Spirit of Richmond Fighter Plane

Richmond residents purchased enough government bonds in a bond drive during World War II, to purchase this fighter plane. The plane is a North American P-51 Mustang Fighter. The P-51 Mustangs were in service with the United States Army Air Forces and the British Army Cooperation command.

Fighter Plane

Helpful Facts

These planes were:

  • The first airplanes built on the basis of World War II combat knowledge
  • The first U.S. fighters to cross the English Channel into occupied Europe after the fall of France
  • The first single-engine airplanes based in Britain to penetrate Germany
  • The first single-engine fighters to escort bombers from England on a raid which penetrated Berlin's defense circle, the deepest thrust ever made by allied fighters
  • Equipped with a Rolls-Royce engine, the Mustangs, according to the Office of War Information, have "the highest ceiling and the highest speed of any fighter in existence"
  • Built by North American Aviation, Inc.