Building the P-51 Mustang: The Story of Manufacturing North American's Legendary World War II Fighter in Original Photos - Hardcover

O'Leary, Michael

4.5

10 ratings by Goodreads

9781580071529: Building the P-51 Mustang: The Story of Manufacturing North American's Legendary World War II Fighter in Original Photos

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 158007152X ISBN 13: 9781580071529

Publisher: Specialty Pr Pub & Wholesalers, 2010

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The P-51 Mustang holds a fascination unlike any other World War II aircraft, and countless books have been written about nearly every aspect of the Mustang's colorful history. However, the story of manufacturing the airplane itself is usually contained only in the opening chapters of these books. Now, for the first time, here is a major work devoted strictly to telling the story of how this legendary airplane was designed and built using rare original factory photographs, documents, and unique engineering information. The author uses more than 300 original photos culled from his personal archive of official North American and USAAF images, many of which have never before been seen in any publication whatsoever. This book will provide a vital “missing link” in the saga of this famed World War II aircraft, and is sure to become a valued addition to the libraries of P-51 modelers, historians, enthusiasts, and pilots in both the United States and England.

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Review:

The majority of books dealing with the Mustang concentrate on its operational service and maybe a chapter covering its development, so it is interesting to get the whole story of how it came about, with all the problems that occur with new aircraft.
The book takes you through the manufacture of all the variants including the late experimental aircraft such as the P-51J and H. This is a publication for the Mustang addicts; you will find engine specifications of all variants, performance figures and construction details.
The photographic content is very high. Because they were all taken at the factory level, or in non-combat situations they are of very high quality. As well as satisfying the aviation enthusiast, a large number of them will be of use to the modeller because they were taken at various stages of the construction. Some of the detail would be difficult to record with a fully assembled machine - for instance some of the cockpit shots were taken before all the equipment was installed and one particular shot with the rear quarter panels removed, showing in detail just what is behind the seat.
This is a very high quality product that deserves your attention when browsing the shelves of your specialist bookstore.
-- Ernie Lee, Military Aircraft Monthly - Jan 2011

As the title may suggest, this new book takes a detailed look at the production of the P-51, from the prototype right through to the P-5IH. The majority of the title is photographic, and what photos! Most are official images taken by North American and the quality and clarity is amazing. Every element of the construction of the Mustang from the early P-51 is covered, and this includes operational equipment such as the camera equipment used by the photo-recce versions. There are lots of clear interior images, as well as shots of sub-assembles and in-flight aircraft.

Verdict: A superb title that is ideal for the modeller. We can't accurately express just howgood the images are in this title, they really have to be seen to be believed. We have no hesitation in recommending it to all Mustang fans. --Model Airplane International - March 2011

IF YOU'RE A FAN of the Mustang (and who isn't?) you'll love this. Sub-titled `The Story of Manufacturing North American's Legendary Word War II Fighter in Original Photos', this landscape format book is much more than just that, although the photographs are a highlight.
There is a comprehensive and informative text accompanying the more than 350 beautiful black and white images from the archives of North American Aviation and the USAAF. Many of them have never been published before.
The basis of the book is the design, manufacturing, engineering and development aspects of the Mustang story from the NA-73X prototype through the Allison and Merlin powered versions to the `lightweight' P-51F/G/H/J models. It's an interesting story well told and presents a different angle to the Mustang's tale, concentrating on the evolution of the aircraft itself and its industrial history. The main text is supported by numerous `breakout' stories covering specific aspects such as costings, key people profiles, tactical deployment, testing, experiments, powerplants and so on.
My only very minor whinge relates to text flow in that many of these breakouts take up several pages, meaning the main text is interrupted (usually mid-sentence) and resumes a number of pages later. You often have to search for it, which disturbs the rhythm of reading, but this is at worst an irritation, not a major drama!
The Australian-built CAC Mustang rates only a brief mention and then relating to supposed confusion about the first batch of airframes supplied to CAC for local assembly. Apparently some think that a few of these were P-51B/Cs modified to P-51D standards with the bubble canopy. This is something I had not heard of before and the author basically dismisses it - a quick check of serial and constructor's numbers settles the issue. Very strange! I found this book very difficult to put down once I started reading it, which is a recommendation in itself. And I learnt a lot from it, which is arguably the best recommendation of all.
The bottom line? If you're into Mustangs, get this book!
--Aero Australia Magazine

Renowned warbird photographer Michael O'Leary has teamed up with Specialty Press to
produce an outstanding insight into the famous P-51 Mustang. Although the type has no shortage of coverage, there has been little that has dedicated itself solely to the design and manufacture of this war winning fighter -until now! The author takes an in-depth look at the men behind the masterpiece, performance data and costing. The Allison powered P-51s are thoroughly investigated, from engine detailing, through to tactical suitability and testing. There is even a look at how the aircraft were painted and crated for shipment -you want detail-you got it! The more numerous and highly successful Merlin P-51s come in for the same treatment with flight characteristics exposed and little known variations of weaponry and equipment described, such as the bazooka Mustang and the fitting of a rocket motor to try and catch the German jets. There are performance comparisons with contemporary US fighters and the Japanese Zeke detailed, a look at a couple of Mustang mysteries and finally the training (TF) aircraft, the light weight prototypes and the P51H. For all the fascination that these subjects produce it is the incredible photographic coverage that this book will be remembered for - over 300 quality images from the author's personal archive, the USAAF and rare factory photographs, the latter just outstanding in clarity and detail. There is something here for everyone, and that includes anyone with an already extensive P-51 library. Whether you are an historian, enthusiast, modeler or pilot, this book is well worth investing in.
--Classic Wings - Issue 80

About the Author:

Author and photographer Michael O'Leary is well known in the field of aviation journalism, having served for more than 20 years as editor of Air Classics and Warbirds International magazines.

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