DeepSea wrote:
Ricardo wrote in
.uk:



buff82driver wrote:

http://www.military.com/features/0,1...ESRC=dod-bz.nl

How were they able to design and bring the P-51 into production
within one year
back during WW2? Why is it so expensive and take so long now?

You didn't really just ask that question, did you?

Ah maybe b/c they did not deal with highly complex technology that
has thousands of ways of failing and a few critical failures of very
tiny parts that don't even move can cause the plane to crash into the
ground. With WWII era planes about the most complex things were the
big ol' piston engines, retractable landing gear, bomb
sights...etc...today a few whiz kids could probably develop a WWII
era technology fighter plane better than any seen in WWII. All you
need is metal workers, engine mechanics/builders, and some pretty
solid aerodynamic students. If it was so easy now then the U.S. would
not make everyone else's air force into target practice.


And having a very reliable and tested British designed engine made one
hell of a contribution...



IIRC, the British engine had nothing to do with the design/inception of the
P-51. As designed and originally produced, the P51 was a rather
lackluster, VERY average fighter for its day. It wasn't until the later
addition of the British engine and a couple of (supporting) airframe
modifications that made it great.

DS

Agreed, but it is interesting to note that the original Mustang, with
its Allison F3R engine, only came into being as a result of the British
Purchasing Commission's earlier contact with NAA and the purchase of the
Harvard trainer. NAA's wish to 'break into' the fighter market was
frustrated by the US Army Air Corps lack of interest in NAA's ideas on
the subject and the offer of the NA-73 fitted a British need at that
time. In the event, as you point out, this original design was VERY
average, the main concern from the British point of view being
performance above 15,000 feet - decidedly poor, although the aircraft
had considerable merit at low altitude.

And the rest, as we say, is history...

Ricardo