The initial development of the Mustang was completed very quickly,in just 102 days.However ,the plane that came out of the hangar at that time had no engine or gun mounts.The first production P-51A didn't reach Britain until about 18 months after development began.Duxford Airshow,Flying Legends.Greetz,Brummbar

P-51 Mustang

My all-time favorite:The spitfire.
This particular airplane (Mk IX) was built in 1944 and is said to be the first allied aircraft to have landed in France after the D-day landings.It was later sold to the Dutch airforce and after that to the Belgian Air Force.Greetz,Brummbar

Spitfire MkIX

A rather unknown bird ,the Grumann F7F Tigercat.Only 360 built and 6 are still flying(at least in 2002).First flown in 1943,several variants were eventually built,including single and twin seat versions.This particular plane is a 2-seater.It was also modified for photo-recon  missions.Although designed to operate from carriers,Tigercats mostly flew from ground bases.The two 2100 hp radial engines made them pretty powerful,with an impressive max speed of 435 mph.With four .50 machine guns and four 20mm cannon,they had a lot of firepower.The plane could also carry two 1000 pound bombs or a single torpedo.However they arrived too late for service during the war and the arrival of jets made them quickly obsolete.Nevertheless some 64 were converted to nightfighters by adding radar sets in the nose and some served in Korea as electronic -recon aircraft or as target designators for B-29 Superfortress raids.It was one of the few American airplanes with tricycle landing gear,which gives a definite visibility advantage when landing on carriers.Greetz,Brummbar