NORTH AMERICAN MUSTANG FAMOUS WORLD WAR ROOTS BRITAIN OVERLOOKED ACTION AMERICAN FORCES ONCE FULL POTENTIAL THE USA AIRCRAFT FORGING THE AMERICAN AIRFRAME BRITISH MERLIN ENGINE UNMATCHED PISTON AIRCRAFT OF WORLD WAR COURTESY LIKELIHOOD FULL SCALE WAR IN EUROPE MAJOR BRITISH ROYAL AIR FORCE LOOKING QUICKLY INCREASING FIGHTER APRIL 1940 BRITISH AIR PURCHASING COMMISSION NORTH AMERICAN AVIATION INTENT BUILD CURTISS DESIGN JAMES DUTCH THE PRESIDENT ADVANCED ALLISON ENGINE INSPIRATION TOUR INDUSTRIES GREAT BRITAIN NORTH PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE COLLABORATED LEE ATWOOD OUTLINE NEW TYPE STIPULATION PROTOTYPE HAND 120 DAYS DESIGNERS RAYMOND RICE EDGAR SCHMUED FOKKER MESSERSCHMITT IMMEDIATELY MEETING IN 11 DAYS MINUS WHEELS HAD TO SIX WEEKS VANCE REACHED SPEED SUCCESS THE SPITFIRE UNIQUE LAMINAR FLOW WING DEVELOPED THE US NATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE AERONAUTICS CONTEMPORARY WINGS MAXIMUM THICKNESS FIFTH THE WAY THE WING THE LEADING EDGE THE CAMBER CONTRAST ALMOST CAMBER FEATURE REDUCED TURBULENT FLOW DRAG POSITIONING VENTRAL RADIATOR UNDERNEATH REAR FUSELAGE PRESENT POSSIBLE CROSS BRITISH PURCHASING COMMISSION ENTHUSIASTIC THE PLANE CONFIRMED PRODUCTION ORDER THIS WAS MINOR DETAILS DESIGNATION HP IMPRESSIVE UP TO DRAMATICALLY MATCHED THIS IS NOT GOOD AS IT PERFORMED LOCKHEED PROBLEM TO DO HEAVY RELIANCE REQUIREMENT IMPOSSIBLE MEET FOR ALL METAL ALLOYS EXPERIMENTATION TURBOSUPERCHARGED DESIGNER DONALDSON BERLIN PLANES BF 109 THE PERFORMANCE THE US ARMY EXPORT THE CONDITION AT THIS TIME TENTH SENT ARMY TESTING THE SERIAL NUMBERS ORDER WAS TO SATISFY REQUEST LEND LEASE PEARL KEPT RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT APACHE SHORT TIME NAME MUSTANGS ARRIVE ENGLAND USAAF GROUND ATTACK REASON THE DELAY PROCUREMENT TYPE SOMEWHAT UNCOVERED INQUIRY TRUMAN DEMAND REFUSED DUTCH KINDELBERGER PRODUCTION BLOCK SUSTAIN THE OBVIOUS TAKEOFF MAXIMUM SPEED MUSTANG II FIFTY LIMITATIONS DUTIES ALLISON ENGINE GOOD GROUND ATTACK HIGH SPEED LOW ALTITUDE IDEAL TACTICAL RECONNAISSANCE ALTITUDE MOCKUP CONCEPT LOCATE BEHIND THE COCKPIT IDEA REJECTED MERLIN CONVENTIONAL POSITION DEEP BELOW THE ENGINE CARBURETOR RESULTS IN THE MEANTIME SIMILAR CONVERSION PROJECT BUILDING PACKARD LEVEL AIRSPEED THE EXTRA INTAKE FROM ABOVE THE NOSE INDUCTION THE MORE POWERFUL MODEL DESIGNATED MUSTANG III CALIFORNIA TEXAS FACILITY OPERATIONS DECEMBER 1943 IMPROVEMENT TEARDROP CANOPY DANGEROUS BLIND AREA TESTED STANDARD MUSTANG IV VERSION GREATEST CALIBER MACHINE GUNS TOTAL ROUNDS FOUR GUNS MOVING FORWARD PROVISIONS ROCKET LAUNCHERS DORSAL FINS THE BUBBLE DORSAL FIN WINGSPAN FEET SQUARE FEET 3 INCHES HEIGHT WEIGHTS EMPTY NORMAL INTERNAL FUEL CAPACITY RANGE MILES MILES PER HOUR CHANGES FASTEST VARIANT FIVE HUNDRED VJ DAY ORIGINAL ORDER UNDERSTATEMENT THE BEST AVIATION AMERICAN ENEMY HIGHEST SCORING THE EUROPE THEATER OF OPERATIONS BOMBER AFTER THE WAR HIGH PERFORMANCE WING SPAN FT 3 FT 2 FT 8 MAX SPEED POWERPLANT CYLINDER PACKARD MERLIN MACHINE EXTERNAL BOMB DROP TANKS INCH ENDNOTES EDWARD THE NORTH AMERICAN PROFILE PUBLICATIONS ENZO PETER M BOWERS HAYNES PUBLISHING GROUP WILLIAM THE SECOND WORLD WAR GARDEN DOUBLEDAY HERSCHEL THE HISTORY OF UNIVERSITY RICHARD ATKINS C RETURN LARRY DWYER AVIATION HISTORY ONLINE MUSEUM ALL RIGHTS RESERVED