In june of that year, the pdesignation was changed to f, and the twin mustang became f82 rather than p82. This one describes the north american f82 twin mustang, the last american pistonengine fighter ordered into production by the united states air force. North american pf82 twin mustang last revised october 15, 1999. Maintenance crews of the 449th allweather fighter squadron, checkout the engine of an f82 twin mustang. Superrare xp82 twin mustang flies again popular mechanics. The north american f82 twin mustang was the last american piston engine fighter ordered into production by the united states air force. The official us air force factsheet has the same photo, but black and white. Most people know of the north american f82 twin mustang, and most of those people know that it wasnt really two p51 mustangs cobbled together.
A nacelle beneath the center wing housed radar equipment. Airborne army, consisting of the 1st british airborne division, the us 82nd and 101st. F82 twin mustang the design by north american in 1944 of the f82e was an outgrowth of the p54 success in world war ii. Air force, the north american aviation p82 twin mustang was the climax of the famous world war ii p51 mustang series. While the merlinpowered twin mustangs derived from the xp82 were only used. Aircraft propeller p51 mustang air space modern history korean war fighter aircraft war machine military aircraft world war ii. In the end, the twin mustang missed out on combat actions in world war 2 altogether, was turned into a night fighter and served with distinction during. In the postwar era, strategic air command used the planes as a longrange escort. Though the design was based on the p54 it was a completely different aircraft.
The twin mustang carried a pilot and copilotnavigator to. The north american f82 twin mustang is the last american pistonengine fighter ordered into. A radical departure from the conventional single fuselage airplane, the twin mustang was not, as is commonly believed, two p51 mustangs coupled together. In the air war with japan, usaaf planners realized that they were going to need ultra long duration fighter escort planes to fly to japan with the b29 bombers.
The north american f82 twin mustang mated two p51h mustang fighter. Would appreciate any tip toward finding one for my fs collection. Were able to report significant progress in the restoration to flying condition of tom reillys north american xp82 twin mustang, and what a project it is. Wings palette north american p82f82 twin mustang usa. It has the paint scheme used in korea, but is missing the red stripes in the. Op seems to be a tad off with the exact model, but this roundel issue is pretty confusing. At the time the longest ranged usaaf fighters were the p38 lightning and p51d mustang with ranges in the order of 2,000 miles. It first flew in 1945 but did not see service during world war ii. Air force, the north american p82 twin mustang was the climactic development of a long series of the famous world war ii p51 mustang series. Xp82 twin mustang flight saturday 6 april 2019 at sun n. It consisted of two fuselages, based on the p51h mustang, mounted on a newlydesigned wing. They have an f82 and the pictures are in color iir. The restoration to flying condition of xp82 twin mustang. There are the three views in squadron signals mustang in action no.
The new aircraft had a top speed of 776 kph 482 mph and a range on. The twin mustang was originally brought about to fulfill the required role of longrange fighter escort for the fourengined, longrange, highaltitude boeing b29 superfortress heavy bomber. North american produced 250 of the doublefuselage airplanes for the air force, embracing three versions of the twin mustang then in service, the p82e, p82f and p82g. I know i have seen f82 pics in color and of the main gear wells. Internet modeler special hobby 172 north american f82g. F82 the twin mustang survivors of all the odd and wacky aircraft ideas that were dreamed up during world war ii, the north american p82 has to be towards the top of the list. The north american p82 f82 twin mustang is a twinengined twoseat longrange fighter aircraft produced by the usamerican manufacturer north american aviation.
Radarequipped f82s were used extensively by the air defense command as replacements for the n. Few twinengine fighters during that period were agile enough to survive. The f82 twin mustang zero sum game usaf wins and caf loses and loses again and may lose flying their b29 reader gene fioretti alerted this blog to a confederate air force special alert published on 20 april 2012 entitled, fifi under attack from ohio congressman. Many changes were made to achieve greater greater distance and speed.
Media in category north american f82 twin mustang the following 15 files are in this category, out of 15 total. F82 twin mustang finescale modeler essential magazine. The twin mustang was developed at the end of the propdriven fighter era and at the dawn of the jet age. The usaf needed the best escort fighter it could get its hands on. The twin mustang incorporates the fuselages of two p51h mustang. The war ended well before the first production units were operational. North american p82 f82 twin mustang specifications. Most of us who have never gotten our hands greasy on one have assumed the verylongrange postwar twin was simply two p51 fuselages riveted to a wing center section and horizontal stabilizer. Mobilvetta top driver 60s anno 2001, meccanica ducato 2. Reader gene fioretti alerted this blog to a confederate air force special alert published on 20 april 2012 entitled, fifi under attack from ohio congressman. See more the f82 was the last american pistonengine fighter ordered into production by the usaf but had a rather short operational life being phased our in favour of the f84 thunderjet. T ruth be told, the north american f82 wasnt just two mated mustangs. It was an intact airframe formerly located at the walter soplata farm.
Here it is the only flying twin mustang fighter in the world. North american f82e twin mustang, twinfuselage two. P82 twin mustang was the climax of the famous world war ii p51 mustang series. The f82e entered service in the longrange bomber escort role with the 27th fighter group 522nd, 523rd, and 524th squadrons of the strategic air command.
Tom reilly has spent three years totally rebuilding the rarest twin mustang to survivethe numbertwo xp82 prototype. Raf rugby star stu robinson will be leading the british bid for glory in the. The f82 twin mustang zero sum game usaf wins and caf loses and loses again and may lose flying their b29. Air force museum in dayton, ohio the mustangs combat record is generally considered to consist of.
Restoration of prototype xp82 twin mustang makes progress. It is about congressman michael turners bill amendment which, if passed as currently drafted, would ground fifi the only. Based on the p51 mustang, the f82 was originally designed as a longrange escort fighter in world war ii. P82 twin mustang on display today at the wright patterson u. Articles about this aircraft you can read at friendly site ugolok neba in russian only our partner paper aviation website has matherials about this aircraft. North american f82 twin mustang strategic air command. Xp82 prototype type heavy fighter manufacturer north american aviation designed by edgar schmued maiden flight 6 july 1945 introduced 1946 retired 1953. Once the standard longrange, highaltitude escort fighter for the u. However, it has changed significantly in the last month or so, making it one of the best and most enjoyable planes. It appears to be two p51 mustang fuselages on one wing, but in reality it was a totally new design. North american aviation produced 250 of the doublefuselage p82 twin mustang fighters for the u.
After ten years and over 200,000 manhours, the twoheaded. North american f82b twin mustang national museum of the. Unfortunately, there was not a lot of technical documentation available for the xppf82 series of aircraft. As we recently reported, starting with what was, in essence, a pile of crumpled parts, theyve taken on the daunting restoration of a prototype of an already exceedingly rare plane. The north american f82 twin mustang is the last american pistonengine fighter ordered into production by the united states air force. Cavalier conscripts by paul coggan, flypast, march 1985.
Service record of the north american pf82 twin mustang. North american f82e twin mustang, af sn 460256, naca sn 3 and faa tail number n142am, is currently under restoration to flying status by james harker in anoka, minnesota previously in birchwood, wisconsin. The north american xp82 twin mustang has been one of the most highly anticipated warbird restorations in recent memory. North american p82 f82 twin mustang was a longrange escort fighter and night fighter. In the postwar era, strategic air command used the planes as a longrange escort fighter. The f82 was the last propellerdriven fighter acquired in quantity by the u. F82e twin mustang on display on the parade grounds at lackland air force base in san antonio, texas. It was largely a new aircraft based on the p51 design with many aerodynamic changes made to achieve greater range at higher speeds.
The idea for building of a 2 scale f82 originated from the lack of an accurate model, in any scale, of this historic aircraft. Superrare xp82 twin mustang flies again after decadelong restoration. It looked like two p51s flying in close formation, side by side but in reality, they were one plane. North american f82 p82 twin mustang longrange escort. These were variants of the f82e, with a number of upgrades. Has anyone ever seen a flight sim model of the f82 twin mustang night fighter of the korean war era. North american p 82f 82 twin mustang usa if you want share profiles of this aircraft with our visitors mail to webmaster mail to webmaster. A radical departure from the conventional singlefuselage airplane, the twin mustang is formed by two fuselages joined by the wing and the horizontal stabilizer. F82 twin mustang, by larry davis, squadronsignal mini in action series number 8, 1996. F82 twin mustang lockheeds magnificent p38 lightning was one of the most recognizable fighter planes in world war ii. The f82 twin mustang zero sum game travel for aircraft. This unique aircraft could be controlled from either cockpit. North americans solution was to create the xp82 twin mustang.
This plane is usually seen as a piece of shit, or a brick because of its terrible flight model. Building the xp82 twin mustang in 2 scale by ken friend. Shop f82 twin mustang fighters poster created by evolveshop. Ard world distance record flight hickam field hawaii to laguardia field ny february 1947 overall natuaral metal. Original p51 fighters held three such machine guns to the leading. The ca15 was a lowwing, allmetal fighter with a vee inline engine driving a.
The aircraft wears alaskan anticamouflage and the lower wings national insignia was sprayed sideways. Lackland is the initial training base for usaf airmen and women, so the base is covered with display aircraft, including rare warbirds such as this twin mustang. Rebuilt by tom reilly and his team over a 10year period, this warbird made its public air show debut at sun n fun 2019 in. Its purpose was to provide a fighter carrying a pilot and copilotnavigator to reduce fatigue on longrange bomber escort missions. North american p82b twin mustang us army air forces 19411947 465168 pq 168 betty jo lt. Instead, it was an entirely new design that was built for the usaaf at the time to provide a longrange fighter for bomber escort during world war 2. Whats weird though, is that this paint scheme is what was used for a lot of f82s in korea, like this one. Lockheeds magnificent p38 lightning was one of the most recognizable fighter planes in world war ii. These figures may not reflect real life driving results, which will depend upon a. The f82 twin mustang came about to meet the need for a very long range escort fighter with performance on par with current single seats designs.
I wish i had an f82 so i could send charity johnson to meet jesus, frigging nut case idiot. Generally an aircraft of that vintage would have chromate green gear wells, but in the 50s it was common to see silver gear wells. There is also a fairly recent history by noted mustang writer, david mcclarren. Original p51 fighters held three such machine guns to the leading edges of each wing. The first twin mustangs began to reach the squadrons during 1948. It is about congressman michael turners bill amendment which. Few twinengine fighters during that period were agile enough to survive for long in combat, but the lightning fought successfully in all fronts, and its high speed, long range and heavy firepower proved to be especially lethal against japanese forces in the pacific. It appears to be two mustang fuselages on one wing, but in reality it was a totally new design.
As one of the most unusual fighterescort aircraft ever deployed by the u. It was found that allisonpowered p82 models demonstrated a lower top speed and poorer highaltitude performance. Mustang still holds the record for the longest flight made by a propellerdriven fighter at. We are restoring an extremely rare warbirdthe twin mustang xp82. North american xp82 twin mustang 4483887 on a test flight over the sierras in 1945. This is my guide to flying the f82 twin mustang, one of the most overlooked and underappreciated plane in the game. North american f82 twin mustang the f82 was the last propellerdriven fighter acquired in quantity by the usaf. The north american f82 twin mustang was the last american pistonengine fighter ordered into production by the united states air force.
1519 609 1190 473 46 305 889 300 78 993 223 1462 483 1030 1257 506 225 307 691 1239 780 1125 1173 9 448 112 983 1196 1495 192 302 1377 223 329 455 26 168 765 274 803 1246 1437 5 1350 1462 975 533 221 1122