Mustang ride

AcroBoy

AcroBoy

Line Up and Wait
Joined
Jul 18, 2008
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Jim N
It was a nice evening, and as I headed toward the airport got a call from a buddy asking if I wanted to go for a ride in his P-51 Mustang. I was planning on going for a run, as I was just recovering from some leg surgery, but said sure.

I had ridden with him before and in other Mustangs a number of times, and to me, they're all airplanes, just different, so I'm a bit jaded. Besides, I have around 75 hours in the pit of an F-16, and my main airplane is an Extra 300, so high performance and pulling G's are nothing new.

However, the sound of the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine firing up and idling, and taking off with the canopy open was still truly impressive. Flying in a Mustang certainly gets attention taxiing by and taking off!

We did a bunch of acro, barrel rolls, loops, etc, and the power and torque of the Mustang were impressive to say the least. With new Bose headsets it is loud, and without, painfully so, but the sound of the Merlin engine was just so unique- it is just different from any air cooled flat or round engine.

We taxied back and put the plane back in the hangar- and reflecting back on it, the Mustang ride was a truly unique experience. There are only a few of these left in the world, and this particular one is one of the very few that also saw combat in World War II.

They are also not for the budget minded- a main wheel tire costs $700 (each), and it burns around 50gal/hr as I recall. TBO is 500hrs, and an overhaul is around 200k (these are rough figures, but close).

However, how many people can say they've ridden in a piece of history? It was truly an amazing flight, and if you ever get an offer to go for a ride, be the first to jump up and take advantage of the opportunity!
 
AcroBoy said:
However, the sound of the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine firing up and idling, and taking off with the canopy open was still truly impressive. Flying in a Mustang certainly gets attention taxiing by and taking off!
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I compared the takeoff run without headphones........as 12 shotguns firing in the proper sequence. I sure liked it, though!

L.Adamson
 
L.Adamson said:
I compared the takeoff run without headphones........as 12 shotguns firing in the proper sequence. I sure liked it, though!

L.Adamson
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With the canopy cracked and at take off power it was loud, even with the Bose headsets, no doubt about it. It's not from the prop either, like in a T-6, but all from the engine and those stubby exhausts just a few feet in front. Probably should have considered using plugs as well as the noise cancelling headsets. Still, and awesome sound.
 
AcroBoy said:
It was a nice evening, and as I headed toward the airport got a call from a buddy asking if I wanted to go for a ride in his P-51 Mustang.

...

I had ridden with him before and in other Mustangs a number of times, and to me, they're all airplanes, just different, so I'm a bit jaded.

...

However, how many people can say they've ridden in a piece of history? It was truly an amazing flight, and if you ever get an offer to go for a ride, be the first to jump up and take advantage of the opportunity!
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Dear AcroBoy,

You suck.

Love,

PoA.

P.S. Almost every small production aircraft model out there today is a "piece of history". They're not made anymore. Mine is an exception, and there are a bare few others, but think about that for a minute. It's not a happy thought. Technically the only thing mine shares with the current production model is the wing and fuselage, and some other stuff, but my exact model witha Continental engine will never be produced ever again either. How many people here fly an airplane that *isn't* a true "piece of history"?
 
You are correct: there probably aren't too many 182's left that flew combat in WWII.
 
I've got something like 15 hours in a B25. Bout two of those stick time :D

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Geez, acrobat...you are sooooo cool. 75 hours in the "pit" of an F16. Wow. Do all the really cool guys say "pit"?
 
I apologize if it came off trying to sound too cool, but pit is pretty much what it's called, although I suppose back seat is more appropriate. Actually, I think anything with round engines would be fun, although not so much paying for the gas.
 
And nothing at all against 182's and Skylanes, which I think are great planes, maybe one of the best all around fixed gear singles out there, especially with the 470.
 
AcroBoy said:
I apologize if it came off trying to sound too cool, but pit is pretty much what it's called, although I suppose back seat is more appropriate. Actually, I think anything with round engines would be fun, although not so much paying for the gas.
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No need to apologize. You told a story about your experience in a great aircraft. I think Ed Shipley of the Horsemen said it's like taking a National Monument for a spin. My brother owns a classic C-150 but when I fly in it somehow it doesn't feel very historic. Who knows what the world would look like today without the Mustang and the Spitfire. In the sense of making a difference in the course of the world they are the epitome of what historic is. I'd love to fly a Mustang for free but unfortunately it looks like I'll have to take the Stallion 51 route. :wink2:
 
There are few airplanes that look as cool as a Mustang even sitting on a ramp, and it is remarkably big. I think the one in Kissimee has dual controls, which is nice, but I would shudder to see what the hourly rate is to go for a ride.

Although it was offered as a ride, I did put some gas in it when we were done, since I really appreciated the opportunity, and consider myself very fortunate to have had such a variety of flying experiences, much of it a matter of being in the right place and time.
 
AcroBoy said:
And nothing at all against 182's and Skylanes, which I think are great planes, maybe one of the best all around fixed gear singles out there, especially with the 470.
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No worries. Skylane doesn't hold a candle to a P-51. We are all just jealous. ;)
 
I live in Kissimmee and visit Stallion 51 often as I am saving up for a hour flight in the P-51. Currently the going rate for a hour in a P-51 is $3250/hr. They have an L39 that they generally use for Unusual Attitude training that I really desire to fly that goes for the same rate.

My main airport is KISM, so I fly around these guys all the time. It is quite magnificent to hold short while P-51s take off around you.
 
Are you a photographer? 75 hrs in the trunk of a Viper sounds like a pretty random amount of time for anyone other than that. Anyway, point being.....if so, where are the pics of the Mustang??! :)
 
35 AoA said:
Are you a photographer? 75 hrs in the trunk of a Viper sounds like a pretty random amount of time for anyone other than that. Anyway, point being.....if so, where are the pics of the Mustang??! :)
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Flight surgeon, Air Force. No photos, it was a random opportunity, but have many from prior opportunities.
 
I figured running the Mustang was around the same cost as a PC 12 or a King Air B 200 on an hourly rate.
 
BillyBH said:
Geez, acrobat...you are sooooo cool. 75 hours in the "pit" of an F16. Wow. Do all the really cool guys say "pit"?
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What? Does this imply that anyone who has paid their dues by defending their nation must be careful when they talk of their life's events?

What a great idea. We would never have to put up with their stories of daring and bravado, and instead read and hear stories about flying a C-172, or some other equally exciting civilian training plane.

Myself, I like the jargon of people who have done things we will never get to do. I sure would not want to stifle their stories in any way, even if they do come off as trying to be cool, which I do not believe the OP was at all.

So Billy, how about it? Tell us a story. Be careful to not use any jargon, don't want people to think your trying to be cool or anything like that.


-John
 
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I don' know about you guys but as a history enthusiast I believe the P-51 is much more historically significant then the Cessna 172. If you have an option to take a ride in an old 172 or a P-51 what would you choose?
 
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LJS1993 said:
I don' know about you guys but as a history enthusiast I believe the P-51 is much more historically significant then the Cessna 172. If you have an option to take a ride in an old 172 or a P-51 what would you choose?
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No question. I would want a ride in the best prop driven fighter the US ever built: F4U. :stirpot: :D
 
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