Two killed in P-51 crash

[MartG]

It's being reported that two people have been killed in the crash of a P-51 Mustang in Arizona

Originally it was thought that only the pilot was aboard but rescue workers have now found a second body in the wreckage

http://allthingsaero.com/general-aviation/warbirds...

[Eric Mc]

The pilot was the former CEO of Sikorsky, Jeff Pino.

[horza]

Two persons on board?

Sorry if I'm missing something obvious but how do you get 2 people inside a single seat Mustang?

RIP.

[FourWheelDrift]

horza said:

Two persons on board?

Sorry if I'm missing something obvious but how do you get 2 people inside a single seat Mustang?

RIP.

Many P-51s can carry 2, with a fitted seat behind the pilot where wartime systems were removed.

[Stu R]

horza said:

Two persons on board?

Sorry if I'm missing something obvious but how do you get 2 people inside a single seat Mustang?

RIP.

You don't. You get them in a 2-seater.

[Eric Mc]

Stu R said:

horza said:

Two persons on board?

Sorry if I'm missing something obvious but how do you get 2 people inside a single seat Mustang?

RIP.

You don't. You get them in a 2-seater.

Not quite. There were a very small number of genuine two seater P-51s built - and an additional small number converted in the field. In the 1980s it became common for owners of surviving single seat P-51s to take a small "dickie" seat to the rear. The only slight difference that can be seen (apart from two heads in the cockpit) is the fact that the blister canopy has been very slightly enlarged to give the person in teh rear a bit of headroom.

These aircraft are still technically single seater aircraft.

[aeropilot]

Eric Mc said:

In the 1980s it became common for owners of surviving single seat P-51s to take a small "dickie" seat to the rear. The only slight difference that can be seen (apart from two heads in the cockpit) is the fact that the blister canopy has been very slightly enlarged to give the person in teh rear a bit of headroom.

Not all 2nd seat 51's have a modded canopy blister, as it depends on how the dickie seat conversion has been done. Some are only transit flight dickie seats, for ground crew etc., and are mounted low enough to use the standard canopy, e.g like this.



For more extended use, and PAX rides etc., for better access/egress and less claustrophobic view out etc., as you rightly say there is a very slightly modded canopy made which I think this example has fitted.



And then there's the full on twin stick/dual cockpit TF-51 set up with the fully extended canopy design like this one

[Eric Mc]

Quite a variety of two seat mods then. Here's one of the original WW2 era twin seat P-51s -

Edited by Eric Mc on Monday 8th February 14:09

[Ginetta G15 Girl]

aeropilot said:

Not all 2nd seat 51's have a modded canopy blister, as it depends on how the dickie seat conversion has been done.

To be fair, your first two pictures merely serve to illustrate the difference between the Inglewood and Dallas canopies.

It's relatively simple to convert the P51 into a 2 seater - you merely take the fuselage fuel tank out and replace with a seat.

Indeed most of the two seaters were time expired P51B/C 'hacks' converteed in this way as Sqn runarounds.

In his book 'Mustang Pilot' Lt Col Richard E Turner describes a P51B converted so as to allow senior officers to recce the areas inland of the Normandy landings. Apparently the rear canopy was done up using Dzus fasteners so the passenger wouldn't have been able to get out in an emergency

[Eric Mc]

My favourite twin seat Mustang version -

[aeropilot]

Ginetta G15 Girl said:

To be fair, your first two pictures merely serve to illustrate the difference between the Inglewood and Dallas canopies.

Indeed, but I believe the K canopy is the more desirable option to fit if that more 'comfortable' non-mil fit 2nd seat config is done even if the a/c is 'originally' a D model....?

I was simply trying to convey the point that a bespoke custom canopy design isn't used for the various 2nd seat config., whether they are period style mil dickie seat fits, or a more post war civilianised 2nd seat fit, or the full on TF dual control, dual cockpit fit.

And that's only talking about the D/K models not the B/C models which are another matter entirely.