# On This Date August 14th 1979



## Mad Scientist (Aug 14, 2010)

Steve Hinton hit 499 mph in a modified P-51 at Tonopah Nevada, a record for piston engine aircraft at that time. It was so heavily modified that it no longer resembled a stock P-51 Mustang and was from then on referred to as The Red Baron or "RB-51".

[youtube]58wb-fAW8nQ[/youtube]

The stock P-51 wings were clipped and a taller vertical stabilizer with more area was fabricated and installed. The stock engine was removed and a Rolls Royce Gryphon engine from a British Avro Shackleton patrol plane was grafted on with the stock propellers clipped about a foot for racing. If you want to see lots of pics documenting the original build go here: 

Red Baron 1







I saw the RB-51 win at the Mohave Air Races in 1979. I was only 15 but I can clearly remember it running away from the competition in the final with a race speed of "only" 388 mph! Here it is at that very race:






Unfortunately, at the very next race at Reno Nevada while running in the Championship Final the engine seized and the beautiful, one of a kind racing plane was totally destroyed on an off runway crash landing. Steve Hinton was seriously injured but recovered and still flies to this day. His son Steven is also a race pilot and won the Reno Air Race Unlimited category just last year!






The RB-51 is one of my all time favorite racing planes and I currently have plans to re-create it in 1/48 scale:


----------



## Mr. H. (Aug 14, 2010)

Wicked.

Is that a balsa model in the last photo?


----------



## Mad Scientist (Aug 14, 2010)

Mr. H. said:


> Wicked. Is that a balsa model in the last photo?


It's plastic with resin parts. It's a specialized kit that is now sold out and is far too expensive when and if it appears on E-Bay. So I'm gonna' use a Revell/Monogram P-51 and craft the necessary mods.

Thanks for lookin'!


----------



## Mr. H. (Aug 14, 2010)

Good luck and post us up some photos of the finished project. 

Yeah I love all things aviation. My ex used to call it "those fucking airplanes".


----------



## Mad Scientist (Aug 14, 2010)

Mr. H. said:


> Good luck and post us up some photos of the finished project.  Yeah I love all things aviation. My ex used to call it "those fucking airplanes".


I take it she didn't like the expense? I can afford plastic models. I can afford R/C models. I can't afford civil aviation. $120 bucks an hour and up! 

I'll be happy to post pics when it's done but I'm currently working on a reproduction of my Grandfathers B-24J that he flew in the war. It was named "Miss-I-Hope" and he flew with the 15th Air Force out of Italy.


----------



## Mr. H. (Aug 15, 2010)

Mad Scientist said:


> Mr. H. said:
> 
> 
> > Good luck and post us up some photos of the finished project.  Yeah I love all things aviation. My ex used to call it "those fucking airplanes".
> ...



Nah she didn't like my interest in the subject because I HAD an interest in it. Same for my job. She was from hell. End of story. 

I never went beyond building models as a kid. I did get my VFR/SEL rating after college and logged about 100 hours in Cessnas and Pipers. I last flew maybe 30 years ago LOL. Still love the fucking airplanes tho.


----------



## Mr. H. (Sep 22, 2010)

Mad Scientist said:


> The RB-51 is one of my all time favorite racing planes and I currently have plans to re-create it in 1/48 scale:



You started on this yet?


----------



## Trajan (Sep 22, 2010)

wow that sucker  is modified.....hes clipped the wings modified the empennage...it doesn't look like it would have handled as well as the original ,at all. The dual props are a gas.


----------

