Warbird Information Exchange

Since Mr. Beasley is now a member, as well as being in the news lately, I thought I'd post this series of shots of his Dad from some years back. In the early to mid 1980s the Beasleys dabbled a bit in racing. For a race in the summer of 1984 in Moose Jaw Sask. Canada (home base of the Snowbirds) Jim Sr. had a nice race motor by Dave Zeuschel (I think) which during a qualifying session apparently quit cold at a most inopportune moment. This is a sequence of his Mayday landing -- I've always thought this sequence most impressive.

Sorry about the poor color matching of the images -- these are distinctly quick and dirty scans.

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Neal Nurmi

---Wingman Photo---

Wow I remember that -- Moosejaw 1984. Great shots and thanks for poting them. A long time ago I was given this series and still have them hanging in the hangar. They are some of my favorite shots. Jim

Beautiful emergency landing...

1. What is target airspeed during an emergency descent in a P-51?

2. Do you use any flaps during the emergency descent?

3. Does the gear drop like T-6 gear?

4. Was he a little fast at the bottom end here, and was that a little balloon in the last photo? No critique, just curious.

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REMEMBER THE SERGEANT PILOTS!

I can tell Neal is going to be a HUGE contributor to the WIX site. Welcome aboard, and keep the pictures coming! You've probably just created yourself a monster, Neal.

Gary

It was an interesting day for sure -- best glide is 170mph, and the use of flaps, slip, etc. is a function of your speed and altitude relative to where you need to land. Gear does free fall like the T-6. It looks like a bounce but maybe a float? Jim

Dear Jim Beasley,

It is a great honor to have you on the WIX board. I've been watching a lot of airshow videos and have always kept running accross the name Jim Beasley in them. Im also a fellow Pennsylvanian. How are you doing sir? Say I got a question for ya: any chance of bringing your P-51C to this years Geneseo airshow? I think it is a really nice machine and very authentic.

Have a nice day,
Nathan

Hi Nathan -- I think I'm scheduled to do the Heritage Flight at Geneseo so if I do and it's not really wet I'll be there. Jim

IN picture #3 it looks like the wind was coming in from the right...though pretty light judging by the sock. MAde things even more complex for the pilot - good job

Great pics, thanks!

Very impressive (flying and pics). How long does the gear take to free fall and lock?

Hi Jim,

That is really great news. I hope you can make it. Quite a few WIX posters will be at Geneseo including myself.

Cheers,
Nathan

The gear comes down pretty quickly -- within 10 seconds or so, and you can feel the "thump thump" when she locks.

My Mustang manual, F-51D 1954 revision gives engine clean best glide speed as 175 mph or aboout 152 Knots. The Crazy Horse guys went out and experimented with it a few years ago and guess what, they found the factory figures were correct, if you varied more than about 10 mph slow or fast, you began to lose glide range. One thing is the book figures don't mention is weight of the tests; I'd guess at civilain weights about 5 mph less might be ideal. The nose attitude clean is flat and glide ratio is very good, 14 to 1. A basic training glider 2-33 has only about 20 to 1 ratio. Remember these figures are with the prop back in low rpm; if you are at Reno with the engine seized and prop stopped in flat pitch, as happened to Dan Martin, the glide angle is about like a submarine going over Niagara falls. I have not tried this in a 51 or many planes, but in some, full aft elevator trim will give you about best glide attitude.

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Bill Greenwood
Spitfire N308WK

Here's my rule of thumb -- you're going where your feet are pointing....

Mr. Beasley, any chance of doing the two ship act at Oshkosh again? That was a fantastic show you and your partner put on in 2004.

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"I love the smell of racing gas in the morning"
www.timadamsphotography.com

Hi Tim -- don't know -- it depends on whether Shipley comes and if he has a Mustang to use. And if I can make it too .... Jim