On This Date August 14th 1979

[Mad Scientist]

Steve Hinton hit 499 mph in a modified P-51 at Tonopah Nevada, a record for piston engine aircraft at that time. It was so heavily modified that it no longer resembled a stock P-51 Mustang and was from then on referred to as The Red Baron or "RB-51".

[youtube]58wb-fAW8nQ[/youtube]

The stock P-51 wings were clipped and a taller vertical stabilizer with more area was fabricated and installed. The stock engine was removed and a Rolls Royce Gryphon engine from a British Avro Shackleton patrol plane was grafted on with the stock propellers clipped about a foot for racing. If you want to see lots of pics documenting the original build go here:

Red Baron 1

I saw the RB-51 win at the Mohave Air Races in 1979. I was only 15 but I can clearly remember it running away from the competition in the final with a race speed of "only" 388 mph! Here it is at that very race:

Unfortunately, at the very next race at Reno Nevada while running in the Championship Final the engine seized and the beautiful, one of a kind racing plane was totally destroyed on an off runway crash landing. Steve Hinton was seriously injured but recovered and still flies to this day. His son Steven is also a race pilot and won the Reno Air Race Unlimited category just last year!

The RB-51 is one of my all time favorite racing planes and I currently have plans to re-create it in 1/48 scale:

 

[Mr. H.]

Wicked.

Is that a balsa model in the last photo?

 

[Mad Scientist]

Wicked. Is that a balsa model in the last photo?

It's plastic with resin parts. It's a specialized kit that is now sold out and is far too expensive when and if it appears on E-Bay. So I'm gonna' use a Revell/Monogram P-51 and craft the necessary mods.

Thanks for lookin'!

 

[Mr. H.]

Good luck and post us up some photos of the finished project.

Yeah I love all things aviation. My ex used to call it "those fucking airplanes".

 

[Mad Scientist]

Good luck and post us up some photos of the finished project. Yeah I love all things aviation. My ex used to call it "those fucking airplanes".

I take it she didn't like the expense? I can afford plastic models. I can afford R/C models. I can't afford civil aviation. $120 bucks an hour and up!

I'll be happy to post pics when it's done but I'm currently working on a reproduction of my Grandfathers B-24J that he flew in the war. It was named "Miss-I-Hope" and he flew with the 15th Air Force out of Italy.

 

[Mr. H.]

Good luck and post us up some photos of the finished project. Yeah I love all things aviation. My ex used to call it "those fucking airplanes".

I take it she didn't like the expense? I can afford plastic models. I can afford R/C models. I can't afford civil aviation. $120 bucks an hour and up!

Nah she didn't like my interest in the subject because I HAD an interest in it. Same for my job. She was from hell. End of story.

I never went beyond building models as a kid. I did get my VFR/SEL rating after college and logged about 100 hours in Cessnas and Pipers. I last flew maybe 30 years ago LOL. Still love the fucking airplanes tho.

 

[Mr. H.]

The RB-51 is one of my all time favorite racing planes and I currently have plans to re-create it in 1/48 scale:

You started on this yet?

 

[Trajan]

wow that sucker is modified.....hes clipped the wings modified the empennage...it doesn't look like it would have handled as well as the original ,at all. The dual props are a gas.