FREE! Click here to Join FunTrivia. Thousands of games, quizzes, and lots more!
Quiz about P51 Mustang
Quiz about P51 Mustang

P-51 Mustang! Trivia Quiz


This is a quiz on the best American (and possibly best of World War II) fighter!

A multiple-choice quiz by barisax14. Estimated time: 7 mins.
  1. Home
  2. »
  3. Quizzes
  4. »
  5. History Trivia
  6. »
  7. World War II
  8. »
  9. WW2 Aircraft

Author
barisax14
Time
7 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
275,819
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
20
Difficulty
Difficult
Avg Score
9 / 20
Plays
2626
Awards
Top 5% quiz!
Last 3 plays: Guest 204 (9/20), Guest 27 (15/20), Guest 99 (18/20).
- -
Question 1 of 20
1. Who designed the P-51? Hint


Question 2 of 20
2. Henry Self was a Briton in charge of getting American manufacturers to make planes for the RAF. What was Self's original contract to NAA for? Hint


Question 3 of 20
3. With NAA's commitment to build a new fighter they started the design. It took 117 days to design and build the first P-51 Mustang.


Question 4 of 20
4. The new NAA design followed some of the basic trends of the day except for two new design ideas. One was the radiator that ejected the air in a form of jet thrust to boost overall speed. What was the second one? Hint


Question 5 of 20
5. The P-51s (known as Mustang I's) were soon delivered to the RAF. Although the aircraft was good it had one severe disadvantage that stopped it from becoming exceptional? Hint


Question 6 of 20
6. What was the first Mustang variant to see USAAC action. Hint


Question 7 of 20
7. Experiments began with a variety of new engines for the Mustang. After many experiments, what engine was finally settled on, creating the P-51B? Hint


Question 8 of 20
8. The "new" P-51B and C models made a big splash in Europe. How many fighter groups where equipped with the "new" fighter? Hint


Question 9 of 20
9. After more experiments, the P-51D was born. This was the definitive variant. Which one of these famous pilots did not fly the P-51? Hint


Question 10 of 20
10. The D model ended up being the definitive variant for the Mustang. What two major changes were incorporated in the D model? Hint


Question 11 of 20
11. Although the P-51D was the definitive version of the fighter, what claim to fame did the P-51B/C have over the D version? Hint


Question 12 of 20
12. The famous pilot Chuck Yeager became the first American pilot to do what when flying a P-51D. Hint


Question 13 of 20
13. During the later stages of World War II, modified P-51B/Cs countered what threat? Hint


Question 14 of 20
14. They Mustangs all had one "Achilles Heel", as it were. What was this fatal disadvantage? Hint


Question 15 of 20
15. Overall, the Mustang was a highly successful aircraft. What was the approximate air-to-air kill ratio for Mustangs in the ETO? Hint


Question 16 of 20
16. The final variant of the Mustang was considered the "ultimate" Mustang. What varient was this?

Answer: (P-51___)
Question 17 of 20
17. The P-51 served during the Korean War as the F-51. It was an good ground attack warplane but could not compete with the contemporary fighters. What trait made the F-51 desirable in the Korean War? Hint


Question 18 of 20
18. The P-51 was such a great airplane that it spawned a variety of spin-off designs. One was a night fighter design with two couple P-51s. What was this plane called? Hint


Question 19 of 20
19. The P-51 design legacy soldiered on past its military years. What navy aircraft used the laminar flow wing like the P-51? Hint


Question 20 of 20
20. The P-51 was a great airplane. Which of these countries never used the P-51? Hint



(Optional) Create a Free FunTrivia ID to save the points you are about to earn:

arrow Select a User ID:
arrow Choose a Password:
arrow Your Email:




Most Recent Scores
Oct 27 2024 : Guest 204: 9/20
Oct 21 2024 : Guest 27: 15/20
Oct 07 2024 : Guest 99: 18/20
Sep 29 2024 : Bullit1959: 8/20
Sep 28 2024 : Guest 85: 18/20
Sep 27 2024 : Guest 203: 6/20
Sep 25 2024 : Guest 47: 10/20
Sep 23 2024 : Guest 84: 7/20
Sep 21 2024 : Guest 120: 4/20

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Who designed the P-51?

Answer: North American Aviation

At the time of the P-51 contract NAA was only producing SNJ trainers and B-25 bombers.
2. Henry Self was a Briton in charge of getting American manufacturers to make planes for the RAF. What was Self's original contract to NAA for?

Answer: Manufacturing P-40 Warhawks

Self originally approached NAA with a deal to produce P-40 fighters under license from Curtiss. At the time these were the only US fighters even close to European standards. At any rate, the NAA officials told Self that they could design a new fighter.
3. With NAA's commitment to build a new fighter they started the design. It took 117 days to design and build the first P-51 Mustang.

Answer: True

This is one of the shortest design periods of all time. More amazing is that the P-51 was designed in such a short period and was an amazing aircraft. The Army Air Corps were so impressed by the new aircraft that it ordered two examples for itself.
4. The new NAA design followed some of the basic trends of the day except for two new design ideas. One was the radiator that ejected the air in a form of jet thrust to boost overall speed. What was the second one?

Answer: Laminar-Flow Wing

The Laminar-Flow wing was designed to take advantage of the aeronautic phenomenon known as laminar flow. Simply put, a laminar flow occurs when two or more air streams run parallel to each other, creating an area of smooth air. Turbulent, or non-parallel air is known as "rough".

This is why cigarette smoke flows up when there is no breeze. The design of the wing to take advantage of the flow gave the P-51 extremely low drag.
5. The P-51s (known as Mustang I's) were soon delivered to the RAF. Although the aircraft was good it had one severe disadvantage that stopped it from becoming exceptional?

Answer: Decreasing performance above 15,000 feet

The Mustang I was a very good airplane. However, due to the Allison V-1710 engine, performance rapidly dropped off at 15,000 feet. This stopped the aircraft from being exceptional. The Mustang I was not the airplane that would be immortalized.
6. What was the first Mustang variant to see USAAC action.

Answer: A-36 Apache

The A-36 Apache was a ground attack version of the P-51. It featured six M2 machine guns (which would become standard armament for all Mustang aircraft) and the ability to carry two 500-lb bombs. It saw combat in North Africa, becoming the first USAAC Mustang variants to see action.
7. Experiments began with a variety of new engines for the Mustang. After many experiments, what engine was finally settled on, creating the P-51B?

Answer: Packard Merlin V-1650

Rolls-Royce testers began experimenting on Mustangs. They settled on the Merlin 61 engine for an experimental Mustang known as Mustang X. The engine boosted the top speed and high altitude performance. Packard was licensed to build the engine under the name V-1650. With this engine, the true Mustang was born.
8. The "new" P-51B and C models made a big splash in Europe. How many fighter groups where equipped with the "new" fighter?

Answer: 15

The P-51B and C models were able to escort bomber formations deep into Europe. With its long range and high speed, it proved to be the perfect escort fighter. 15 fighter groups where equipped with the fighter.
9. After more experiments, the P-51D was born. This was the definitive variant. Which one of these famous pilots did not fly the P-51?

Answer: Thomas McGuire

Thomas McGuire - P-38 ace who fought in the Pacific.
Chuck Yeager - flew P-51s over Europe, scored 11.5 victories
Bud Anderson - Pilot of the famous "Old Crow", scored 16 1/4 victories making him a "triple ace"
Robin Olds - P-38 and P-51 pilot, later known for his exploits in Vietnam
10. The D model ended up being the definitive variant for the Mustang. What two major changes were incorporated in the D model?

Answer: Armament, bubble canopy

The D model started as an attempt to cure the phenomenon of P-51s spinning uncontrollable at low speed and altitude. The problem was cured but a clear bubble canopy was added and the armament was increased to 6 M2 machine guns, the same as on the A-36 Apache.
11. Although the P-51D was the definitive version of the fighter, what claim to fame did the P-51B/C have over the D version?

Answer: It was faster

P-51B/C was slightly faster than the P-51D. This may have been because of the "razorback" design, but the P-51B/C was almost 30 mph faster than the D model.
12. The famous pilot Chuck Yeager became the first American pilot to do what when flying a P-51D.

Answer: Down a jet fighter

Chuck Yeager flew his P-51D (Glamorous Glen III) for most of the war. He suprised a Me-262 on its landing approach and shot it down. Yeager scored 11.5 kills in total over the course of the war. He was later known for breaking the sound barrier in the X-1, named Glamorous Glennis.
13. During the later stages of World War II, modified P-51B/Cs countered what threat?

Answer: V-1s

Since the P-51B/C was much faster than standard P-51Ds, they where modified to use high-octane fuel to chase down and destroy V-1 bombs over England.
14. They Mustangs all had one "Achilles Heel", as it were. What was this fatal disadvantage?

Answer: Vulnerbility of the cooling system

The Mustang had a liquid cooling system that would be knocked out of commission by one hit by small arms fire. The problem became more apparent when more Mustangs where pressed into ground-attack action. This problem was never really cured and continued to be a disadvantage into the Korean War.
15. Overall, the Mustang was a highly successful aircraft. What was the approximate air-to-air kill ratio for Mustangs in the ETO?

Answer: 6:1

Overall, in the ETO Mustang pilots claimed 4,950 aircraft destroyed in the air and 4,131 destroyed on the ground for a total loss of 850 aircraft. Suprisingly this is not the highest kill ratio. The F6F Hellcat got a higher kill ratio and more pilots became aces on the Hellcat than any other aircraft.
16. The final variant of the Mustang was considered the "ultimate" Mustang. What varient was this?

Answer: H

The P-51H was developed from experimental Mustang versions. This plane utilized the new V-1650-9 engine. The plane ended up being one of the fastest propeller driven aircraft of all time, reaching 487 mph or Mach 0.74.
17. The P-51 served during the Korean War as the F-51. It was an good ground attack warplane but could not compete with the contemporary fighters. What trait made the F-51 desirable in the Korean War?

Answer: Range

Multiple F-51s were called out of storage to fight the Communist forces in Korea. Flown from Japan, the F-51s were used to hit long distance targets that the F-80's could not hit. The F-51 was as always easily damaged by a hit to the cooling system, but it soldiered on throughtout the war in the face of heavy loses.
18. The P-51 was such a great airplane that it spawned a variety of spin-off designs. One was a night fighter design with two couple P-51s. What was this plane called?

Answer: F-82

The F-82 was a design featuring two P-51s coupled in the center. The aircraft was used as a replacement for the P-61 Black Widow. Unlike most other coupled designs, the F-82 was a great plane and downed the first three aircraft in Korea. Other spin-offs where the Cavalier Mustang (a civilian modified Mustang with increased performance) and the PA-48 Enforcer (a version of the Cavalier Mustang for COIN operations).
19. The P-51 design legacy soldiered on past its military years. What navy aircraft used the laminar flow wing like the P-51?

Answer: FJ Fury

The FJ Fury was created by marrying the laminar flow wings to a jet engine. The aircraft was later modified for swept-wings but the P-51 design directly influenced the Fury. Later, the F-86 Sabre was based off the FJ Fury. In this way, the P-51 was a direct ancestor to the F-86 Sabre.
20. The P-51 was a great airplane. Which of these countries never used the P-51?

Answer: Saudi Arabia

Israel received P-51s from the US. China also had some before it was Communist and there were reports of Cuban P-51s during the Rio Pact.
Source: Author barisax14

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
10/31/2024, Copyright 2024 FunTrivia, Inc. - Report an Error / Contact Us