No, a Hawker Sea Fury FB Mk II running a properly tuned Bristol Centaurus 18.

Cheers
JMH

You're correct about the Sea Fury being one of the top contenders. But they do not use the sleeve valve engines because they are too rare, parts are scarce, expertise is scarcer...

Also note that calling these planes 'P-51', 'Corsair' or 'Sea Fury' is only partly true. They are more like stock cars in the 'supermodified class'. They are true monster planes.

Did it [Reno] for almost 20 years. Well worth it for anyone mobile enough to walk around a bit.
I was always fond of the P-51 since one shot at me.
Still waiting for a postwar design unlimited to make it. Bless those WWII engineers.

I've lived in Reno for a number of years, and attended the air races a couple of years ago. The actual races aren't much for the spectator (they zip by so fast), but seeing the planes on the ground is wonderful. The WWII vintage aircraft, lovingly maintained ... stunning. You can actually enter the cockpit of a bomber. It doesn't take much of an imagination to think what it would have been like, back then.

Were they designed in accordance with the lovely lovely results-delivering free market or the nasty nasty useless feeble performing government control?

They were designed by private companies and sold by them to governments. duh.

By the way, Reno sits at the eastern feet of the Sierra Nevada. Lake Tahoe is west and quite a bit up. The air races are north and a little down. A little bit southeast is Virginia City, where the Silver Kings of San Francisco made their fortunes. The hotel where Mark Twain stayed, in Gold Hill, still stands.

If you want to see the genuine American Wild West, it's right here.

Oh, how wonderful. I misspelled my own name for all the world to see.

More beer, that's the ticket.

I wonder whether the Spitfire would have the potential to better the P51 Mustang if it wasn't so scarce.

For example, the Mk24 was capable of 450 mph at 19,000 ft., 5 mins to 20,000 ft in full military armed specification. Later (renamed) variants were capable of 494mph.

Compare this to the Mustang, stated as having a military specification performance of 437 mph and climbing speed of 1640ft/min. The quote on this page is that "The Mustang won't do what a Spitfire does, but it does it over Berlin".

Would a Spitfire "do it" over Reno if someone spent the money?

zmollusc

Rest assured, USA national defence contracting is one of the best examples of a truly free market in the world

Dale, this is the one I saw in 71 or 72, flown by FLt O. Haydon-Baillie, when it ran a Centaurus.
http://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/registry/furyregistry/fury-wh589.html

Cheers
JMH

But you'll note they changed it to a P&W when it became a racer:

- Rebuilt as modified racer.
-- Fitted with P&W R-4360 powerplant.
-- Composite rebuild from VX715 & WJ290,
using parts from WH589.
-- Assumed id WH589.

The race engines tend to be really souped up and it is not unusual for the thoroughbreds to blow the engine and carry out forced landings... I don't think anyone is racing a Centaurus in the US. In fact, I don't think there are more than a couple (if any) using that engine in the US these days.

I'm fairly certain some UK ones *do* still use the original engine type.

I of course mean Sea Fury's... there may be a Shackleton in the US (I know there is one in South Africa) and I believe it uses 4 Centaurus engines although I am not *absolutely* certain of it.

Er, yes I understood the need for suitable renovations for air racing, but I was placing more emphasis on the palne earlier history: a Centaurus sounds rather better than a Pratt.
Are you thinking of the HP Halifax as the Shackleton runs four Griffon engines with triple blade contra-props.

Cheers
JMH

Johnathan,

If your trip takes you through the DFW airport, set aside some time for a visit -- accommodation included, along with a little gratuitous range time, if you like.

Our home is always open to Samizdatians.