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This is the P-51D Mustang flown by a young Chuck Yeager during WWII. He was part of the 363rd Fighter Squadron of the 357 Fighter Group, Eighth Air Force. By the time he was done, he had shot down 13 German fighters. He had also been shot down himself, but with the help of the French Resistance, he eluded capture, and was able to resume the war. His P-51D Mustang was nicknamed Glamourous Glenn III, presumably named after his wife, Glennis Faye.
Of course, Chuck Yeager went on to achieve legendary fame for being the first person to break the sound barrier, which he did at a speed of Mach 1.07 or 670mph. During the next two years, he flew the X-1 33 times, reaching a maximum speed of 957 mph. He was the first and only American to make a ground takeoff in a rocket-powered X-Plane. In 1953 he flew the Bell X-1A 1,650 mph or Mach 2.44, a record that still stands for straight-winged aircraft. By the time he retired, he had flown over 201 types of military aircraft and logged more than 14,000 flying hours, with more than 13,000 of these in fighter aircraft.
Realism is the objective with this model, as if offers fully functioning landing gear, flaps, rudder, ailerons, radiator exhaust and bypass doors. The canopy slides, the wing gun access doors open, and the engine cowling is removable to display the highly detailed engine, a hallmark of GMP. Each model comes with a special collectors book entitled “Mustang Aces of the Eighth Air Force. The model is a limited edition of only 1,500 pieces.
(05/30/2004)
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