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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
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    Vancouver Island, British Columbia
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    Default The Galloping Ghost

    The Galloping Ghost was the fastest and most modified P51 in the world. During the 2011 Reno air races the plane reached 530 mph during the race. The P51 was modified beyond safe for speed. Losing a trim tab the plane pitched up violently putting the pilot under 17 G's of force. After a vertical climb the plane rolled over and hit the ground vertically at over 400 mph, killing 10 spectators and the pilot, Jimmy Leeward. The accident brought about new safety rules for the aircraft at Reno.
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  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2000
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    Placitas, New Mexico, USA
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    41,487

    Default Re: The Galloping Ghost

    Named appropriately it would seem.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
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    Negros Occidental, Philippines
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    442

    Default Re: The Galloping Ghost

    Interesting story and graphic. Did you work in aviation Gray?
    TJB

  4. #4
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    Apr 2005
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    Default Re: The Galloping Ghost

    Gary, it was a terrible thing to happen at the races. The aircraft had structural problems.
    Spondoolix, no I don't. I have a brother who's spent his life in the industry. I just like mechanical things that make a lot of noise and go fast, preferable by controlled explosions.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2000
    Location
    Harwich, Essex, England
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    21,895

    Default Re: The Galloping Ghost

    As always, love the drawing
    I thought P51's had an 'underbelly', your's doesn't appear to have one Gray?
    Egg

    Intel i7 - 4790K Quad Core + 16 GB Ram + NVIDIA Geforce GTX 1660 Graphics Card + MSI Optix Mag321 Curv monitor
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  6. #6
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    Apr 2005
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    Default Re: The Galloping Ghost

    Egg, this plane had it's radiator removed (underbelly) to give it less drag. It used some kind of a boil off system if I remember. Photo's of it in it's last race show structural problems. You could see oil canning in the fuselage and the canopy wasn't fitting right. It's wings wee shortened by I believe 14 feet as was the tail. It was the most highly modified Mustang in the world and the fastest. But they had some problems that all came together in that last race. These planes at this speed and altitude are completely unforgiving.

  7. #7
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    Aug 2000
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    Harwich, Essex, England
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    Default Re: The Galloping Ghost

    Thanks for the clarification
    Egg

    Intel i7 - 4790K Quad Core + 16 GB Ram + NVIDIA Geforce GTX 1660 Graphics Card + MSI Optix Mag321 Curv monitor
    + Samsung 970 EVO Plus 500GB SSD + 232 GB SSD + 250 GB SSD portable drive + ISP = BT + Web Hosting = TSO Host

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    StPeters, MO USA
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    10,819

    Default Re: The Galloping Ghost

    As usual I love the art and the story Gray. "completely unforgiving" huh, well it must have been a whale of a pilot to even fly it. Too bad the plane and the pilot met such a tragic end.
    Larry a.k.a wizard509

    Never give up. You will never fail, but you may find a lot of ways that don't work.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
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    Vancouver Island, British Columbia
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    4,194

    Default Re: The Galloping Ghost

    You accept this kind of an ending when you do this sort of thing, but it was truly tragic that several spectators also lost their lives.

 

 

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