P-51 Miss America

Arguably the finest fighter aircraft of World War II.
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JoeS475
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P-51 Miss America

Post by JoeS475 »

On my travels I ended up driving through Oklahoma a couple of days ago. I thank our resident Okie Bud Morgan A LOT for letting me know the Reno racer Miss America is based in Oklahoma City... As it happened, Bud and I were unable to meet and grab a beer (next time!), but I did head over to Wiley Post airport and check out the P-51. Here are a few pictures... My personal favorite is the one with the shark teeth on the intake cover!

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While she has clipped wings, she is otherwise quite stock looking, and would probably make a nice repaint (hint, hint!)

One other thing- the gentleman I spoke with at the museum said that they give rides in Miss America for $1000 per half hour- it is also dual control and at altitude passengers are allowed a little gentle stick time... obviously no aerobatics. Next time I'm in Oklahoma I need to take up that offer!

Again, thanks to Bud for directing me to a great afternoon in OKC, and I hope you guys enjoy the pics!

Joe
Joe

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Bruce Hamilton
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Re: P-51 Miss America

Post by Bruce Hamilton »

Any idea why her wings are clipped? She looks flyable to me...

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budmorgan
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Re: P-51 Miss America

Post by budmorgan »

Awesome pics Joe! I'm still not happy that I missed ya while you were in town... but next time you blaze through (to get that ride!) I'll be there!

Bruce - It's all about speed - Miss America races at Reno every year.

Edit - And Joe - I'll take a stab at the repaint!
Buddy Morgan

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Rocket_Bird
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Re: P-51 Miss America

Post by Rocket_Bird »

The shark teeth is great. Is that a tongue?
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JoeS475
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Re: P-51 Miss America

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Rocket_Bird wrote:The shark teeth is great. Is that a tongue?
Lol, I think so. It appears to be a pull tab to remove the cover, shaped just like a tongue :mrgreen:


Joe
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richbonneau
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Re: P-51 Miss America

Post by richbonneau »

Bruce Hamilton wrote:Any idea why her wings are clipped? She looks flyable to me...
Wings are clipped for air racing. She's flyable...... and FAST!

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DHenriques_
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Re: P-51 Miss America

Post by DHenriques_ »

Bruce Hamilton wrote:Any idea why her wings are clipped? She looks flyable to me...
Miss A's wings were clipped to make her more stable at race speeds. She's a lot lighter than a military configured Mustang and doesn't need the total wing. Less wing means less induced drag Less drag, more speed.
Dudley Henriques
Miss America Team 1972

joe bob
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Re: P-51 Miss America

Post by joe bob »

That is what surprised me reading about the Reno crash. Even with the wings clipped they produce so much lift at those speeds that the elevator trim tab is critical.
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DHenriques_
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Re: P-51 Miss America

Post by DHenriques_ »

joe bob wrote:That is what surprised me reading about the Reno crash. Even with the wings clipped they produce so much lift at those speeds that the elevator trim tab is critical.
The higher the airspeed the more required nose down force. It's a balancing act between a very low angle of attack and huge vertical lift forces.
There has always been an ongoing discussion at Reno concerning the use of elevator trim tabs at race speeds as opposed to holding the strong required forward stick pressure against the positive nose up pitch. This discussion got a bit heated after the Ghost crash among a few of the race pilot hierarchy . It's still in play as far as I'm aware.
DH

joe bob
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Re: P-51 Miss America

Post by joe bob »

If I remember correctly that aircraft only had one trim tab. I wonder if the load had been shared by two if it would have helped with preventing the failure or reducing the severity of the G forces involved
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DHenriques_
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Re: P-51 Miss America

Post by DHenriques_ »

joe bob wrote:If I remember correctly that aircraft only had one trim tab. I wonder if the load had been shared by two if it would have helped with preventing the failure or reducing the severity of the G forces involved
Hard to say. The investigation is still ongoing concerning the tab.
DH

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