p51cmustang

I believe that this is a P-51B or C. The wing root can be seen in the photo, and it's not "kinked" enough to be a P-51K (or P-51 D). Also, even if you couldn't see the wing root, you'd probably not see a Hamilton Standard cuffed prop on a P-51K ... it came from the factory w/ an Aeroproducts propeller and it looks very different from this one. They did, in the field sometimes, retrofit the Hamilton Standard to the P-51K, but it required changing the governor, controls, etc. This was done because the Aeroproducts prop just seemed to defy balancing and this limited the speed of the aircraft - or so I'm told. I vote for a "typo" on this one. Great photo, though!

This is a P-51C of the 118th TRS, 23rd FG. (black lightning bolt markings).The revetment indicates that the photo was taken in Suichuan, China between November 1944 and January 1945 when the squadron had to evacuate the fighter base and return to their rear area at Chengkung, China.

Robert Bourlier Thank you for the comments!

Flown by Glenn Geyer. Tail number 586.

North American P-51C-10-NT Mustang 44-10947 "...SOC at Searcy Field, Stillwater, OK. Sold by War Assets Corp to Paul Mantz Feb 19, 1946 as NCX1202. Won 1946 and 1947 Bendix trophy races, placed second in 1948 Bendix trophy race. Registered as NC1202, placed 3rd in 1949 Bendix trophy race. Set coast to coast speed records in both directions in 1947. Purchased by Charles Blair and prepared for round the world record attempt as Excalibur III. Attempt pre-empted by Korean War. Set record New York-London time of 7 hr 48 min Jan 31, 1951, which still stands for piston-engined aircraft. First trans-polar flight from Norway to Fairbanks, AK May 29, 1951, winning Harmon Trophy. Now with Air and Space Museum as Excalibur III. Reported in 1990 as on display in Museum of Science and Industry, Los Angeles, CA" - J. Baugher