FP_2015_05_

IN THE LOGBOOKIN THE LOGBOOK

May 2015FLYPAST 27

C

lear prop! The starter

whines and the giant four-

blade prop slowly begins

to revolve. A couple of cylinders

catch, stumble and fire again. The

mighty Merlin roars into life and

the prop dissolves into a shining,

shimmering blur as smoke

streams down the fuselage.

The RPM and my BPM rise

together. As you might expect

when flying a machine like the

Mustang, fuel and adrenaline

flow are all closely related – and

increase exponentially whenever

the throttle is opened. Coolant

and cockpit temperatures can also

be an issue!

Having greatly enjoyed flying

the Collings Foundation’s B-17

Fortress, B-24 Liberator and

B-25 Mitchell, I was thrilled to be

offered the chance to fly one of its

famous fighters, the P-51. Not just

any Mustang but the ultra-rare

TP-51C Betty Jane (see the panel

on page 28).

I’d had a brief flight in this

aircraft several years ago, but

this time Jim Harley, the Collings

Wings of Freedom Tour’s Chief

Pilot, had indicated that I could do

a lot more flying, although it would

still be from the back seat. Jim

knows I can fly, and that I have

a lot of tailwheel time, some T-6

Texan experience and even a

couple of Spitfire and Mustang

flights under my belt. Despite the

fact he averages more than 300

hours a year in Betty Jane, and is

very comfortable with Mustangs,

I just don’t have enough warbird

time to fly from the front.

“The mighty Merlin roars into life and the prop dissolves into a shining,

shimmering blur as smoke streams down the fuselage”

26-31_Mustang_fpSBB.indd 27 13/03/2015 11:18