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.