Few planes are so able to fire the imagination as the North American P-51 Mustang. Conceived in 1940 as a response to the urgent need for a war-winning edge in a world aflame, the Mustang came along too rapidly to evolve into one of the finest fighters ever constructed—fast, lovely, and lethal.
It was neither its power nor its speed that distinguished the P-51. It was the way that it combined range, agility, and endurance into a single package that altered the trajectory of the air war. During World War II, this flashy airplane was an Allied bomber’s guardian angel, traveling farther and faster than anything ever constructed. And even today, decades since the last shots were fired during the war, the Mustang continues to take to the skies, recreating history in hangars and airshows around the world.
The origin of the Mustang started with a challenge: design a fighter to take bombers deep into the enemy air and then return the crew home safely. The early models, driven by the Allison V-1710 engine, performed well at low levels but stalled at altitude. That all changed with engineers installing the British-designed Rolls-Royce Merlin engine—the ideal marriage that in a single night turned the plane into a star. With the Merlin, the Mustang was transformed into a true performer. It could climb higher than 400 mph, reach bomber heights with ease, and take on eyeball-to-eyeball combat with the best enemy planes of the war.
The final variant, the P-51D, carried six .50-caliber guns and the Packard-built Merlin engine. It became the U.S. Eighth Air Force’s lead aircraft, leading bombers into Europe and engaging with fighters in intense dogfighting. The Mustang was a great escort, as well as a swift, rugged, and handy fighting machine that could attack targets on the ground but still return home. As soon as the war eventually finished, the days of the Mustang as a combat machine were numbered, but it had barely begun its life. Over 15,000 were produced, and excess aircraft were being sold at appallingly cheap prices—some for thousands of dollars.
Though many of these aircraft were salvaged and left to rust or scrapped, some private collectors and owners salvaged them. They set the precedent for the warbird preservation movement still ongoing today. Organizations like the Commemorative Air Force saw that the Mustang was not simply an airplane—it was a living reminder of bravery, ingenuity, and sacrifice.
Restoring a Mustang today is an honest labor of love. What used to cost a few thousand now costs millions. Unrestored airframes in recent history have sold for over four million dollars, and fully restored, flight-capable examples readily sell for three to five million. Behind all these restorations is an amazing combination of technology and manual dexterity. Contemporary restoration garages employ computer scans, high-tech machinery, and plain old-fashioned elbow grease to bring these vehicles back to their former glory. Most contemporary Mustangs ride smoother than they ever did in the 1940s, with subtle avionics that make them safer without cutting into their era character.
But saving the Mustang is not a matter of dollars or hardware—it’s human beings. The Commemorative Air Force, for example, is as dedicated to saving the planes as they are to the histories of the pilots who operated them. With a fleet of over 180 restored planes, the CAF has the largest collection of flyable WWII warbirds in the entire world.
Among its holdings is “Red Nose,” a P-51D that’s still a showstopper. Instead of resting idle in a hangar, this plane continues to fly at airshows and ceremonies. As one Airbase Georgia leader noted, the mission is straightforward: honor vets, educate the next generation about their sacrifice, and preserve the spirit of flight.
Occasionally, that power is shared across generations. When a restored Mustang rolled up onto 101-year-old WWII pilot Jim McCubbin’s property, the throaty growl of its Merlin engine was enough to transport him back to the days of dashing missions and dogfights aloft—a moment that proved history is still able to reach out and touch the living. On air exhibits, visitors can step into a Mustang’s cockpit, feel the groan of metal, and taste the rumble of power underfoot. They’re not just entertainment—living history, honoring the planes and pilots that once flew them into harm’s way.
Today, there are somewhere in the neighborhood of 311 P-51 Mustangs left on the planet. There are roughly 159 flying today, and another 50 or so in the process of restoration. That’s just a small percentage of the original production, but that so many are still around almost eight decades later speaks to their construction and its durability. It requires commitment to keep them airborne. Pilots, mechanics, collectors, and historians collaborate, often exchanging parts, information, and anecdotes to keep these vintage aircraft airborne. The Rolls-Royce Merlin engine, for instance, is an engineering wonder that requires skill and patience to fix.
Of course, there are challenges in the future. Maintenance costs keep increasing, quality pilots are ever more scarce, and age afflicts humans as well as aircraft. But for now, the Mustang stays—a living embodiment of valor, craftsmanship, and liberty. As long as there are people who will climb aboard, open the throttle on that unmistakable Merlin engine, and lift off into a brilliant blue sky, the P-51 Mustang will be more than just history. It will be what it has always been—a soaring legend.