I'm Jake O'Neal, creator of Animagraffs.
And this is How a P-51 Mustang Works. I've chosen the definitive P-51D model, which
entered service in late 1943 as a very capable all around fighter and long-range bomber escort
that helped grant Allied forces air superiority. Let's start with the frame and outer skin. Hundreds of panels are riveted to a
supporting structure called the airframe. These parts are mostly made of aluminum
for strong yet lightweight construction. Sturdy beams and cross-braces support
the engine. Hardened steel armor plates in front and behind the cockpit offer some
protection to the pilot from enemy gunfire. The fuselage has longerons that extend the
length of the frame, and horizontal formers. Ribs and spars make up the wing structure,
with smaller stringers for additional support. Aluminum frame components get their yellow
coloring from a special protective coating. Exterior parts might have a
range of different finishes designed to smooth out body work and rivet
bumps for a faster and better handling airplane. LANDING GEAR &
GROUND STEERING The main landing gear is
controlled by a hydraulic actuator. A separate actuator manages the clamshell doors. A moving lock pin secures the mechanism
in place when the gear is down. There's a shock absorber inside the
support arm and a brake in each wheel. The pilot can steer the plane while grounded
by pressing the left or right rudder pedals, which also engages corresponding wheel brakes.
The rear landing gear mechanism is more complex. The assembly is retractable
just like the main landing gear. However, the rear wheel can operate in "locked"
mode, which links its rotation to the airplane's rudder. As the rudder rotates, the cables
tighten in turn, turning the wheel left or right. Cables pass through a spring loaded tensioner so they remain taught but can still
move with the rear shock absorber. ENGINE
The P-51D is powered by a Packard V-1650 Merlin engine. It has 12 cylinders in
a 60 degree V formation, and produces 1,400 hp, with a top speed of 430-plus mph.
Air enters through an intake under the nose section, and is forced through a large
centrifugal (or circular shaped) supercharger. Engine cooling is handled with a radiator placed
just behind the wings, under the fuselage. The low-hanging scoop is separate from
the airplane body to capture cleaner air that's further from turbulence-causing
exterior features and propeller air. The placement also allows a longer duct
to take advantage of the Meredith effect, where hot air from the radiator's normal function can be used to produce thrust – recovering as much
as 90% of the drag caused by the radiator scoop. The radiator exhaust port has an
adjustable flap to regulate outflow. A separate engine oil cooler with its own
exhaust flap also resides in the scoop. An engine oil tank is mounted to the firewall. A front-mounted tank holds
circulating radiator fluid. Exhaust exits through short, angled nozzles. Fuel tanks in each wing hold 92
gallons each, with an additional 85 gallon fuselage tank behind the cockpit. Optional drop tanks can be mounted
to the underside of each wing at 110 gallons each, pushing the total possible
fuel capacity to a whopping 489 gallons, with a resulting range of 1,650 miles. A
fighter aircraft with the range to reach far into enemy territory proved to be a
major game-changer in the war effort. PROPELLER
The propeller is connected directly to the engine through a relatively
simple gear set. There is no transmission or gear shift like you'd find in almost any land
vehicle. Instead, blade pitch can be controlled. For example, at takeoff the blades
are angled perpendicular to the airplane for a strong forward pull
in little to zero existing airflow. While cruising at speed, that same pitch
would create a barrier, causing drag and slowing forward movement. So the blades are
angled more in line with the direction of travel. ARMAMENTS There are six Browning .50 caliber machine
guns mounted in the wings, with three on each side. They're controlled by a stick mounted
trigger which, when activated, fires all guns simultaneously. Ammo capacity is 1,880 rounds,
with a fire rate of about 30 rounds per second. With all six guns firing together, that's
about 30 seconds total firing time. There's no cockpit indicator for rounds remaining. A camera mounted in each wing can be set to turn
on when guns are fired to record the result. A single removable bomb rack can be fitted to
the underside of each wing to cary 100, 250, or 500 pound bombs. Alternatively, these racks
can carry droppable fuel tanks. Six rockets can also be loaded, with three on each wing. Or ten
total rockets, when the bomb rack is not in use. COCKPIT
These planes were designed for technical war operations, and were not
expected to be comfortable as a first priority. Some pilots reported having to be
lifted out of the cockpit after deep range missions in such cramped quarters.
Controls and gauges cover every surface, leaving space only for the pilot's
body and bulky flight gear. Starting from the left side of the cockpit,
there's a flare gun case and a flare gun mounting tube that extends through the plane to
the exterior. Below that, a wing flap control lever sets the position of the main wing flaps.
A set of dials controls various on the rudder, ailerons, and elevators.
For example, if more fuel gets used in one wing tank than the other, the
airplane may become unbalanced and "pull" in unwanted directions. The appropriate trim tab can
be adjusted to counter the unwanted attitude so the pilot doesn't have to fight against the
controls to constantly balance the craft. The radiator and oil cooler switches
control the previously shown exhaust flap positions for those systems.
Also on this panel, a landing light switch for lights that fold out of the main landing gear
bay, and a switch for the left side cockpit light. The landing gear lever is down by the pilot's left
leg, as well as the left wing fuel tank gauge. The bomb salvo lever mechanically releases bombs as opposed to the electrically
activated button on the stick. The fuel to air mixture, propeller RPM, and
engine throttle controls are grouped together. The propeller RPM lever setting attempts to
maintain constant propeller rotational speed, automatically altering things like engine
throttle or propeller blade pitch to do so. The propeller and the air around it functions something like an automatic transmission does in
a car. And in the same way, a car's engine RPM's aren't always directly related to the
actual speed the car may be moving. So for an airplane, controlling propeller
speed is the best way to control airspeed. Moving to the pilot's forward
view, we see the flight stick, with a bomb release button on top,
and the gun trigger at the front. Generally speaking, flight stick left
or right movement will roll the plane. Stick forward or back movement alters the pitch.
The left and right rudder pedals manage yaw. Beyond the stick we see the main fuel
shut-off lever, and a fuel tank selector dial. The fairing door emergency pull lever releases
landing gear in case of a motorized malfunction. Once released, gear can be manually
locked by yawing the plane left or right. A hydraulic pressure gauge is situated nearby. A warning light above the emergency lever
indicates if landing gear doors are open. Separate warning lights indicate left
and right landing gear lock status. The various switches and knobs
nearby control armaments settings. Bombs can be released all together or in a
train. Guns can be set as single fire, burst, or fully automatic. The amount of rounds per
burst can also be set with the corresponding dial. On the left of this panel, there's the engine
ignition switch. In the center, the parking brake. The left switch bank has supercharger boost
control and other engine specific settings. On the right, the oxygen blinker moves with the
pilot's breathing to very accurately indicate oxygen consumption with each breath. Pilots need
specific oxygen indicators due to the dangers of consuming too much or too little oxygen,
which can cause confusion and pilot error. A pressure gauge to the right
indicates oxygen system pressure. The oxygen regulator controls flow to the pilot. There are left and right
positionable lights for illumination. The yellow line across the
dashboard separates flight control related gauges into their own section.
From the left, we have the altimeter for altitude, the airspeed indicator, the directional gyro
and compass which are used together to maintain a specific course of travel. The bank and turn
indicator shows the plane's current attitude. The artificial horizon indicates
ground angle relative to the plane. Outside the white line there's the clock, a
suction gauge to monitor vacuum pressure since many of these gauges and instruments use
vacuum pressure differences to function. The manifold pressure gauge tracks internal
engine pressure. The propeller might be turning at the same speed but requiring lots of engine
force, so manifold pressure must be monitored. There's a coolant temperature gauge, a
tachometer for engine RPMs, a carburetor air temperature indicator to make sure the engine
air intake stays within a reasonable range, and an oil and fuel pressure gauge. Turning to the pilot's right side we see
electrical and radio equipment controls. Including an ammeter to monitor electrical
current from the plane's generator. There are switches for generator and battery disconnect,
left and right gun heaters, and position lights. Red, green, and amber position lights
on the underside of the right wingtip can display codes to indicate
friendly aircraft approach at night. Late model P-51D's had a tail radar system
to warn of aircraft behind the plane. A radio frequency tuner and
headphone hook-in sits beneath that. The last couple modules are radio control units, and an IFF system used to signal a friendly
aircraft to external radar systems. The right wing fuel tank gauge
is on the floor by the seat pan. The canopy crank is also on this
side, with an emergency release lever. Just behind the pilot's left ear there's the
fuselage fuel tank guage, various electronic devices inducing radio and radar modules,
and behind that, the oxygen tank storage bay. Coming back to the pilot's
view, we see the gunsight. A standard straight-ahead sight, marked with
the "plus" sign, and a compensating sight are projected from horizontal lenses
onto a thin pane of angled glass. The pilot sets the wingspan dial at the front
to correspond to the target's wingspan, measured in feet. A twist grip on the throttle brings
the compensating sight's diamond ring into an imaginary circle around the target's wings. This,
combined with the center dot over the target's cockpit, automatically calculates bullet range and
arc as both planes move through the air at speed. PILOT
During the era of the P-51, regulations for pilot's gear were a bit more
open to individual preference, so I've put together a generalized equipment set. The pilot
wears a leather helmet with earphones built in. Also a set of goggles, and an oxygen mask with a
built-in microphone just above the breathing tube. The pilot wears a vest
style yellow life preserver. Parachute rigging straps encircle the
pilot's torso and legs, and extend to a parachute back pad that was often packed with
first aid items and a one-person life raft. The pilot's parachute is packaged beneath the
seat cushion. All of these things are attached to the parachute rigging and follow
the pilot in the event of a bailout. The jacket and coveralls are either wool or
cotton, paired with warm leather gloves and boots.
This has been on my feed for a few days but I never watched it. I just did. This is a decent summary of the P-51, and well worth watching. They don't claim the radiator produces net thrust, so that alone tells you they did their homework. The only minor quibble I have with it is they said very little about the tremendous amount of work that went into smoothing airflow over the wings, reducing drag, but again this is a very minor complaint. You should watch this.
Very informative video. Although, I hope the P-51s had a smoother landing than this video did.
The aircraft and pilot forums would love this! Great video. We just came back from Airventure in Oshkosh. Early in the week there is a row or two of P51’s.