How a P-51 Mustang Works

VIDEO CORRECTIONS (compiled from viewer comments): From Jason Majors: 2:25 The rudder pedals don't activate the brakes. There is a separate axis on each pedal to activate the brake on that side. 12:03 The two landing gear lights are not left and right. There's a green one to indicate gear down and a red one to indicate gear in transit. Off indicates gear up. Both lights also have a test mode. 12:10 The guns activation switch is to the left of the rocket knob. It enables the guns to fire and/or turns on the gun sight (which has further controls to the left of the sight near the compass). 12:19 The knob that you said activated the gun and selected between semi-auto and automatic actually control the rockets. The guns have no semi-auto or burst mode. They are full auto whenever activated. 12:26 The knob below that does not set the number of rounds to fire in a burst, it sets which specific rocket to fire in single fire mode. It auto advances after firing. 14:09 The manifold pressure indicator should not be green all the way up to 60 inHg, only to 36. Running it higher than that for sustained periods will cause the engine to seize. 14:39 You skipped the climb rate indicator below the artificial horizon. It indicates the climb (or descent) in 1000 feet per minute. You skipped the G force gauge to the right of the climb indicator. It shows the current G load on the aircraft and has two memory indicators for min and max values. 14:54 There are not separate left and right gun heaters. There's one gun heater for all six guns, and one pilot heater. The label in the video was correct, but the narration was not. From David Franklin: 2:45 The animation of tailwheel and rudder steering 180 degrees out of sync and they are connect to the rudder pedals in the cockpit. This is the primary method of steering while taxiing. Differential braking is rarely used except for very tight turns on the ramp where one brake is locked and the same rudder pedal is pushed essentially allowing the airplane to yaw around the locked wheel.

Man did you do your homework... My Father was in WW2 and somehow, he ended up with a P-51 motor, Dad passed away about 6 years ago and I have his motor and prop set, I build a motor stand for the both of them and what a sight it is looking at them, when this motor is running the sound is unreal and I am so glad that I now am the caretaker of this small slice of history...

Absolutely excellent. Many of those details, especially the cockpit controls and instruments, are something that is crucial to the aircraft that is often skipped. Kudos for going into such intricate detail.

Wonderful presentation! My uncle (Bill Leslie) and childhood idol flew many aircraft in WW2 but he always said the P-51 D was his favorite. Apparently I was the only person in the entire family he ever told any war stories to including the time he got shot down, a pot shot got his radiator but he managed to get back over the channel before his engine seized. He told me how he flew in support of the ground troops so it wasn’t until I was an adult that I understood why he didn’t talk much about his war time experiences. He once told me in detail how he destroyed a truck convoy and literally blew Trucks, equipment and German soldiers away, including the ones trying to fight back against his six .50 cal’s. The look in his eyes I still remember, a far away look that started as pure concentration and excitement then a touch of sadness. I knew for a second he was back in that airplane in the excitement of combat. This was when I was probably 10 or 12 so about 1987. Dad told me that was the first time he had ever told any story about the war to anyone in the family. Bill was an extraordinary man and is missed by all who had the privilege of knowing him.

It is insane how many different systems these planes had considering how many had to be mass produced. The American industrial might during WW2 was incredible.

Whoa...I'm in the graphics industry and I can't imagine the time put into this video let alone the research. Well done.

I watched this on and off over a 10 hour day of working where I have downtime while processes, reports, or scripts are running. I am an instrument rated multi engine pilot with a commercial license, but I work in IT full time. Your aviation related descriptions and explainations were excellent. I never heard someone so clearly explain a constatnt speed propeller before with the car's automatic transmission example. Most of all, the details, just put me there. I imagined being a P-51 pilot. A ground crew member responsible for the oxygen. A dogfight. A safe landing after a mission. You triggered a days worth of fantasy and empathy for what it may have been like for a young pilot/ground crew during WW2. Thank you. Liked, Subscribed.

I had idea how incredibly sophisticated these machines were. Major appreciation for all of the pilots who needed to be intimately familiar with these instruments. Great content, thank you!

Despite the amazing overall design, the thing that impresses me the most are the gun sights. It's fascinating that they were able to track and adjust for so many variables using such relatively basic tech. Great video!

Well done! I'm impressed with the amount of detail. Looking forward to more animations on your channel

I never knew the cockpit and electronics were that advanced. That's very impressive for 40's technology!

This aircraft is stunningly advanced! The gunsight systems, in particular, seemed like something out of a video game.

My father, now deceased, was a mechanic on the P51, P38, B17, B25, and others. I wish he were here to see this and comment. I do have some or all of his books, manuals, etc on his work in my library. I did get him to an airport where a B25 was flown in for rides and to show. He loved it, but was too weak to go into the plane.

The most Detailed explanation of how a P-51 Mustang works! great job mate!

Your graphics' detail and your verbal explanation of functions is nothing short of amazing. I enjoy ALL your videos. Thank you.

This is amazing. I've always thought how much of a drag it is to have the scoop on the P-51. But learning about the Meredith effect and working to overcome most of the loss blew my mind.

My Grandad flew these during his service in the USAF. Loved going to airshows and museums with him and he always had the most inspiring smile whenever he saw the Mustang. God bless!

I seriously cannot believe the detail, the effort, the 3d and the love you put into this video. You are going to the moon!

Jet fighters are powerful and all, but you can't deny the raw strength & beauty of these old-fashioned WW2 war planes, and can't help but admire the amazing engineering of these formidable machines. Great video! <3

Excellent tutorial on the Legendary North American P51D Mustang!. These animations are literally the best ones on YouTube. Absolutely incredible.