Military Aviation

This is what’s like performing aerobatic maneuvers in the legendary P-51 Mustang

During an orientation flight on board the Mustang the passenger is invited to do the majority of the flight by himself, from basic maneuvering to high performance aerobatics

If you ever wondered what it is like learning to fly the legendary P-51 Mustang, in this post you can find a link to a spectacular video that can give you a clue.

Brought to my attention by John Fitzhugh, a reader of The Aviation Geek Club, the footage, that was taken from inside the cockpit of Mustang nick-named “Crazy Horse 2,” shows the famous instructor pilot (IP) Steve Larmore giving a briefing before the orientation flight onboard the aircraft performed by ‘The Lieutenant’ of ‘The SKYMONKEYYYs’ – Division Flyyy.

Crazy Horse 2 is a former U.S. Air Force (USAF) P-51D that was acquired in 2000 by Stallion 51 (an aviation organization that offers a wide range of aviation services from orientation flights onboard iconic warbirds to aircraft management) which converted it into a twin-stick TF-51.

As it can be seen in the footage, during an orientation flight aboard one of the warbirds belonging to Stallion 51, the passenger is invited to do the majority of the flight by himself, from basic maneuvering to high performance aerobatics.

As a side note, the video clearly shows the tremendous speed and maneuverability that made of the P-51 one of the best World War II fighters: in fact thanks to these impressive flight characteristics the Mustang could outmaneuver most of Luftwaffe and Japanese combat aircraft.

You can see the video here.

Photo credit: screenshot from video

Dario Leone

Dario Leone is an aviation, defense and military writer. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviation Geek Club” one of the world’s most read military aviation blogs. His writing has appeared in The National Interest and other news media. He has reported from Europe and flown Super Puma and Cougar helicopters with the Swiss Air Force.

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