Warbird Information Exchange

What is an airfoil? The B/C & D all used the same airfoil SECTION (same basic NACA number), but I suspect they were of different thicknesses as measured in percent of chord.

Looking for data!

Here is an example: http://exp-aircraft.com/library/heintz/airfoils.html

Im so tired of the hyphenated American term.I got a term for these guys and that is darn fine Americans period.What great role models for todays kids.

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Hang The Expense

I couldn't agree with you more hte! Of all the people in this country who should be angry about how they were treated, I have not talked to a single gentleman from the Tuskeegee group who is still angry. I had the fortune of speaking to one of these gentlemen at Cleveland a few years ago. He said that he cringes every time he sees another black kid on TV with gold in his teeth and his hat on sideways, singing about how he is gonna shoot somebody. In his opinion, these young kids (both black and white) need to look at what people from his generation endured so that they can see just how good they have it today.

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Earn my respect and never lose it.
Demand my respect and never gain it. -Me

...just another plane dreamer.

The wing is the same with the exception of the leading edge from the main gear inboard to the engine mount. That section that was added in a D would affect the airfoil in that area only.
All other changes were mostly internal and dealt with guns and ammo area and the system that operated the landing gear.
We operate P-51C Princess Elizabeth.
Rich

Basic airfoils and geometry are identical Mustang I thru P-51D/K/M. THERE IS NO SPECIFIC NACA airfoil that fits any Mustang. there are some that are close but NAA modified them ALL. That area described by 51Fixter is called the "Expanded Leading Edge" in both B and D official NAA/USAAF publications. The D's is decidely larger. Ordinates for the airfoils and their respective enlargements are available. Basics only below

http://www.ae.uiuc.edu/m-selig/ads/coord_database.html

There has been great speculation that the P-51H wing is markedly thinner than the d's. A direct comparioson yeilds dimesional (actual measured )thickness near identical, however the H had a slightly longer chord at c/l root, thus only SLIGHTLTY thinner areodynamically. see same sight above for H airfoils.

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Charles Neely

Paul,

On another note: I had no intention of startng a flame war regarding "African -American's" in US squadron service. I can understand the ABSALUTE need to discuss the concepts of racial injustice and issues in a historical context. My comment was made under the impression that no obvious context was being given for the photos and hence my suggestion. I see now that both you and I were a bit wrong, for I gave no thought to the time of when "African-american" came into being (post post WWII) and it seemed passe' for today. I was of the opinion that they just needed to be recognized as American fighter pilots. Of course, there should also always be some mention of who they were and what they were doing at the time, in every historical discussion.

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Charles Neely

Thank you sir.

I think it is very valuable to show that they were African-American. Even though I am white, I feel that it shows a great struggle between whites and blacks in that era that needs to be learned and educated from to pass to our children that indeed, people, no matter what color, or creed and overcome the impossible.

My best friend and my first supervisor in the Air Force just happens to be of African-American decent and even though in the 1990's we still had looks when him and I would be out at a party, or our hobbies together, such as R/C plane flying. It would just burn my tail more than his when people would look at us, like we were crazy for having a friendship with each other. EVEN TODAY!!!!

I guess when I grew up in Northern Minnesota and was not around ANYONE from a different nation, color or creed and went into the military with very open mindedness, I never dreamed that people would treat other people like that.

Enough of that story, but anyways, not only do I commend those who servered before me, I even commend them more if they were treated different because of who they were and yet, still managed to look at our flag and embrace it as a symbol of freedom enough to put their lives on the line.