OT: Mustang question for geeks (movie related)

[MRussell]

Can anyone tell me which Mustangs were used in the famous scene from Empire of the Sun? I'm only asking because the paint job on one of them looks familiar to me. Were either/any of them well known or did they race at Reno?

Thanks as always.

[W J Pearce]

Re: OT: Mustang question for geeks (movie related)

I believe both were painted like that for the movie and were from the Fighter Collection Duxford. I think the pilots were Mark and Ray Hanna and Hoof Proudfoot. Although different colors, the Lightning bolt paint job was used on JRS' Platinum Plus P-51 that did race at Reno (also on the cover of that new Rare Bear book). That paint scheme is form the Chinese-Burma-India TO.

All is off the top of my head so I can not say it is 100% accurate.

[Propellerhead]

Re: OT: Mustang question for geeks (movie related)

The Mustang pilots were Mark and Ray Hanna according to IMDB.com.

A/C used:

http://www.mustangsmustangs.com/p-51/survivors/pages/44-63788.shtml

http://www.warbirdregistry.org/p51registry/p51-4463788.html

http://www.mustangsmustangs.com/p-51/survivors/pages/A68-192.shtml

http://www.warbirdregistry.org/p51registry/ca18-a68192.html

[hm66sk]

Re: OT: Mustang question for geeks (movie related)

(also on the cover of that new Rare Bear book).

Is the book out now?

[W J Pearce]

Re: OT: Mustang question for geeks (movie related)

Is the book out now?

Yes, "Racing for the Gold: The Story of Lyle Shelton and the Rare Bear" by Dell Rourk.

See page 3, John Slack's post (number 27):

http://www.aafo.com/hangartalk/showthread.php?t=6714&page=3

[hm66sk]

Re: OT: Mustang question for geeks (movie related)

I know what I want for Christmas! Thanks for the link.

[gorace71]

Re: OT: Mustang question for geeks (movie related)

Can anyone tell me which Mustangs were used in the famous scene from Empire of the Sun? I'm only asking because the paint job on one of them looks familiar to me. Were either/any of them well known or did they race at Reno?

Thanks as always.

Just got around to the movie last week. One question, in ignorance. One shot had the Mustand dropping bombs. Were Mustangs fitted out with bomb racks? I thought that was left to the P-47, P-38 types.

Bruce Patton

[Stevo]

Re: OT: Mustang question for geeks (movie related)

Were Mustangs fitted out with bomb racks?

Bruce Patton

According to Wikipedia they were.

[kiwiracefan]

Re: OT: Mustang question for geeks (movie related)

Two part answer here:
Yes it was Ray & Mark Hanna that did the flying in Empire of the Sun, It was Ray who did the flypast with the Canopy back & waving, originally it was meant to be Mark, but the director decided to use Ray as Mark was a fresh out of the RAF 25yr old and looked a heck of a lot younger than he was. Both Ray & Mark in the conversations i had with them at Warbirds Over Wanaka the years they performed both said that doing the movie work was both great flying, yet was some of the more difficult as some of the directors wanted them to do something that the airframes werent capable of.
Mark also flew the L-39 off the mountain airfield in the Bond movie Tomorrow never dies. The airframe was trucked up to the airfield @ approx 8000ft ASL and reassembled, the runway was at the very minimum take off roll of the L-39, so it was a one take to get it right, lots of pressure and a difficult takeoff & sequence to get.....
AND...

Yes Mustangs had pylons on them, they mainly were used for drop tanks, but they could hang bombs off them, and the P-51 also could have up to 6 more stub pylons hung under the wings for 2.5" rockets if they were going ground pounding.....

[W J Pearce]

Re: OT: Mustang question for geeks (movie related)

I was inspired today.... In "Wings of Fame" Vol 1, the P-51 article by Bill Gunston and Robert Dorr, there is a picture of G-PSID and G-HAEC flying together. The caption reads "These are two of the three Old Flying Machine Co. P-51Ds which were used in the making of the blockbuster film treatment of J. G. Ballard's semi-autobiographical novel Empire of the Sun. They wear the markings of the 118th TRS, based in China during the war."

I did not know there were 3 P-51s used. I have not seen the film in over a decade (maybe two). Any one know if the caption is correct or what the other P-51 was.

As Kiwi has stated, bombs or droptanks (plus rockets). The P-51 was quite the ground pounder in Korea. By the way Kiwi, nice shot of Tiger's Blood. Are you associated with the team at all? Simon Gault and Chris Bromley make it out to Reno each year, although Chris was not able to this year.