956 of the Mustangs produced were P-51D’s. Mustangs served in every combat zone, including the Pacific Theater where they escorted B-29 bombers from Iwo Jima to Japan. The P-51D Mustang performing in Dayton this year was built in 1944 for use with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). Built too late to see action in WWII it was used primarily for training RAAF pilots and on retiring from the RAAF in 1953 had accumulating only 615 flying hours. Purchased from the RAAF in 1954 by American Aeronautics Corporation and imported back the United States 44-84410 passed through several American owners without being returned to flying condition. Restored to airworthy condition by the technicians of the Tri-State Warbird Museum in 2005 this P-51D is painted in the colors of the 353rd Fighter Group, 350th Fighter Squadron based in Raydon, England in 1944-45. The P-51 will be flown by Paul Redlich. Redlich started learning to fly WWII aircraft when he was in his 20’s. Since then he has logged over 2200 hours in many different types of WWII fighters and bombers. Currently Redlich is the president of the Tri-State Warbird Museum located in Batavia, Ohio, a suburb of Cincinnati. The Tri-State Warbird Museum is home to a collection of WWII aircraft including the P-40, Corsair, B-25 and the German Fw-190. |
