The Flying Tiger Mosquito
The end of the WWII witnessed a resurgence of air racing in America. The U.S. government offered thousands of surplus military aircraft for disposal at give-away prices. The availability of high-performance fighters, such as the P-51, P-39, P-38 and Corsairs piqued interest of returning veterans in this venture. One of these men was Robert Swanson Swanson, a former Army Air Force, Air Transport Command pilot, went into partnership with another veteran, James P. Garvey, and operated Skyways International. This Miami-based airline operated Lockheed Lodestars and Curtiss civilianized C-46 aircraft worldwide hauling freight and passengers.
The first postwar air race sponsored by the National Air Races was held at Cleveland, Ohio, on August 30, 1946. Swanson purchased a North American P-51D, 44-12140, and registered it NX66111. The dismantled aircraft arrived in crates at Newark, N.J., and mechanics reassembled the components. The men previously modified 8th Air Force Mustangs to chase Luftwaffe jets and promised to increase the Merlin‘s power once Swanson was ready to race.
Swanson flew the assembled Mustang to Miami for further preparation. Here, all groves and gaps were filled with compound, and then the airframe was painted and polished to reduce aerodynamic drag. During the first qualifying lap at Cleveland the Merlin engine "˜blew-up’ and sprayed oil on the windscreen. Too low to bailout, Swanson pulled back the canopy and executed an emergency crash landing in a ploughed field, demolishing the aircraft.
Undaunted, he purchased another aircraft, a P-51D, 44-12116, NX79161, from Hobbs Field, N.M. It arrived the day before the race without the 85-gallon fuselage fuel tank. Quickly, his men fabricated a smaller 45-gallon tank for installation behind the pilot. The lower fuel capacity limited the aircraft‘s race endurance. Lacking time to perform drag reducing measures he entered the Thompson Trophy Race in stock-military configuration. The mechanics proceeded to adjust the Merlin by placing a two-inch broomstick section against the automatic boost-control aneroid, eliminating its function. He now controlled fuelconsumption manually.
During the qualifying run, the 130-octane fuel detonated at 65 inches of manifold pressure. To overcome this problem, the Shell Petroleum representative donated a ‘super fuel‘ containing a triptane additive. The fuel tanks were drained and filled with the new mixture. Throughout the race, Swanson kept pace with Cook Cleland and Woody Edmundson " 5th and 6th positions " rationing his fuel over the 10-lap, 300-mile course. He maintained
this position until the final lap and then applied the throttle. The
engine was now drawing 92 inches which he estimated was only 70% full
power.
As
he recalls, "The engine purred like a kitten and held together. In fact,
the other P-51s in the race burned their stacks off while mine were in
good shape. I later sold my stacks so other pilots could fly their
aircraft home."
Swanson
placed fifth and recorded the fastest speed for that lap and a reward of
$2,500 prize money. Mr. Thompson of Thompson
Products approached him to purchase the P-51 for display in a museum.
Swanson sold it for $4,500 to exhibit in the Crawford Auto Museum,
Cleveland, Ohio.
Mosquito Purchase
Having experienced the
wonderment of the triptane
additive, Swanson theorized what two Merlin engines could do . . . . .
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Dianna Bixby and the Flying Tiger Mosquito
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