Jonesboro, AR – (JonesboroRightNow.com) — July 4, 2024 – Look! Up in the sky! It’s FIREWORKS!  No, it’s a World War II vintage P-51 Mustang!

Jonesboro businessman Mickey Seeman notified Freedom Fest organizers this afternoon that, weather permitting, he will fly his P-51 Mustang over the Southside Softball Complex prior to tonight’s Freedom Fest Fireworks Display.

Seeman will fly right about sunset, 8:20pm. You’ll know it’s him — it looks and sounds like no other airplane you will have seen in the sky today. Or maybe, ever!

The history of the P-51 is spectacular. Before the P-51 arrived in England during the second World War, fighters were unable to escort bombers all the way to Germany due to the limited range of the existing planes. German fighters would watch for the Allied fighters to turn back to England then annihilate our bomber formations. The bomber losses were devastating sometimes 25% or more.

So imagine, 400 B-17’s and B-24’s leave England headed for Berlin, but their fighter escorts had to turn around before the bombers reached their destination. The Germans just waited and pounced on the bombers after the fighters turned back. So, 100 of the 400 bombers might be lost, each with 10 crewmembers on board.

The P-51 was the first fighter that could escort the bombers all the way to Germany thus shortening the war. Keep in mind the Germans were also working on the atomic bomb.

Seeman’s Mustang, Tempus Fugit (Latin for Time Flies) like all 9-51D’s is powered by a Packard-built Rolls-Royce Merlin engine. It is rated at 1,490 HP unless he pushes it into War Emergency Power where it produces 1720 HP. You can only leave it in War Emergency for 5 minutes. The Rolls Royce engine has a displacement of 1650 cubic inches. Top speed is 440 mph although in a dive you can take it up to 505 mph. Ceiling is 41,000 feet.

Tempus Fugit has been modified to include a second seat where the original radio gear and fuselage fuel tank were located.

North American Aviation built 15,500 of the P-51 Mustangs.  It is believed only about 150 are left today.