The Fighter Planes That Helped Win World War 2

Bicycling thirteen miles to help with restoration..Issue # 18

ifOnlyi…had more of an understanding and respect as to how privileged I was to have the opportunity to work on this historic P51 fighter, rather than be upset at only getting paid .75 cents per hour and having to bike 13 miles every Saturday & Sunday.

I had no driver’s license, as I was only 15, but I loved working. Every Saturday and Sunday, I would bike 13 miles round-trip to the airport hangar. Our family’s pilot, Dave, was breaking down a P-51 fighter plane piece by piece, bit by bit.

The first P-51s were built with the Allison V-1710 engine, which the British later supplied as the best engine in the world. In mid-1942, the Allison engine was replaced with a Rolls-Royce Merlin 65 two-stage intercooler supercharged engine. The engine dramatically improved the aircraft's performance at altitudes above 15,000 ft (4,600 m) without sacrificing range.

This is the fighter plane that helped win World War 2. It was a beautiful piece of engineering. Together with British and American craftsmanship, the P-51 Mustang became the first long range fighter to be able to compete with the Luftwaffe's fighters.

P51 Mustang Steve Nelson Photography

The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in April 1940 by a team headed by James H. Kindelberger of North American Aviation (NAA) in response to a requirement of the British Purchasing Commission.

The commission approached NAA to build Curtiss P-40 fighters under license for the Royal Air Force (RAF). Rather than build an old design from another company, NAA proposed the design and production of a more modern fighter. The prototype NA-73X airframe was completed on 9 September 1940, 102 days after contract signing, achieving its first flight on 26 October.

Read the full Wikipedia article here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_P-51_Mustang#Notable_appearances_in_media 

The owner of the P-51 Fighter pilot as well. Dave

Dave loved this plane so much that he wanted to refurbish it to its former glory. I was honored to have the pleasure of working on it, and I even got paid 75 cents an hour.

This is how much I got paid per hour!

My main job was to separate every signal nut and bolt as he piled them up. Next, they were put into hundreds of small boxes, marked and ready to be replaced or cleaned and put back on when the time was right.

Eventually, I got to work on what was called the Dog House.

I was always in the Doghouse with my parents, but this “Doghouse” was different. It was located right under the belly of the fighter plane, which made the P-51 look pregnant, LOL.

I understand it took over 15 years to strip down and completely rebuild the P-51. When completed, it was a stunning piece of art and flew like a dream.

My Mom was one of the lucky ones to get into the cockpit and take a flight that pulled a lot of G-forces. This bad boy flew at speeds over 400 miles per hour.

When my parents sold our twin-engine Beechcraft, Dave no longer worked for the family. He would indeed find his way back years later.

ifOnlyi…. short stories are published chronologically, and follow my life growing up in California from 4 years old. If you’ve just found me the stories will come together when you start reading from….Issue #1