North American P-51 Mustang
The Escort
“The fighter that went all the way with the bombers.”
North American Aviation · military
The Mustang became legend when a Rolls-Royce Merlin replaced its original Allison engine, transforming it into the long-range escort that could take bombers deep into Germany and back. Mustang pilots claimed nearly 5,000 enemy aircraft destroyed in WWII. Hundreds still fly today as warbirds and racers — more than any other WWII fighter.
The last military Mustangs weren't retired until 1984, when the Dominican Republic stood down the world's final ones — 44 years after the type's first flight.
Bubble canopy, square-cut wingtips, and the deep chin scoop under the belly — the radiator duct that helped make the Mustang fast. Most survivors wear polished bare metal.
One might be overhead right now.
Bogey turns the The Escort from a dot in the sky into a card in your logbook.
