Page 10 - Luke AFB Thunderbolt 7-31-15
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July 31, 2015 NEWS Thunderbolt
http://www.luke.af.mil
10 www.aerotechnews.com/lukeafb
This week in history
1945: P-51 Transition Training
Luke Field instructors began to teach a ous versions flew photo-reconnaissance, Chinese pilots, Class 1215. Their course Courtesy photo
transition course in the North American P observation and ground attack missions. was in P-51 operational training unit in-
51 Mustang 70 years ago this month when struction. All told 61 students graduated F-), most did. The 54th Fighter Group only
13 of the aircraft arrived at Luke Field. In the fall of 1942, engineers experi- from Luke Field in the aircraft during that ÁHZWKH3GXULQJ:RUOG:DU,,2WKHUV
In the following months, instructor pilots mented with putting the Rolls-Royce period. ÁHZ WKH DLUFUDIW GXULQJ DQG DIWHU :RUOG
taught various P-51courses. Merlin engine in the P-51. The results War II. Those included the 56th Training
were staggering. At altitude, the aircraft When the base reopened during the 6TXDGURQWKHWKDQGWKHWKÀJKWHU
Five years earlier, the British asked was 100 mph faster than the Mk 1. With Korean War, the renamed F-51 was here. squadrons. After the war, the 56th Fighter
North American Aviation to manufacture WKH5ROOV5R\FH0HUOLQHQJLQHWKHÀJKWHU Between 1951 and 1953, Luke AFB gradu- Wing, 56th Operations Group, and the 61st,
&XUWLVV3:DUKDZNÀJKWHUDLUFUDIWIRU became a match for its German counter- ated 624 students in the aircraft. QGDQGUGÀJKWHUVTXDGURQVDOOÁHZ
the Royal Air Force. North American coun- parts. The re-engined P-51s were called B the P/F-51 as their primary aircraft.
tered the offer by saying it would design a and C models based on their manufactur- As for current and recent 56th Fighter
EHWWHUÀJKWHU ing plant locations. The two models were :LQJRUJDQL]DWLRQVWKDWÁHZWKH3ODWHU Courtesy of Rick Griset
nearly identical with the B model built in WK)LJKWHU:LQJ+LVWRU\2I¿FH
About six weeks before the Battle of Brit- Inglewood, California, and the C model in
ain began, the British signed the contract. Dallas, Texas.
Just 102 days later, North American rolled
RXWWKHÀUVWDLUFUDIWFDOOHGWKH1$;)LYH Later, the D model came with the “bubble-
ZHHNV ODWHU LQ 2FWREHU WKDW ÀJKWHU top” canopy. It had several other upgrades
ÁHZIRUWKHÀUVWWLPH including two more .50-cal machine guns for
a total of six. By the time production ended
The next year production began. The in 1946, North American built more than
%ULWLVKFDOOHGWKHQHZÀJKWHUWKH0XVWDQJ 15,500 P-51s.
Mk 1. The Allison V-1710-39 engine pow-
HUHGWKHQHZÀJKWHU+RZHYHUWKHDLUFUDIW With Japan’s surrender, the Army Air
lacked the power to keep up with the Luft- Force’s U.S. P-51 training program at Luke
ZDIIH·VWRSÀJKWHUV Field ended on Aug. 14, 1945. As combat
units returned to the United States, Luke
In the summer of 1941, the Army Air Field’s inventory of P-51s grew. By the end
Force obtained two Mustang Is designated of the year, there were 106 P-51s on base.
DV;3'XULQJÁLJKWWHVWLQJWKH$UP\ The last P-51 class at Luke was a group of
Air Force was not overly impressed. Vari-
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