P-51D Mustang "Excalibur": An oldie, but a goodie.

[Michael de Ruijter]

Both this photo and the plane are oldies but goodies.

Taken as it was landing at Oshkosh in 2007. One of my best panning shots to date. Wish I could say the same about the post-processing... Lens used was the FA 80-320mm.

Just sharing it for the sake of sharing it. I wish it was less hazy that day, but "if wishes were horses, beggars would ride"...

This day is indeed a bitter memory, for later in the day two Mustangs came together resulting in the loss of a great aviator and incredible craftsman.

 

[Paul Cruchten]

Beautiful shot of a beautiful bird. The Mustang ranges, next to the Spitfire, as one of the most beautifully built airplanes ever.
--
Paul

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'Already Eve had an Apple

 

[Zablot]

And the P-51 was fast for its time. A nice picture of an outstanding airplane.......Jim

 

[CharlieDIY]

Beautiful shot of a beautiful bird. The Mustang ranges, next to the Spitfire, as one of the most beautifully built airplanes ever.
--

Agreed. I've never seen a Spitfire in person, but I have stared at hundreds of photos and drawings. A few years ago, I was at the Parkersburg, WV airport when a Mustang landed and taxied up near the small waiting area. Unfortunately, my flight boarded about five minutes later, before I could track down the aircraft and its pilot. I'd love to spend a few hours shooting one of those!

--
Charlie Self
http://www.charlieselfonline.com

 

[MightyMike]

Nice shot
--
Mike from Canada

"I am not a great photographer! God is a great creator! All I do is capture His creation with the tools He has provided me."

'I like to think so far outside the box that it would require a telephoto lens just to see the box!' ~ 'My Quote '



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[Michael de Ruijter]

Thanks Paul.

The "D" was elegant and iconic, but to get there it had to get pretty damned ugly first.

Google searches show the following images of the prototypes:





-Mike

Beautiful shot of a beautiful bird. The Mustang ranges, next to the Spitfire, as one of the most beautifully built airplanes ever.
--
Paul

 

[Michael de Ruijter]

Thanks Jim.

And the P-51 was fast for its time. A nice picture of an outstanding airplane.......Jim

 

[Michael de Ruijter]

I understand there's an excellent airshow every year at Virginia Beach. One year I'll end up going, especially when they have the Mosquito.

-Mike

Agreed. I've never seen a Spitfire in person, but I have stared at hundreds of photos and drawings. A few years ago, I was at the Parkersburg, WV airport when a Mustang landed and taxied up near the small waiting area. Unfortunately, my flight boarded about five minutes later, before I could track down the aircraft and its pilot. I'd love to spend a few hours shooting one of those!

--
Charlie Self

 

[Michael de Ruijter]

Cheers Mike!

Nice shot

Mike from Canada

 

[CharlieDIY]

I understand there's an excellent airshow every year at Virginia Beach. One year I'll end up going, especially when they have the Mosquito.

It's supposed to be. I try to stay inland of beach areas where people are crowded around. Oceana Naval Air Station, IIRC. I should drive out there this year, though it's a 400+ mile round trip. I think one of my cousins lives nearby, so I might not have to fork over the outrageous prices for motels in the area.

--
Charlie Self
http://www.charlieselfonline.com

 

[Rick_in_madison]

@the fellow who's never seen a Spitfire: Make the trip to Oshkosh. If you're there for more than a day you have a very good chance to see one in the air, and more to the point hear it! Those Merlins sound like nothing else in the world. It really is an incredible experience for the aviation enthusiast. And P-51Ds, pish, you'll see eight or ten of them flying if you're there during one of the days they do the special warbird show. To say nothing of at least a couple of heavy bombers (I've seen 17s, 24s, 29s, and even a Lanc!).

Will never forget my first one. Watching the aerobatics is what actually got my wife into aviation, with me following dutifully behind her. ("Well, I have to take lessons, dear, so that I can understand what you're going through.")

I put the case more eloquently here: http://lupus-in-redbird.blogspot.com/2005/11/you-need-to-go-to-oshkosh.html

--
http://rickwayne.zenfolio.com

 

[Michael de Ruijter]

Don't count too heavily on it though. I was there in 2007, and they only had one Spitfire (a dual cockpit conversion), and it flew once or twice. I was also there in 2010, and they had a sole Seafire, but it did not fly during our stay there which was Mon-Sat.

I agree about the Mustangs though... In 2007 we saw 18 of them, and in 2010 we saw 23.

-Mike

@the fellow who's never seen a Spitfire: Make the trip to Oshkosh. If you're there for more than a day you have a very good chance to see one in the air, and more to the point hear it! Those Merlins sound like nothing else in the world. It really is an incredible experience for the aviation enthusiast. And P-51Ds, pish, you'll see eight or ten of them flying if you're there during one of the days they do the special warbird show. To say nothing of at least a couple of heavy bombers (I've seen 17s, 24s, 29s, and even a Lanc!).

 

[UtahManSir]

Very nice shot! I love P-51's, what a beautiful plane!

Caught this rare guy in 2009 at the Heber City Airport taking off for a show, it is the Attu Warrior A PV-2 Harpoon from WW-II



Thanks for posting.

Lloyd

--

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[steephill]

--
Steve

http://www.pbase.com/steephill

 

[tigrebleu]

Great pan technique.

Just love this airplane, it's a magnificent looking one. To quote Christian Bale in "Empire Of The Sun", the P-51 is really the "Cadillac of the skies".

--

If photography can be considered like painting, then I'm still at the preschool "paint with your fingers" level.

 

[Michael de Ruijter]

Thanks Lloyd.

I saw that same Harpoon in Chino last year at the airshow. It’s the first PV-2 I’ve ever seen. What a lovely example too.

-Mike

Very nice shot! I love P-51's, what a beautiful plane!

Caught this rare guy in 2009 at the Heber City Airport taking off for a show, it is the Attu Warrior A PV-2 Harpoon from WW-II

...

Thanks for posting.

Lloyd

 

[Michael de Ruijter]

Thanks! It's one of my better panning efforts. I really like the detail of the wheels on the concrete.

-Mike

Great pan technique.

Just love this airplane, it's a magnificent looking one. To quote Christian Bale in "Empire Of The Sun", the P-51 is really the "Cadillac of the skies".

 

[Jack Simpson]

Cracking pic Michael ..... a tremendous example in (the good) art of panning

Cheers,

Jack
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[DAVID MANZE]

Hi, yes I'm a super big fan of the fabulous P51 Mustang of which we can be proud of the fact that the merlin engine from the Spitfire was fitted enabling the P51 to attain good performance at high altitudes. So I was at Duxford Air Show on the IIth of june 2011 for a display of warplanes mostly propeller driven. After a really fabulous display of fly pasts P51s,Spitfires,

hurricanes,corsairs,skyraiders etc, there were two P51s and one skyraider which flew past marking the last of the days flights, unfortunately the skyraider clipped the tail of one of the P51s and both planes started to dive,the skyraider swerved in an effort to regain control and finally succeeded in landing uneventfully saving the plane,however the P51 pitched towards the ground and the crowd waited with baited breath and just at the last second to much applause the pilot bailed out and thanks to the new quick opening parachute landed safely from a height of approx. 100ft. So I went home a little heavyhearted knowing that yet another P51 mustang was no longer with us. (this leaves a little over sixty odd examples still flying. The mustang was "Big Beautiful Doll" The video is shown on utube, tap the date duxford air show to see the video. --
Dave's clichés

 

[Don Kiyoti]

Another P-51 landing at the 2010 Copperstate fly in in Casa Grande, AZ.



Taxiing out.



--
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