I got buzzed!!!

"Dudley Henriques" wrote in message
...

The combination of a Merlin V1650-7 and a Hamilton or Aero Products
propeller at between 35 and 45 inches and between 2700 and 3000 RPM have a
sound so distinctive that many who have heard it never forget it.

Dudley, you just answered a question I've been wondering about for nearly 40
years.

I've always knew about that distinctive Merlin sounds, but there's a
secondary sound (that prop) that together makes the "Mustang Sound" like
nothing else on earth.

You could fly 1000 airplanes with 1 P51 included in the mix somewhere
directly over my head with me blind folded and I'd pick out the 51 in a
nano-second :-)

"Matt Barrow" wrote in message
...
"Dudley Henriques" wrote in message
...

The combination of a Merlin V1650-7 and a Hamilton or Aero Products
propeller at between 35 and 45 inches and between 2700 and 3000 RPM have
a sound so distinctive that many who have heard it never forget it.

Dudley, you just answered a question I've been wondering about for nearly
40 years.

I've always knew about that distinctive Merlin sounds, but there's a
secondary sound (that prop) that together makes the "Mustang Sound" like
nothing else on earth.

You could fly 1000 airplanes with 1 P51 included in the mix somewhere
directly over my head with me blind folded and I'd pick out the 51 in a
nano-second :-)

Most of the actual sound the ear picks up from an airplane is caused by the
prop. In the case of the Mustang, with a Hamilton Standard propeller, you
have a prop with an 11 foot 2 inch diameter. Naturally a prop this size has
a tip speed problem so in a stock Merlin its geared down to a .491:1 through
a reduction gear to the engine RPM. At 3000 RPM , the prop is actually
rotating at 1473RPM. Its mostly the sound the prop makes as it works the air
coupled with the exhaust tuning through the tubes that gives the 51 its
distinctive sound. There's also a contribution through the radiator that
adds just a "touch" to the mix.
My conception has always been that its a moaning sound; sort of like a low
pitched moaning wail.
Dudley

Dudley Henriques wrote:
Most of the actual sound the ear picks up from an airplane is caused by the
prop. In the case of the Mustang, with a Hamilton Standard propeller, you
have a prop with an 11 foot 2 inch diameter. Naturally a prop this size has
a tip speed problem so in a stock Merlin its geared down to a .491:1 through
a reduction gear to the engine RPM. At 3000 RPM , the prop is actually
rotating at 1473RPM. Its mostly the sound the prop makes as it works the air
coupled with the exhaust tuning through the tubes that gives the 51 its
distinctive sound. There's also a contribution through the radiator that
adds just a "touch" to the mix.
My conception has always been that its a moaning sound; sort of like a low
pitched moaning wail.
Dudley

I've only heard a Mustang flyby once and it was memorable. I went to
the Corsairs over Connecticut roundup last year and heard a few low
passes by a 4-ship that gave me goosebumps. Gotta love round engines.
The owner of my company flew P-51s in WW2 based at Martlesham Heath.
They'd transitioned from the P-47s (early D models with the razorback
canopy) to the -51 and their type training consisted of a copy of the
AFM and a few spins around the patch and they were mission qual'd.
Yikes.

"Kingfish" wrote in message
oups.com...

Dudley Henriques wrote:
Most of the actual sound the ear picks up from an airplane is caused by
the
prop. In the case of the Mustang, with a Hamilton Standard propeller, you
have a prop with an 11 foot 2 inch diameter. Naturally a prop this size
has
a tip speed problem so in a stock Merlin its geared down to a .491:1
through
a reduction gear to the engine RPM. At 3000 RPM , the prop is actually
rotating at 1473RPM. Its mostly the sound the prop makes as it works the
air
coupled with the exhaust tuning through the tubes that gives the 51 its
distinctive sound. There's also a contribution through the radiator that
adds just a "touch" to the mix.
My conception has always been that its a moaning sound; sort of like a
low
pitched moaning wail.
Dudley

I've only heard a Mustang flyby once and it was memorable. I went to
the Corsairs over Connecticut roundup last year and heard a few low
passes by a 4-ship that gave me goosebumps. Gotta love round engines.
The owner of my company flew P-51s in WW2 based at Martlesham Heath.
They'd transitioned from the P-47s (early D models with the razorback
canopy) to the -51 and their type training consisted of a copy of the
AFM and a few spins around the patch and they were mission qual'd.
Yikes.

There's always room at the table for the round engines :-) I have to say
that flying the F8F had its moments for me as well.
As to checkouts in single engine fighters; you're right; if you're lucky, as
I was, you get some time in a T6 flying it from both the front and the back
seats to get used to the visual cues around the nose during taxiing,
takeoff, and landings. Then you take the Dash-1 home and read it from cover
to cover, then you climb in and go for it! :-)
Dudley Henriques

Skywise wrote:

I can only image what those on the receiving end of a strafing
run must have felt when they heard the howl of that plane
bearing down upon them.

I dont need to imagine

was with my uncle and dad in the pickup exploring logging roads in the
wisconsin Falls MOA arispace when some SOB decided it would be fun to
practice a straffing run at a ground vehicle.

ok, If it was me, i would have done the same thing, so I guess he wasnt
a SOB

Parents live in the Falls MOA and have seen lots of stuff fly overhead.
c130s refueling overhead. F14 and A10s in dogfights. seeing the tops of
fighter jets while they were airborne (fairly hilly area, with jets
doing NOE flight)

I've had the opportunity to do low level flight as well as air to air and
air to ground training in the Falls MOA in F-16's.

There's nothing like hearing that 20mm Vulcan cannon going off a few feet
from your head! Of course, most of the air to air training consists of
missile launches beyond visual range, but there's also nothing like air to
air combat on the merge. Pulling sustained 8-9g turns while trying to
maintain visual contact with closure rates of over 1,000 knots- talk about
getting a sore neck!

"Tater" wrote

Parents live in the Falls MOA and have seen lots of stuff fly overhead.
c130s refueling overhead. F14 and A10s in dogfights. seeing the tops of
fighter jets while they were airborne (fairly hilly area, with jets
doing NOE flight)

Here, in the quiet foothills of NC, a couple years back, there was heard (by
thousands in and around town) a low, low rumble, then combined with a roar,
merging into the unmistakable roar of powerful jet engines.

Nobody knew what it was, but I, and many others went outside to look into the
night sky, and see if we could figure out what was making the noise. It went
on, and grew, to its unmistakable crescendo, for at least 3 or 4 minutes.

The event was the talk of the town. It seems everyone heard it, and wondered
what it was. It was not until a few days later, I talked to someone who lived a
bit further out in the hills, and they actually saw what was the source of all
the noise. It was a B-1 making a NOE run up a nearby river valley, then
powering up into an afterburner climbout.

It shook a lot of people up.

It was....magnificent!
--
Jim in NC

"Skywise" wrote

Now, I'm on a Harley with helmet and earplugs and I still
heard this thing coming up behind me.

I can only image what those on the receiving end of a strafing
run must have felt when they heard the howl of that plane
bearing down upon them.

Don't forget that what you heard was a good bit more mild, than when they were
doing that in "the big war."

Then, they had real 140 octane gas, ran the supercharger at a lot higher
settings, and didn't care if they burned out the engine frequently. Another was
waiting to be put in, any time it was needed.

I would really love to hear a maximum boost and high RPM takeoff, and "really"
wide open low pass. That must really be something!
--
Jim in NC

On Tue, 31 Oct 2006 16:53:40 -0500, "Morgans"
wrote:


"Skywise" wrote

Now, I'm on a Harley with helmet and earplugs and I still
heard this thing coming up behind me.

I can only image what those on the receiving end of a strafing
run must have felt when they heard the howl of that plane
bearing down upon them.

Don't forget that what you heard was a good bit more mild, than when they were
doing that in "the big war."

Then, they had real 140 octane gas, ran the supercharger at a lot higher
settings, and didn't care if they burned out the engine frequently. Another was
waiting to be put in, any time it was needed.

I would really love to hear a maximum boost and high RPM takeoff, and "really"
wide open low pass. That must really be something!

Go to the Reno Air Races, and at least in the Gold heats, you'll hear
Mustangs/Merlins pulling up to 140+ inches of manifold pressure (more
than double the original war emergency maximum power rating and
approaching triple the maximum manifold pressure allowable with 100LL
fuel).

Bela P. Havasreti

Bela P. Havasreti wrote:
Go to the Reno Air Races, and at least in the Gold heats, you'll hear
Mustangs/Merlins pulling up to 140+ inches of manifold pressure (more
than double the original war emergency maximum power rating and
approaching triple the maximum manifold pressure allowable with 100LL
fuel).


I'm guessing with that kind of boost, they're running something a
little hotter than avgas : ) Otherwise, the CC would be picking up
pieces of Merlin after each run? I read Rare Bear uses specially mixed
160 octane fuel.