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p51mstg
11-08-2010, 08:50 AM
Aviation enthusiasts, like everyone else, have certain sounds, smells, and sights that trigger emotions and memories. For anyone who has ever attended an airshow in this area - St. Cloud, Duluth, Fargo, Mankato, Oshkosh, or anywhere else - there's almost always one sound that stands out and represents only one thing:

The sound of the V-12 Rolls Royce Merlin engine in a P-51 Mustang.

Sure, the Brits used Merlin engines in just about everything, and the Allison V-12 in P-40 Warhawks is pretty close. But, on this side of the pond, there aren't many of those.

Yesterday afternoon (11/7), I was working in the back yard, which faces west, when an airplane flew by at maybe 3,000 feet. I looked up, thinking that it had a nice sound to it - not like the Cessnas and Pipers I fly, a much throatier, more capable sound. The plane was going quite a bit faster than I usually go, too.

Then, I noticed that sleek, almost perfect airplane shape that can mean only one thing.... MERLIN! It was a Mustang!

There are maybe 100 60-year-old Mustangs still flying in this country, and I can probably count the number I haven't see on one hand. I have no idea which one it was, but that was a thrill to see one when I wasn't expecting it.

Sorry - nobody probably shares my enthusiasm, but I had to share anyway.

The Mustang was flying straight north somewhere off to the west, but not too far. The pilot probably wouldn't know they went past West Concord, because it doesn't show up very well from the air - it's just another little tiny town from up there.

The CAF Mustang from South St. Paul didn't go anywhere this weekend, from what I can tell. There are a couple of other Mustangs in the Twin Cities in private hands, and one in Austin, so it may have been one of those.

This is basically what I saw:
Youtube Mustang flyby1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzXVjmDBsG8)
Youtube Mustang flyby2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ku2IxdkoXSw)

p51mstg
11-08-2010, 08:51 AM
http://www.boeing.com/companyoffices/aboutus/wonder_of_flight/images/p51mustang_500.jpg

HAULNSS
11-08-2010, 09:23 AM
There is a 1955 Chevy with a Merlin engine in it that I got to see and hear in person. The sound is like nothing I've ever heard before. The sound of a plane buzzing by at full tilt would be awesome, I bet.

I think there are some youtube vids of the '55 Chev, but youtube is blocked at work. I'll try and find them tonight if no one post them.

Google "Merlin 1955 Chevy" to see more info and vids.

http://www.bikerlifestyle.co.uk/features/other/final/objective.html

Randy

Eleanor390
11-08-2010, 09:24 AM
can't beat the sound of a Merlin! Been to many air shows and they are distinctive plus beautiful!!! The guy who builds Ethanol Plants, Fagan, has several war birds and I think two P51

p51mstg
11-08-2010, 10:00 AM
I'll have to look up that Chevy - would definitely be interesting.

I always thought it would eventually be within my reach to have one, but there's no way it will happen. At $1.5 mil for an entry-level basic Mustang, plus 80 gallons of 100LL per hour and a $10,000 annual overhaul (not counting actual maintenance costs and hangar rent)... it adds up! The propeller alone - assuming you can even find one - was $50,000 the last time I checked.

There's a guy in Florida who rents Mustang time for like $3,000/hr, and that might happen some day (but not right now)...

It may sound trivial, but I got to sit in "Gunfighter", a P-51 out of Iowa several years ago, and that was a huge thrill. They charged me 5 bucks to have my picture taken, and there was a line behind me. Without being able to spend much time in the cockpit, I did discover one thing - it fit perfectly. I could so fly that thing!

p51mstg
11-08-2010, 10:27 AM
Is this the guy, Lily?

http://www.warhawksinc.com/pilot.html


Youtube - 55 Chevy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIj2GVfua84
Looks like he got paint scheme advice from BadAsp!

Eleanor390
11-08-2010, 10:28 AM
there was an old guy in Owatonna, Otto Lehr who used to fly 51's during Korea and made the transition to Jet and the thing he used to tell is in the Mustang you had to keep your foot planted on the rudder an aileron to overcome engine torque and when he went to Jet he almost threw it on its side on takeoff forgetting it didn't need that!

Eleanor390
11-08-2010, 10:35 AM
yup that Ron, I interviewed but he's to far away from home, Anyway NewMech who I ended up with started doing them but not to the degree Fagen could. he must have made a bundle can you imagine what the trio costs to keep up????

Eleanor390
11-08-2010, 10:48 AM
fagen travels in a world the rest of us just dream of, he got in on the Ethanol Myth when it was young and built plants all over, most are empty sans for what small coops and what Poet has going, NewMech lost their:fail: ass on them,

Eleanor390
11-08-2010, 10:50 AM
Tom Cruise has a P51,, 'course he has a Veyron too

p51mstg
11-08-2010, 11:14 AM
That's what I've heard, it needs a LOT of rudder. Any of those single-engine WW II fighters will take a normal pilot (like me) into the weeds if they aren't prepared to manage the force of the propeller. I have a lot of respect for the warbirds pilots.

I knew Tom Cruise had one. Never hear about him flying it, though. Seems like John Travolta has one parked behind the 707, but I'm not sure. Jack Rousch has 2, I believe - they make the airshow circuit, but I don't think he flies them. After he "bent the nose" of his jet in Oshkosh this summer, I'm not sure what his plans are (when it comes to flying without a copilot)....

Eleanor390
11-08-2010, 12:49 PM
I think Jack is encroaching on the "Doddering and infirm!

Eleanor390
11-08-2010, 01:07 PM
hey where did you learn how to fly I did in Owatonna,, my God the stupid stunts me and the VonRuden kids did in airplanes! They had there own and I'd take up the Allen R Radel "Beat a plane" We used to play "Billingsleys Pilots" and call in to Owatonna base and go "I'm comin' in with the gear up get out the foam trucks! I was doing touch and gos on the short runway and damn near clobbered that barn, We'd go land at Dog Patch because at the time it was grass that and Stanton. I loved chasin' pigs what a hoot that was! Crazy as all this sounds we were really good pilots! I recall having this chick for a temp instructor she really had a stick up her ass! so I preflighted the plane and got in and got it going and realized I left the front chock in she wanted me to turn everything off and get out and I said "F" that! wound the snot out of it and bounced it over the chock! We used to fly informantion I'd be in the middle with the warrior and dennis would come in on starboard with the grumman over and Greg would come in under with the Ailon,, now and then we'd get caught and Billingsley would scream at us for about 20 minutes. Then we used to pretend we were in a dogfight..you would hear "Get'm get'm here he comes again!!!" or ack ack ack ack ack,, oh I'm out of ammo! My instructor was Corry Boetcher and Clarence Bennike and we all got together and watched "Ba Ba Blacksheep" the story of the 214 squadron Greg was "Pappy" he was couple years older. Good Times!!!

p51mstg
11-08-2010, 03:48 PM
That's where I took flight instruction, KOWA. By the time I started, the crosswind runway was gone, and 12/30 was gorgeous new concrete. I flew a 160hp Warrior II, but can't remember the N number. Those were the days - $65/hr wet. Now, most places are charging $100/hr for the same beat up airplane.

The Warrior is a good airplane, and was an easy airplane to learn to fly in. The one I flew was Jim Hanson's plane, I think, but the instructors all came out of MN Aviation in Albert Lea. It wasn't uncommon for me to fly down to KAEL to meet my instructor. In a way, that was kinda cool (as long as he remembered to show up...), because it meant I got an hour of solo time for every hour of instruction. It gave me a "mission", rather than flying around aimlessly to build up time.

Austin Aeroflight has been very, very good to work with and I wish I would've gone there, rather than Owatonna for my initial instruction. Though, I miss flying a low wing - I was pretty good at slipping the Piper in if I was high and fast on final, and I can't do that with a Cessna (because the wing blocks your view of the runway - not fun when you're trying to land)!

Baa Baa Blacksheep was a wild show - they'd never put anything like that on network television again. Just about every flyable Corsair was used for filming the show.

shadowMN
11-08-2010, 06:41 PM
My office is directly behind the South St. Paul airport where CAF hangers are located, and when that P-51 cranks up, it rattles the whole building. Have watched that plane take off many times, and it's truly a sight to see....and hear !!!

Aspette
11-09-2010, 11:40 AM
WOW!!! I sure would love to see and hear one of those bad boys!!!!

Eleanor390
11-09-2010, 02:36 PM
it starts by hearing a flywheel wind up and then a starting clutch is engaged and it coughs and sputters into life picking up cylinders as it turns and belches oil out of the short exhaust snouts, then the RPM climb and she clears her throat and,,,sings!!!! The sound the Smell, well it borders on a religious experience!

p51mstg
11-10-2010, 06:38 AM
My office is directly behind the South St. Paul airport where CAF hangers are located, and when that P-51 cranks up, it rattles the whole building. Have watched that plane take off many times, and it's truly a sight to see....and hear !!!

:worship: I wouldn't get any work done in that office, looking out the window all the time....