For years, many experimental aircraft builders have strived to re-create their favorite World War II fighters in miniature. For most, many hurdles had to be negotiated to get the right look, feel, sound and, of course, performance—all at the right cost of ownership. Until the advent of composite building techniques, forming all those compound curves of a fighter in metal just wasn’t within the means of your average builder. Then, getting the proper powerplant to look and sound like “the real thing” was next to impossible with the technology and funds at hand. Now with automotive/aviation V-8 conversions attaining a respectable degree of reliability, cost, and power coupled with these modern prepreg, composite techniques, the right combination has been reached. F.E.W.’s P-51D is a 67% scale version of the most famous fighter of World War II, and it looks the part, sounds the part and flies the part. The P-51D is stressed to ±6 G’s for aerobatics and is available in a dual-control version, the P-51TF.
F.E.W. “P-51D /TF”
Key Takeaways:
- Experimental aircraft builders historically struggled to create miniature WWII fighters due to challenges with metal forming and finding suitable, affordable powerplants.
- Modern prepreg composite techniques combined with reliable automotive/aviation V-8 engine conversions have overcome these hurdles, making accurate replicas feasible.
- F.E.W.'s 67% scale P-51D is a successful example, authentically replicating the fighter's look, sound, and flight, and is stressed for aerobatics with a dual-control option available.
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