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The P-51 was one of the most important fighter aircrafts of WWII. The design of the aircraft started in 1940 when the British asked North American Aviation if they could build fighters under license for the RAF. NAA would rather design its own aircraft. The prototype Mustang was rolled out after an amazing 120 days. The aircraft was at first powered by the American Allison V-1710 engine. This engine lacked high-altitude performance. Consequently, it was decided to install the famous Rolls Royce Merlin V-1650 engine. This combination made the Mustang a superior fighter and represented a major step forward in fighter technology. In spite of its British origin, the aircraft was to play its most important role with the U.S. Army Air Force as a long-range escort fighter. It was put into service with the 8th Air Force in England in late 1943. It provided a very important step forward in the campaign against Germany by being able to escort the daylight bombers deep into the Third Reich, a mission no other fighter could fulfill. The aircraft also saw extensive service after WWII and Korea. In some Latin American countries, it was in service well into the 1980's. A total of 15,367 Mustangs were built. Of these, 7,956 were D-models.
The Scandinavian Historic Flight P-51D, N-167F, is painted as "Old Crow", the aircraft of one of the 8th AF aces, Col. Clarence E. "Bud" Anderson of the 357Th Fighter Group, 363rd Fighter Squadron, who recorded 16% kills in the aircraft. The aircraft was built in 1944, but never saw action in WWII. It was flown by the Royal Canadian Air Force before going through several civilian owners. It was acquired by SHF in 1980 and restored by Vintage Aircraft Ltd., Fort Collins, Colorado. In 1986 it was flown by Anders Saether across the Atlantic to Norway. Since then, it has been a steady performer on the European airshow circuit. It took part in the 1989 movie production "Memphis Belle". The main base is Oslo, but the aircraft is often deployed around Europe for airshow work.
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