RAF P-51A contraption!

[Michel Lemieux]

RAF P-51A contraption!

What is this?

From this FB page: https://www.facebook.com/Bruyneel.Patrick

Agent delivery pods?



Nice odd pic also!

[mike furline]

Experimental 150 gallon ferry tanks.

"A 416-liter (110 US gallon) drop tank was also built, plus a 568-liter (150 US gallon) ferry tank. Information on these tanks is sketchy, but the ferry tank looked like a tub whose upper rim fit up against the wing, and so it appears it could not be dropped in flight." http://www.airvectors.net/avp51_2.html

[junkman9096]

The experiments continued into the "D" models. A good synopsis was posted in retromechanix.com but now its behind a paywall. The link leads to a photo posted on the 12 o'clock High forum.
http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showthread.php?t=25904

[Michel Lemieux]

Interesting!

Thank you for the input and info.

Cheers.

Last edited by Michel Lemieux on Tue Oct 19, 2021 6:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Michel Lemieux]

Nice pic junkman!

[JohnTerrell]

They provided enough range to allow for a Mustang to be flown/ferried from coast to coast of the United States, non-stop. They were used on one of the two P-51D's that broke the transcontinental speed record in 1944 as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pstdsYG91Ws

[Jim MacDonald]

Looks like a wheels up landing would not be an option if you wanted to end up in one piece.

Mac

[Michel Lemieux]

The D tank construction seems a bit different than the early RAF A model also.

Was this a British design?

[JohnTerrell]

Yeah, there were two different versions of those tanks, and the first were made of wood where as the later were made of metal. The blueprint drawings for those tanks can be found within the NAA P-51 blueprint drawings.

[C VEICH]

Looks like a wheels up landing would not be an option if you wanted to end up in one piece.

Mac

Apparently they were able to be jettisoned. If you watch the video in the link provided by John Terrell both Mustangs have their tanks leaving Los Angeles but neither retained them upon landing in New York. Wonder where they ended up?

[C VEICH]

They provided enough range to allow for a Mustang to be flown/ferried from coast to coast of the United States, non-stop. They were used on one of the two P-51D's that broke the transcontinental speed record in 1944 as well.

That first picture is of really stunning quality. Thanks for sharing!