It was thanks to former WWI pilot Tommy Hitchcock that the P-51 entered U.S service — and changed the skies over Europe ...

The combination of speed, range, and armament made the P-51 Mustang one of the most versatile platforms of the Second World ...

During World War II, the Mustang destroyed 4,950 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air—the most of any U.S. fighter in the European Theater.

There are few pilots who do not, at some point, fantasize about flying a P-51 Mustang. Of course, these rare, expensive, and unforgiving aircraft simply are not available to most people.

Given the incredible success of the P-51 Mustang during the Second World War ... Even then, many of the parts necessary to get this one-of-a-kind aircraft back in the sky simply no longer existed.

A P-51 Mustang flies over Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C., during a 2015 event. (A1C Philip Bryant/Air Force) For the Allied forces, the skies over Europe from 1942 to 1943 brought ...