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The sign accompanying the P-51 display.

It reads

North American P-51D
"Mustang"

The P-51 Mustang, designed in 1940 after Great Britain requested that North American build P-40 Warhawks for the Royal Air Force, was at first ignored by U.S. officials. However, the design showed such promise that in 1941 the Army Air Forces took delivery of P-51As. These early Mustangs were restricted to reconnaissance and ground attack roles due the limited performance of their Allison engines. Tests with the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine showed a marked increase in performance, and by late 1943, Merlin-powered P-51Bs entered combat. Eight Air Force Mustangs provided long range escort to B-17s and B-24s and scored heavily over German interceptors. By the war's end, P-51s had destroyed 4,950 enemy aircraft in the air, more than any other U.S. fighter in Europe.

Mustangs served in nearly every active combat zone, including the Pacific where they escorted B-29s from Iwo Jima to Japan. Between 1941 and 1945, the Army Air Forces ordered 14,855 Mustangs, of which 7,956 were P-51Ds with the "bubble" canopy and heavier armament. During the Korean Conflict, P-51Ds were used primarily for close support of ground forces until withdrawn from combat in 1953. P-51s served with Reserve and National Guard units until 1957.

During World War II, the Warner Robins Air Technical Service Center was responsible for the logistics support of all Mustangs assigned to bases in Georgia, North and South Carolina, Virginia, and Florida. The aircraft on display was restored using parts from three different P-51s. Its markings are of the P-51D flown by Wallace E. Hopkins of Washington, Georgia, when he was deputy commander of the 361st Fighter Group, 8th Air Force, in England during World War II.

Specifications:
Wing Span:	37 feet
Length:	32 feet, 3 inches
Height:	13 feet, 8 inches
Weight:	11,600 lbs gross
Armament:	Six 0.50-caliber machine guns, ten 5-inch rockets; or a bomb load of 2,000 lbs
Engine:	Packard built Rolls-Royce Merlin V-1650
Crew:	One
Performance:
Maximum speed:	437 mph
Cruising speed:	275 mph
Range	950 miles
Service Ceiling:	41,900 feet