Because of all the interest in World War II planes that came up in my cowl induction thread, I got the greenlight from Webby to start a thread about World War II fighters here in the Garage.
Yes, I know they are not cars, but there is a connection, believe it or not. Much of the technology employed on performance cars over the last 50 years has been as a result of fighter technology from the period of 1939-1945.
To get started, I will nominate my all time favorite fighter-the P51 Mustang, as the ultimate fighter of World War II.
The Mustang came about as a result of the British wanting American fighters during their desperate fight in 1940-1941. The British wanted to buy Curtiss P40 Warhawks. Instead, North American Aviation offered to design and build a prototype aircraft that would be better than the P40 in less time than it would take to set up a production line for the Warhawk.
North American took NACA research and created a stunningly beautiful airplane utilizing the latest research on laminar flow in the wings. Another technology that was used was in the belly scoop that fed air to the radiator. This scoop used the heated air from the radiator as a form of jet thrust.
At first, the Mustang used an Allison V-1710 V12 liquid cooled motor. Unfortunately, the performance at altitude left a lot to be desired although the Mustang performed admirably at low levels.
The British, in true hot rodding fashion, took a Rolls Royce Merlin V-1650 V12 motor and fit it to the Mustang frame. The result was a plane that was incredibly fast with a range far beyond any other fighter of the era.
The Mustang was quickly put into service with its Merlin powerplant. Its coming was not too soon as American bombers were being shot down left and right by the Luftwaffe. German pilots would wait just outside of the range of P47 Thunderbolt and P38 Lightning pilots, waiting to pounce on American bomber formations.
The Mustang caused an immediate uproar when it was able to escort bomber formations all the way deep into Germany and back. Ultimately, the Mustang turned the tide of the air war in Europe. The Mustang ruled the day shooting down countless Me 109's and FW 190's.
The reason I nominate the P51 D Mustang as the greatest fighter of the era is because of its incredible speed, rate of climb, dive speed, turning ability and most of all, its stellar range and endurance. The Mustang also served towards the end of the war in the Pacific theater and escorted B29 formations to Japan and back to homebase.
The Mustang continued service in Korea and even served in Viet Nam with Cavalier conversions done to the airframe. Its length of service is beyond any other propeller driven fighter ever.
One note of interest is the fact that the Ford Mustang was named after the P51 Mustang. Ford knew of the fame of the P51 and wished to capitalize on the name to promote its new hot car in 1964. Also, Dodge gave credit to the P51 for the hoodscoop used on its Challenger T/A in 1970.
I would like others to share their favorite planes of the era as there are many fine planes that were produced. Post up your thoughts and pictures as well.
