FP_2015_05_

May 2015FLYPAST 29

surfaces are fitted with pilot-

operated trim-tabs.

The heart of the Mustang is one

of the finest – and most famous

• piston engines ever made; the
  Rolls-Royce Merlin V-12. Built
  under licence by Packard, this
  particular version is a V-1650-
  7, and produces up to 1,595hp
  (1,189kW) at 3,000rpm. Although
  the original Mustang was powered
  by a 1,150hp Allison V-12, it was
  only when it was fitted with a
  Merlin that the aircraft became
  one of the best fighters of World
  War Two. It is fed from four wing
  tanks, two in each wing, with a
  combined capacity of 180 gallons
  (681 litres).

Strap in

It’s a bit of climb up to the

cockpit, using several well-

located handholds and ‘kick-in’

steps. Although I wasn’t going

to fly it from the front cockpit, I

couldn’t resist having a quick sit

in it.

The layout of the controls and

instruments isn’t brilliant, but

by the standards of the time, not

bad either. The stick and throttle

both fall nicely to hand, while

the rudder pedals adjust over a

good range. The prop and mixture

controls are mounted adjacent to

the throttle, with the trim wheels,

flap and undercarriage levers

underneath.

Securely strapped into the rear

seat and my parachute, I begin

to study my surroundings more

closely and immediately realise

that although the canopy is still

open, I can already see (or rather

not see) that the field of view

from the back seat is certainly

compromised.

Somewhat surprisingly, the

instrument panel is quite badly

laid out. Indeed, the location of

the primary flying instruments

is far from being the standard

‘six-pack’, as the Directional

Gyro (DG) is where the airspeed

indicator (ASI) should be, the

ASI sits in the normal DG spot,

and the compass is where you’d

expect to find the turn and slip

indicator. The altimeter is of the

modern single pointer/counter

drum type, and, of course, all the

avionics are digital and include

dual GPS.

There are also quite a few

warning and status lights

scattered around the panel,

with the critical ones (coolant

temperature, oil pressure and

temperature and fuel pressure)

mounted in a neat column

outboard of the manifold

pressure gauge and tachometer.

A row of orange lights show

which fuel tank is selected.

Apart from the somewhat

unusual arrangement of the

flight instruments and zero view

forwards, I soon begin to feel

quite comfortable in the cockpit.

As with some of the other North

American types that I’ve flown –

such as the T-6 and T-28 Trojan,

although at first glance it looks

a bit cluttered, closer inspection

reveals that it is reasonably

well-designed, with the various

systems and sub-systems all laid

out logically.

Before start-up, the canopy is

closed, but unlike the elegant

one-piece ‘bubble’ of the

IN THE LOGBOOK

When the Mustang is on the ground in the

‘three-point’ attitude the long cowling

means the view forwards is practically non-

existent, so ‘S-turning’ is essential.

26-31_Mustang_fpSBB.indd 29 13/03/2015 11:18