North American F-82 Twin Mustang

The North American F-82 Twin Mustang is a plane that I initially thought was a clever Photoshop of the better known P-51 Mustang. It turns out that it’s a real plane that saw a significant production run for the US military just after WWII, it was originally designed as a very long-range (VLR) escort fighter to accompany Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombers on missions exceeding 2,000 miles.

The F-82 Twin Mustang has a fascinating history, most notably the model was responsible for the first 3 North Korean aircraft to be shot down at the beginning of the Korean War. In February 1947, a P-82B called “Betty Jo” and piloted by Robert Thacker made aviation history when it flew nonstop from Hawaii to New York without refueling, a total distance of 5,051 miles (8,129 km) in 14 hours 32 minutes. Even by today’s standards that’s an amazing achievement.

Read more about the F-82 Twin Mustang here.


Published by Ben Branch -