#: locale=en
## Action
### URL
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LinkBehaviour_A73200DC_9C95_1442_4182_031C951C8FA7.source = https://www.aerospaceutah.org/museum/our-collections/aircraft-collection/
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## Hotspot
### Text
HotspotPanoramaOverlayTextImage_B69722B7_9F88_08EC_41D2_682449B99D40.text = Canopy Emergency Release Handle
HotspotPanoramaOverlayTextImage_B90150A8_9F88_08E4_41DA_79F307AED5E1.text = Canopy Handcrank
HotspotPanoramaOverlayTextImage_87A092CD_9F88_08BF_41D4_D6E0CE0C114B.text = Control Stick
HotspotPanoramaOverlayTextImage_AB238FCE_B98B_D946_41E6_BD58ECD772F9.text = Landing Gear Handle
HotspotPanoramaOverlayTextImage_AB3A6F84_A432_539C_41D4_CA2CF4E50154.text = Oxygen Regulator
HotspotPanoramaOverlayTextImage_5D8EC9C8_C9F4_3BED_41E3_3E23F21BD034.text = Throttle
## Media
### Image
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### Popup Image
### Title
photo_4585100D_C914_2867_41E1_F3E5AC5B8B83.label = Chesley-2-202x300
photo_B236CE3D_C937_F8A7_41D3_6B4D38B315DE.label = Howard-in-his-Mustang-300x214
panorama_08DB6853_0727_AE2C_419C_73B29522099B.label = IMG-20230510-075135-941
panorama_1FCFFDF5_0F27_D0DE_4199_CB856D190FDF.label = backlefttail
panorama_008CB5EA_0F27_F0CA_4190_564A43DB6D5A.label = backleftwing
panorama_008DECC0_0F27_F737_4196_9D74065C2964.label = backrightail
panorama_949E872F_9B01_32EE_4193_D6B59644645E.label = cockpit
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photo_C7805D6C_C8C0_1DAF_41E0_005622268154.label = p51 engine
## Popup
### Body
htmlText_BF5D4598_C934_286E_41DC_8BFA15640F10.html =
During World War II, the engine repair shops at Hill Air Force Base maintained and overhauled the Merlin engine until the end of the war. Hill Air Force Base also performed maintenance and repair on the Mustang itself into the 1950s.
As World War II progressed, Allied pilots desperately needed a high-performance, long-range fighter to escort heavy bombers on missions. The Royal Air Force (RAF) test pilots believed the Mustang would be better suited for air-to-air combat if it had a different engine. The P-51A could only reach 15,000 feet in altitude which unfortunately was too low to accompany most Allied heavy bombers. The RAF wanted to test the Mustang with the 12-cylinder Rolls-Royce Merlin engine, but production of the Merlin was already slated for the British Spitfire, the Avro Lancaster, and the de Havilland Mosquito. To increase production of the Merlin, Rolls Royce contracted with Packard Motor Car Company, located in the U.S., to produce the engine under license.
The Merlin engine, with its two-stage supercharger, transformed the Mustang’s performance. Most importantly, this engine significantly improved the Mustang’s range and speed. One Mustang fitted with the new engine flew 441 mph at 29,800 feet—nearly 100 mph faster than a P-51A at the same altitude. The Merlin also increased the Mustang’s service ceiling to almost 42,000 feet.
Before joining the United States Army Air Force (USAAF), Peterson went to England in 1940 as part of the Eagle Squadron, a group of American volunteer pilots that flew missions with the Royal Air Force (RAF) against the Luftwaffe. By the age of 21, Peterson became the youngest squadron commander in the RAF and was awarded the RAF Distinguished Flying Cross.
Peterson later joined the USAAF when the U.S. entered the war and went on to become an Ace, scoring at least nine enemy kills with nine probables. He was promoted to full colonel at the age of 23, the youngest in USAAF history. Peterson served as commander of the 4th Fighter Group from 1942 to 1943. The 4th Fighter Group’s main task was to provide fighter escorts for the heavy bombers of the Eighth Air Force.
Chesley Peterson flew a total of 130 combat sorties over the English Channel into enemy territory. He was awarded the U.S. Distinguished Service Cross, the Distinguished Flying Cross, five U.S. Air Medals, and the Purple Heart, among others. Following the war, he rose to the rank of Major General.
By the end of World War II, the 4th Fighter Group had destroyed more enemy aircraft than any other fighter group in the Eighth Air Force as their main task was to provide fighter escorts for the heavy bombers.
The serial number used for the P-51 Mustang at the Hill Aerospace Museum reflects a P-51 assigned to the 4th Fighter Group lost during a mission over Europe in 1944.
In extreme situations to provide an extra boost, the P-51 throttle can be moved past the gate stop to break the safety wire. This causes the engine to open to its absolute limit and give approximately 6 inches of additional pressure of the normal throttle setting at 61 inches. This throttle reserve is called War Emergency Power (WEP) and was only be used in extreme situations, no more than 5 minutes at a time as vital parts of the engine may be damaged.
The Mustang on display at Hill Aerospace Museum was built using parts from multiple P-51s and was placed on display in 1993. Its color scheme and markings matches the Mustang flown by Utah native Colonel Chesley Peterson while assigned to the renowned 4th Fighter Group during World War II, andWar II and is named “Audrey” in honor of his wife, Audrey Boyes Peterson.