NOTE: RADIO CONTROL AIRPLANES ARE ON THE BOTTOM HALF OF THE PAGE.
The North American P-51 Mustang was originally produced in the U.S. for Great Britain. With the addition of the Rolls Royce Merlin engine it became the Allies premier escort aircraft of World War Two.
The original Allison powered aircraft was used for photo reconnaissance and ground support missions due to its poor high altitude performance. British models were designated as the NA-73 and were first flown in 1941.
In Dec. of 1943, Rolls Royce Merlin powered North American P-51 Mustangs entered service over Europe as high-altitude escorts for bombers on long distance missions into Germany.
Mustangs accounted for nearly one half of all the enemy aircraft downed over Europe. It had victories over 4,950 Axis aircraft in air-to-air combat, more than any other aircraft in the European Theatre.
A large contributing factor in its high number of air victories was the K-14 computing gyro sight. The K-14 was especially useful in providing the correct lead for high deflection angles.
The P-51 Mustang served in the Pacific where they escorted bombers to Japan and performed photo recon operations.
During the Korean War, the aircraft were used primarily for the close support of ground troops and for reconnaissance through 1953 when they were retired from U.S. active service. They flew with the U.S. Air National Guard through 1957 and in the air forces of U.S. Allies until being retired in 1984.
Today, highly modified P-51 Mustangs fly as air racers at speeds of up to 500 mph around pylon courses. Numerous aircraft can be seen in exhibits and air shows.
If there is a single word that can be used to describe flying the P-51 Mustang, it is probably “great”! The aircraft had few bad habits. Its flying was rock solid. Its controls didn’t become overly heavy to the point of freezing with the increase of speed. That meant that it could be rolled quickly and with little trouble at high speeds.
A big help to Mustang pilots were the rudder and elevator trim controls within easy reach of the left hand. By keeping the aircraft properly trimmed, control forces necessary for high speed combat maneuvers could be keep to reasonable levels. For accurate shell groupings on target, it was important to keep the rudder trim centered.
One sore point with many P-51 pilots was the fuselage fuel tank behind the pilot. While filling it was a necessity for long range missions, it positioned the center of gravity to the rear of the aircraft. This made the elevator extremely sensitive. If forced to do any radical maneuvers with a full fuselage tank, such as in combat, the aircraft would react in an unstable manner. This could necessitate the reversal of control, pushing down elevator while executing a sharp inside turn in order to maintain aircraft maneuverability. Once about half of the fuel was depleted from the tank, stability returned to the aircraft. During long range flights it was necessary to first use the fuel stored in the external tanks. However, on shorter flights, the fuel in the fuselage tank could be used first.
Landing approaches in the Mustang could be made nose low, with touch down on the main wheels, rather than three point landings, in order to be able to see over the nose as long as possible.
A total of 14,855 North American P-51 Mustang aircraft were produced.
There are numerous rc P-51 Mustang airplanes to choose from.
The picture immediately above is of the rc P-51 Mustang ARF for sale by Nitro Planes. It has a 51 1/2" wingspan, 49" length, and featuring all balsa construction. Power can come from .40 to .46 two stroke or .60 to .70 four stroke engines.
The first picture below is of the rc P-51 Mustang RTF for sale from Park Zone. It has a wingspan of 39 1/2" and length of 34". It comes with a geared 480 type motor and everything you need to fly.
Nitro Planes has a rc P-51 Mustang ARF with a 71 1/2" wingspan and 64 1/2" length. It has a fiberglass fuselage with built up balsa and ply wings. Weight is around 10 lbs.
The middle picture is of the rc P-51 Mustang for sale from Nitro Planes with a wingspan of 57 1/2" and length of 49". It is of all balsa and ply construction and includes landing gear. You will need .40 - .46 two stroke or .60 to .70 four stroke engines. All up weight is around 6 lbs.
Hangar 9 has two rc P-51 Mustang models. There is one for beginners to help you learn how to fly. It comes ready to fly (RTF) with an included engine. Wingspan is 58" and length is 50" with a weight of around 6 3/4 lbs.
The rc P-51 Mustang ARF for sale by Hanger 9 for experienced fliers has a 65" wingspan and a 57" length. It needs from a .60 to 1.0 two cycle or .91 to 1.25 four cycle engine. Weight is around 9 1/2 lbs. ready to fly.
The next picture is of the rc P-51 Mustang for sale from GWS. It is a ARF. Its wingspan is 34". Included is a geared 370 motor. Weight ready to fly is around 13 oz.
You can find an inexpensive rc P-51 Mustang RTF with a 37" wingspan, 370 motor, controller, flight battery and charger at a number of retailers.
Do you like building your P-51 Mustang rc from plans? Flying Models has them with wingspans from 29" up to 85".
Nick Ziroli has plans for a 96" wingspan rc P-51 Mustang. Power is by 3.7 c.i.d. engines or larger.
Giant Scale Planes has two sizes of the rc P-51 Mustang for sale. A 53" wingspan for 40 - 46 two stroke engines and a 72" wingspan for 1.30 - 1.50 four stroke engines.
American Eagle has a kit for a 87" wingspan rc P-51 Mustang. Zenoah .62 and up engines can be used for power.
Top Flite makes a giant scale 84.5" wingspan ARF P-51 Mustang rc airplane. Power comes from 2.5 - 4.3 glow engines.
There is a kit from Meister Scale for a 90" wing span rc P-51 Mustang scale model airplane. You will need .90 - 3.0 power.
Jack Devine Models has a kit for a 82" wingspan rc P-51 Mustang. This is for ST 3250 or G45 engines.
Like your P-51 Mustang rc airplanes smaller? How about a park flyer from JK Aerotech? Their scale model airplane is made of foam and has a 38" wingspan. Power is by a speed 400 or a 1/2A to .15 engine.
House of Balsa has a kit for sale of a 43" wing span rc P-51 Mustang. To power it you will need at least a .20 engine.
Park Flyers R/C has a 38" wingspan rc P-51 Mustang for sale that comes ready to fly. Its length is 31". It comes with a 1200 kv motor.
Park Flyers R/C has a smaller ready to fly rc P-51 Mustang RTF with a wingspan of 30" and a length of 24". It comes with a Speed 370 type motor and weighs about 13 oz.
Megatech has a rc P-51 Mustang RTF two channel airplane. It is toy-like, made of easy to break foam with poorly made components.
Toy Sonics has a rc P-51 Mustang ARF made from balsa and ply. Its wingspan is 76" and length is 66". You can power it with 1.08 to 1.20 two stroke or 1.20 to 1.40
four stroke engines. Weight is around 10 lbs.
For anyone looking for a really nice kit, check out the rc P-51 Mustang for sale by Great Planes. It has a 57" wingspan and a 50" length. Engines can be from .40 to .46 two cycle
and from .60 to .70 four cycle. Weight after assembly should be around 6 lbs.
Banana Hobby has a three channel rc P-51 Mustang RTF (ready to fly) scale model for sale. It is a foamy with a 32" wingspan and 26" length. Included is an out runner motor.
Banana Hobby will sell you a four channel rc P-51 Mustang that is ready to fly with a 34 1/2" wingspan and 29" length. It comes with a Speed 370 type motor.
Art-Tech has a ready to fly rc P-51 Mustang for sale. Its wingspan is 38" and length is 31". Weight is around 1 lb. 4 oz.
LANYU, China has another ARF foamy P-51 Mustang for sale. Its wingspan is 35" and length is 27".
Kit Cutters has a rc P-51 Mustang kit for sale with a 81" wingspan. It is from Dave Platt plans. Engines can be from .90 to 1.20. Weight is about 17 lbs.
Kit Cutters has a giant scale rc P-51 Mustang. Wingspan is 98" and length 78". It needs a 3.7 or bigger gas engine. Weight is about 35 lbs.
Kit Cutters has plans and a kit of a rc P-51 Mustang from Jim Pepino plans. It has a wingspan of 69".
Kit Cutters took Nexus plans and made a rc P-51 Mustang kit from them. Wingspan is 57".
There is a giant scale kit for sale by Kit Cutters from Don Smith Plans. It has a wingspan of 112" and a length of 97". Engine size is 5.8 c.i.d.
Cleveland has plans for the rc P-51 Mustang with wingspans of 14", 19", 28", 37 1/2", 56", 75" and a giant scale 112".
Pasotech has a giant scale rc P-51 Mustang for sale. It has a 96" wingspan and 77" length. It comes with a fiberglass fuselage and balsa wings.
Engines can be from 60 to 150 cc. Weight is about 31 lbs.
Ripmax has a 48" wingspan rc P-51 Mustang ARF. It is made from balsa and plywood. With a Speed 600 size motor it will weight around 48 oz.
The fourth picture below is of the rc P-51 Mustang built by Lenny Smith from an American Eagle kit. Wingspan is 102" and power comes from a ZDZ 80 cc engine.
The last picture below is of the smaller Top Flite rc P-51 Mustang ARF. Its wingspan is 64 1/2" and length is 56". Including are retractable L/G. Engines can
be from .60 to .91 two cycle or from .91 to 1.20 four cycle. Weight, ready to fly, should be around 8 3/4 lbs.
Joe Trogden sent us the following email: I really like the Park Zone rc P-51 Mustang that I purchased as ready to fly. As expected, it went from the box to the flying field very quickly. Not only does it fly well, it looks good doing so.
This is a rc airplane for folks with experience flying faster aileron low wing models. It goes where pointed, handles cross winds well, and can perform some nice aerobatics. If you like very realistic
scale rolls, it will do them. However, increasing the aileron throws will roll it very quickly. The ability of the airplane to fly well at slow speeds is surprising for a warbird. Controls are very
responsive down to walking speeds. Stalls are straight ahead, and very easy to recover from. I did find the center of gravity set up a little too far forward for my liking, particularly when flying inverted.
I moved it 5/8 of an inch back and then needed far less forward stick to maintain inverted flight. Changing the c/g to your liking is pretty easily accomplished by moving the position of the flight battery.
There are no landing gear with the Park Zone rc P-51, but hand launching is a breeze. All that is required is a gentle toss. The motor pulls strong enough that it will fly right out of your hands.
The Park Zone rc P-51 Mustang will slow down nicely for gentle landings. I highly recommend it.
Thank you for your report, Joe.
If you have a favorite P-51 Mustang radio control airplane of your own please email us.
North American P-51 Mustang
