Mustang Mania!

The P-51 Mustangs. They were everywhere at Thunder Over Michigan, 2012.
(Click on the pics to enlarge them.)

There were twenty of them there. Twenty. I mean, how often do you see that many of these rare and expensive Mustangs in one place?

I'd have loved to get pictures of them all, but the show started to get crowded and soon most photo opportunities were messed up by typically large people in bright-colored clothing who apparently came out to do nothing but stand next to all of the aircraft and talk to each other so as to ensure that no one could get any pictures of the aircraft without them in the shots. And this brings to mind a bit or airshow etiquette: If there's not some particular aspect of the aircraft that you absolutely must have a look at up close, stand back from them far enough to let the people who came to photograph them get shots of them without you filling half of the frame. And the prime offenders seemed to be people who weren't even interested in the planes but were just there with an aircraft enthusiast and stood forever right in front of the one plane or another looking bored. I'm thinking that at the next show, if people stand around just idly blocking photo opportunities for extended periods, the rest of us should be able to whack them with paintball guns. Get five different paint pock-marks on you and security just throws you out. Just a thought...

The Mustangs flew, too, eleven of them at once. And the air was filled with the sweet sound of Rolls Royce and Packard V1650 "Merlin" engines. And it was good.

Here's a P-51B model. Only one at the show.

And here's a few more, taken as they were taxiing back in from flying. Note the last one is an uber-rare P-51C model. (The rest are P-51Ds, for those few who don't know.)

Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be in my bunk...looking at "P-51 Mustang for sale" ads, of course.