NA-73

[cardboard_killer]

[80 years ago today] "
• The North American NA-73 makes its maiden flight in California. Designed and built in just 117 days, it is intended to fill a British order for 620 aircraft. The US Army Air Corps currently has no interest in the design, which will become known as the P-51 Mustang. "

 

[cardboard_killer]

[80 years ago today] "• The first twenty North American Mustangs Mk-I begin evaluation with the RAF. Equipped with an Allison single-stage turbocharged engine, they are no better than the P-40 at altitude, though the plane makes an excellent long ranged ground attack aircraft. In 1942 they will be utilized in Rhubarb Raids, cross channel fighter sweeps attacking targets of opportunity. Impressed with the maneuverability and fuel capacity, Rolls Royce will later test installation of the Merlin two-stage supercharged engine and create what will be considered to be the best mass-produced production piston engine fighter of the war. Packard will put licensed built Merlins into American P-51s, but the improved aircraft will not be available until the end of 1943.

 

Mustang Mark-I in British camo during a test flight over California"

[cardboard_killer]

[80 years ago today] "• The first A-36 Apaches are produced. Earlier in the year, North American Aviation pressed the USAAF for a contract to build the P-51, which is based on the Mustang previously lend-leased to the British. No funds were remaining for additional fighter contracts, but there were for attack aircraft. Not having a contract would result in North American retooling the plants that made the Mustangs towards other aircraft, and the P-51, already declined by the RAF, would never be built.

 

- Major General Oliver Echols of the USAAF Materials command solved the problem by ordering modifications to the P-51 to turn it into a dive bomber. Utilizing the basic P-51 airframe and Allison engine, structural reinforcing "beefed up" several high stress areas and a set of hydraulically operated dive brakes were installed in each wing. Five hundred A-36s will be built, seeing extensive service in the Mediterranean.

 

North American A-36 Apache

 

P-51A in 1943"

 

- Once additional funds became available, the USAAF also placed orders producing 360 P-51As which are essentially A-36s without the dive-brakes and nose mounted machine guns.

 

 

[JG1_Vonrd]

On 11/11/2021 at 8:41 AM, cardboard_killer said:

Allison single-stage turbocharged engine

Actually not turbocharged. All the engines used in the Mustang (Merlin included) were mechanically driven superchargers. The P-38 however did have turbosuperchargers.  

[Mtnbiker1998]

Such a cool plane that went through so many different revisions. Would love to have this in the game one day.