The Thunder Mustang is a modern 0.75 scale replica of the
P-51 Mustang
The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in April 1940 by a team headed by James ...
. It has joined the ranks of the high-performance P-51 kits alongside the Titan Aircraft T-51, which has a welded steel airframe with a secondary monocoque aluminum shell, the all-aluminum
Stewart S-51D, and the full-scale, turbine-powered
Cameron P-51G
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The Cameron P-51G (originally Cameron Grand 51) is an American two-seat turboprop representation of the 1940s North American P-51 Mustang, designed and built by Cameron & Sons Aircraft of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho for sale as completed aircr ...
.
Design and development
The Thunder Mustang is currently in renewed production stages. Production ceased in the fall of 1999. The Thunder Builders Group LLC owned the assets required to manufacture the airplane in September 2010, when they sold the assets to Dean Holt of
Mount Vernon, Washington
Mount Vernon is the county seat of Skagit County, Washington, United States. The population was 35,219 at the 2020 census. It is one of two principal cities of and included in the Mount Vernon- Anacortes, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Ar ...
.
Dean is currently in the process of manufacturing all the necessary components for complete kit offerings, which will be available in late fall 2011.
Operational history
There were a total of 37 complete or partial kits produced, including the prototype. Of these 37, 27 were delivered as complete kits including the Falconer engine. Two have Walter turbines installed and presently flying.
Four Thunder Mustangs have competed at the Reno Air Races. John Parker has recorded lap speeds of more than 355 mph on the racecourse using the normally aspirated Falconer engine in his Thunder Mustang Blue Thunder II. Parker perished in a landing incident at Reno Stead on May 1, 2018. George Giboney posted lap speeds of 397 mph with his supercharged version of the Falconer engine during the 2010 races, with level flight top speed of more than 415 mph.
On January 4, 2020, a Thunder Mustang crashed in Santa Clarita, California, killing the pilot.
See also
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Stewart S-51D Mustang
The Stewart S-51D Mustang is an American aerobatic homebuilt aircraft that was designed by Jim Stewart and produced by Stewart 51 of Vero Beach, Florida, introduced in 1994. When it was available the aircraft was supplied as a kit for amateur ...
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FK-Lightplanes SW51 Mustang
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Titan T-51 Mustang
The Titan T-51 Mustang is a three-quarter scale replica of the P-51 Mustang that was designed by Titan Aircraft owner John Williams. It is a two-seat homebuilt aircraft with dual controls and tandem seats, and has remarkable performance give ...
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Jurca Gnatsum
The Jurca Gnatsum is a French homebuilt near scale replica aircraft based on the North American P-51 Mustang.
Design & Development
The Gnatsum (Mustang spelled backwards) is one of many wooden homebuilt designs from Romanian designer Marcel J ...
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W.A.R. P-51 Mustang
The W.A.R. P-51 Mustang is a 53% near-scale homebuilt replica of a North American P-51 Mustang fighter.Downey, Julia: ''1999 Plans Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 16, Number 1, January 1999, page 71. Primedia Publications. Purdy, Don: ...
*
Loehle 5151 Mustang
The Loehle 5151 Mustang is a 3/4 scale replica of the P-51 Mustang, designed by American designer Carl Loehle. Its plans are provided for amateur builders. The aircraft has a wooden fuselage with fabric covering.Vandermeullen, Richard: ''2011 Kit ...
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Cameron P-51G
__NOTOC__
The Cameron P-51G (originally Cameron Grand 51) is an American two-seat turboprop representation of the 1940s North American P-51 Mustang, designed and built by Cameron & Sons Aircraft of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho for sale as completed aircr ...
References
{{North American P-51 Mustang family
1990s United States sport aircraft
Homebuilt aircraft
Thunder Mustang
The Thunder Mustang is a modern 0.75 scale replica of the P-51 Mustang. It has joined the ranks of the high-performance P-51 kits alongside the Titan Aircraft T-51, which has a welded steel airframe with a secondary monocoque aluminum shell, the ...
Single-engined tractor aircraft
Low-wing aircraft
North American P-51 Mustang replicas