Sargent Andrew Adamchik, armorer of the 14th US-Air Force, standing on the the wing of a Mustang fighter plane, on the lookout for returning squadrons. 1943

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1287837663378758&set=a.637760145053183

from a 1943 P-51 flight manual, airbrushed by Reynold Brown

 https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1209991934497130&set=a.374686694694329

https://digitalcollections.museumofflight.org/nodes/view/2799

Reynold Brown (1917-1991) was a prolific American artist whose career embraced virtually every facet of the illustration field. 

His iconic mid-century movie posters are part of American pop-culture and have been rediscovered today by collectors. During his lifetime he drew newspaper comics (Tailspin Tommy), invented the concept of the cutaway drawing for North American Aviation, painted covers for some of the first paperback books ever published, illustrated scores of magazines and magazine covers, and most notably produced over 275 movie posters for the motion picture industry.

https://reynoldbrown.com/

Even if you haven't heard of his name, you know his work:

https://artofthemovies.co.uk/blogs/original-movie-posters/the-artists-reynold-brown

there's a digital collection of 1920-1945 military aircraft you might want to look through

it's got a lot to look through

it's been a long time since I posted about Jimmy Stewart's speed record setting P-51, but a new article about it brought up a thing about it, and aircraft, that I've never read about, cloud seeding. Astonishing that it won the '49 Bendix cup, and then, was used for iodide burning cloud seeding experiments to prevent hail damage to crops

air racer Joe De Bona, who along with Stewart and famed woman pilot Jacqueline “Jackie” Cochrane, had shared ownership of the craft, had flown it in the September 1949 Bendix 2,008-mile trophy race to a win, averaging 470 mph. Cochrane also flew competitions and set international and national speed records with it.

On Sept. 1, 1954, Stewart sold the plane to De Bona. And on June 23, 1955, that aircraft was being flown by a former World War II pilot, smashed into Duncan’s family pasture because the pilot wanted to avoid crash landing on one wheel at an airport, he didn’t want to risk firefighter’s lives or his own by trying land it... and decided to fly up side down long enough to jump out and get clear before the plane nose dived into the farmer's field. 

farmers and ranchers in eastern Goshen County and their state representative and senator were asking for the hail suppression flights in 1955, the Casper Tribune-Herald reported on March 2, 1955.

Jim Duncan recalls the plane as it was his ranching grandfather and dad along with other area farmers and ranchers had recruited James Cook as part of a test of whether silver iodide could help prevent the loss of sugar beets, dry beans, corn and alfalfa due to hail each year, through the experimental and controversial use of an airplane burning silver iodide to seed thunderhead clouds and stop hailstorms in eastern Wyoming and western Nebraska in 1955

Duncan said Cook would fly into thunderclouds and seed them with the silver iodide with the purpose of producing rain and not hail.

State Engineer L.C. Bishop said the Nebraska group had signed a contract with area farmers to seed clouds in the Wheatland-Guernsey area to reduce crop damaging hail, on the ground, farmers and ranchers fired up their propane-fueled silver iodide burners to seed clouds from the below as well.

Interestingly, there was controversy, as cloud seeding gave other farmers a scapegoat to blame for a drought: The Casper Tribune-Herald reported on Aug. 23, 1954, that the Wyoming Weather Modification Board ordered the Valley Hail Suppression Association of Morrill, Nebraska, to stop cloud seeding after 228 Wyoming farmers protested that the efforts had led to southeastern Wyoming’s drought that year.

https://cowboystatedaily.com/2025/08/16/jimmy-stewarts-legendary-p-51-was-banned-in-wyoming-and-crashed-in-nebraska/

A 101-year-old World War II veteran has returned to the skies in the same P-51 Mustang aircraft he piloted during combat. It's very likely the last time that will ever happen

Joe Peterburs brought this historic moment to the ACV Airport in McKinleyville, Humboldt County, on Friday. 

 Pereburs enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Forces in 1942 and was called to active duty in 1943, earning his pilot wings and 2nd Lieutenant commission in April of 1944. At just 19 years old, he was assigned to the 55th Squadron, 20th Fighter Group at RAF Kings Cliffe, England, where he flew P-51s and completed 49 combat missions during World War II.

https://krcrtv.com/news/local/101-year-old-wwii-veteran-returns-to-the-skies-in-the-same-plane-he-flew-during-combat

https://www.militarytimes.com/veterans/military-history/2025/08/15/100-year-old-wwii-veteran-soars-once-again-in-p-51-mustang/

Two P-51 Mustangs approached the southern end of Runway 18/36 at AirVenture Oshkosh for what appeared to be a formation landing when the propeller of one Mustang caught the tail of the other, flipping it onto its nose.

  The P-51A in the rear collided with the P-51D in front and flipped over in the process.

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=122236985570175349&set=a.122127544616175349

this is on some enormous building near Gillespie Field, a municipal airport in El Cajon

 

Space Patrol lead actor Ed Kemmer's 1950s series spawned more than 1000 episodes and introduced a generation of Saturday morning TV viewers (and often their parents) to the wonders of science fiction.

The show also inspired a NASA engineer who when meeting Kemmer, told him that the show had ignited his passion for space.

Kemmer was a war hero having served as a P 51 Mustang pilot, and was shot down on his 47th mission, in June of 1944, just a few days after D-Day, and was imprisoned at Stalag Luft 3 and spent 11 months as a POW. He briefly escaped from the camp for two weeks before being recaptured when rhe Russians got close in January, 1945 and they were marched out to a camp near Nuremberg. 

A few weeks later General Patton got too close and they were marched out again and headed for Moosberg. He escaped on that march hoping to reach Switzerland .... Two weeks later he was recaptured and sent to the camp at Moosberg. Only there a few days .... Liberated by Patton's tanks on April 29th.

The camp was the same one from which a breakout occurred that was the inspiration for the Steve McQueen film The Great Escape (1963)

After Space Patrol, Kemmer was a guest star in various prime-time television series, including the classic Twilight Zone episode "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet", in which former space hero Kemmer co-starred with future space hero William Shatner.

He also had roles in episodes of  Perry Mason, Maverick, Gunsmoke, Rawhide, All My Children, and As the World Turns and acted out the role of "Prince Phillip" in live action footage that was given to the animators to study for Disney's Sleeping Beauty (1959).

https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/space-patrol-75-year-anniversary
http://www.solarguard.com/edkintro.htm
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/9903900/ed-kemmer

The engine and clutch of a surplus P-51with a Packard-built Merlin, had been manufactured under license in the U.S.A. in 1944, yet Rolls still stood behind them with an unlimited warranty in 1963

In 1963, Bill Lear (of Learjet fame) was living in Geneva, Switzerland and flying a surplus P-51, N-251L . 

After numerous problems with the starter clutch on his Packard-built Merlin, he contacted Rolls-Royce. They instructed Lear to send them the clutch, which was quickly repaired and returned. Lear wrote: “I called my benefactor to thank him and to ask him when to expect an invoice. His reply was: ‘My dear Mr. Lear, Rolls-Royce-designed products do not fail. They may require occasional adjustment, but this is covered by our unlimited warranty. So there is no charge, sir.’

https://forums.sassnet.com/index.php?/topic/379518-standing-behind-their-products/

I have heard a similar story about Rolls Royce, it involved a driveshaft on a RR automobile. RR was contacted about spares to fix it, they sent a shipping voucher for the part to be sent to them. the part was promptly repaired and returned but no bill. The car owner re-contacted RR wishing to pay for services rendered and was informed there was no charge because "Rolls Royce products don't break".

https://forums.sassnet.com/index.php?/topic/379518-standing-behind-their-products/

Bill Lear mentioned that at the tender age of 18 he was the youngest P-38 pilot. 

It turns out that Lear, just four days before his 18th birthday, with a check in hand from his famous father, he bought a P-38 and flew it out the same day from Kingman, Ariz. Not a war weary bird or an ex-trainer, but a brand new P-38L-F5G with only 18 hours, 20 minutes total time on its airframe and engines.

He was someone who actually bought a World War II fighter for $1,250.

https://generalaviationnews.com/2007/01/19/bill-lear-and-surplus-wwii-aircraft-whats-the-connection/

Bill sold the P51 the same year, after getting the repair, and the American buyer hired a French pilot to ferry the aircraft back to the U.S.. 

This pilot had never flown a P-51 before. His first landing was at Kevlavik, Iceland after a non-stop flight from Paris Toussus-le-Noble airport. The pilot flared too high and while at low airspeed. 

The aircraft rotated leftward, the wing struck the runway and the aircraft began to cartwheel down the runway. The engine broke off as did both wings and the aft fuselage leaving the cockpit section intact and on its side.

 The pilot was alive but his head got pretty busted up. He later died of these injuries. He had worn no crash helmet and the shoulder-harness was found tied in a knot and dropped behind his seat. This was a survivable accident

https://warbirdinformationexchange.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=11851

Since I put the 1st and 2nd stories together, and now find them on Daily Timewaster, I guess that means that DT reads my blog? Or someone send him links to things they figure he will like https://dailytimewaster.blogspot.com/2025/03/thats-customer-service.html

Jimmy Stewart's P51, has turned up at the Dakota Territory Air Museum

https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2016/09/jimmy-stewart-i-dont-know-whats-going.html

https://www.minotdailynews.com/news/local-news/2024/09/p-51-mustang-known-for-records-famous-owners/

I love that Flying Tigers sharks tooth grin

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=157742383601304&set=pb.100080966302726.-2207520000

Machine Gun Test Bench for P-51 D Mustang

https://www.vintageleatherjackets.org/threads/random-cool-photo-thread.26448/post-313786

one of the first 332nd fighter group pilots to fly a P-51D painted a nude pin up on both sides of the plane... the front on the port, the rear on the starboard

https://www.vintageleatherjackets.org/threads/random-cool-photo-thread.26448/post-332600

Ice cream time, Los Angeles, Mines Field, 1943. ... dang it, it's universal, happens everywhere that an ice cream truck driver can get to! Thank you John S!

Notice one has a three-bladed propeller, the other a 4 blade

https://thejivebombers.com/2024/05/14/the-war-can-wait/

P-51s of the 325th FG being serviced at Mondolfo airfield, in March 1945.

 https://www.facebook.com/worldwarincolor/photos/pb.100064576096574.-2207520000/4992602057536213/?type=3

Bob Hope! and a P-40F Warhawk 325th

https://www.tumblr.com/aviationgeek71/738720100490805248?source=share

Mortimer Snerd was the secondary ventriloquist dummy of Edgar Bergen, and was created in 1938,

Miss Ava

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10227550362536254&set=pcb.10160976068189031

I didn't know they used nitrous to get the Reno racing planes faster, or sprayed the radiators to cool them down better, thank you George!

https://generalaviationnews.com/2023/10/16/vintage-bardahl-special-has-some-new-tricks/

Also, using Allison con rods, in the Merlin engine, 

a supercharger designed for the later F-82 Twin Mustang with re-sculpted supercharger blades for superior performance

The engine is mounted with its angle of incidence up about one degree over that of a production Mustang, another calculated performance booster.

The heat exchanger in this Mustang is also a later design, from a P-51H Mustang.

Uses 160 octane gas

the P51 that won the 1949 Bendix race has completed it's restoration, and went for it's test flight (nice video) from the Dakota Territory Air Museum

https://warbirdsnews.com/warbird-restorations/thunderbird-flies-historic-p-51-air-racer-takes-to-the-skies.html

there was a good reason music is down the side of this, and on the wing tips, but I didn't know what it was... Steve did! The Mustang owner's wife loved Artie Shaw's rendition of Beguine, and insisted the airplane be named Beguine with a musical score painted on the fuselage and radiator pods

It's probably the sheet music for the song "Begin The Beguine" 

 https://www.flickr.com/photos/sdasmarchives/14304516471/in/album-72177720306336448