Warbird Heritage Foundation P-51 Mustang Moonbeam McSwine

P-51D Mustang

Military History

The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range single-seat World War II fighter aircraft. Designed and built in just 117 days to a specification issued to NAA by the British Purchasing Commission, the Mustang first flew in Royal Air Force (RAF) service as a fighter-bomber and reconnaissance aircraft before conversion to a bomber escort, employed in raids over Germany, helping ensure Allied air superiority from early 1944. The P-51 was in service with Allied air forces in Europe and also saw limited service against the Japanese in the Pacific War.

At the start of Korean War the Mustang was the United Nations' main fighter but the role was quickly shouldered by jet fighters, including the F-86, after which the Mustang became a specialised ground-attack fighter-bomber. In spite of being superseded by jet fighters the Mustang remained in service with some air forces until the early 1980s.

As well as being economical to produce, the Mustang was a fast, well-made, and highly durable aircraft. The definitive version, the P-51D, was powered by the Packard V-1650, a two-stage two-speed supercharged version of the legendary Rolls-Royce Merlin engine, and was armed with six .50 caliber (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns.

The Foundation's P-51D is painted in the markings of Capt. William T. Whisner's "Moonbeam McSwine". In the fall of 1943 Capt. Whisner joined the 487th Fighter Squadron, 352nd Fighter Group based in Bodney England. The Fighter group was famously known as "the Blue-nosed Bastards of Bodney". During World War II, Capt. Whisner was credited with 15 1/2 aerial victories, making him a triple Ace. He went on to become an Ace in the Korean War as well, flying the F-86 Sabre. Whisner, by this time a full Colonel, went on to serve two tours as a fighter pilot and Squadron commander in Vietnam. He retired from active duty in 1989 and settled in his home state of Louisiana. On July 21, 1989, Colonel Whisner died from a yellow jacket bee sting while gardening in his back yard.

Read more information on the P-51 Mustang from the free online resource 'Wikipedia'.


P-51D-25-NA - Constr #: 122-31945 - Serial No: 44-12473 (U.S. Army Air Force)
DateSquadronLocation
1944 OctManufactured at Inglewood plant
Los Angeles, California
1945 MarAccepted by USAF and shipped to England for 8th Air Force
1945 JulReturned to USAF Depot
Newark, New Jersey
1947 Mar182nd FighterTexas ANG - Brooks AFB
San Antonio, Texas
1950 Nov136th Fighter GroupCONAC
Langley AFB, Virginia
1951 May120th FighterCOLO ANG
Buckley Field Denver, Colorado
1953 Mar109th FighterMinn. ANG
St. Paul, Minnesota
1956 DecMcClelland AFB for Storage
Sacramento, California
1958 AugSold surplus to Delta A&E Parts for $1,307.50
1958 DecTrans Florida Aviation
Sarasota, Florida
1963Howard Olsen Midland, Texas
- Restored by Cavalier Aircraft
1968FAS 406Sold to El Salvador Airforce
1975 OctAcquired by Gordon Plaskett
- Restored to "Moonbeam McSwine"
1981 MarAcquired by Vlado Lenoch
- Raced at Reno in 1997, 1999 and 2000
- Flew with USAF Heritage Flight Program
2012 DecAcquired by Frederic Akary of France
2018 MarAcquired by Warbird Heritage Foundation
Waukegan, Illinois

SPECIFICATIONS

Manufacturer:North American Aviation, Inc.
Model:P-51D-25-NA
Year Built:1944
Constr # / Plant:122-31945 / Inglewood, CA
Serial No:44-12473
N-Number:N51VL
Engines:One
Packard "Rolls Royce" Merlin V-1650-7 liquid-cooled supercharged V-12
1,490 hp. / 1,720 hp. at WEP
Length:32 ft. 3 in.
Height:12 ft. 2 in.
Wingspan:37 ft.
Weight:Empty: 7,635 lbs.
Max Takeoff: 12,100 lbs.
Performance:Range: 2,300 miles
Range: 1,200 miles - Internal Fuel
Ceiling: Over 41,900 ft.
Stall Speed: 100 MPH
Cruise Speed: 362 MPH
Max Speed: 437 MPH at 25,000 ft.

GALLERY

Explore the photos of our aircraft on this page by clicking the play arrow, or click on the square in the upper right hand corner to go to full screen. Once on the page, click play. To return to this page, click upper right hand button again. In full screen mode, you can double click the image to get a close-up view.

In-Flight Photos
p51-mm_f_01
P-51 Mustang "Moonbeam McSwine".
Photo by Mark Theriot

Exterior / Interior Photos
p51-mm_e_01
P-51 Mustang "Moonbeam McSwine".
Photo by Robert Bell

Historial Photos

AVAILABILITY

Our P-51 Mustang "Moonbeam McSwine" is available for airshows and special events. For additional information, please contact us!