Spitting image

Looking left and right out the bubble canopy, laminar-flow wings with square tips complete a vision that’s entranced pilots for generations. Whether this view was delivered in person or through historical photos, newsreels, movies, or video games, the sights, sounds, and sensations of being at the reins of a Mustang in flight are deeply imprinted.

Light back pressure on the military-style stick grip raises the nose about 20 degrees into the blue winter sky and I lean into an aileron roll.

The airplane rolls crisply and quickly at a rate of about 120 degrees per second with light stick forces—and it’s here that the airplane I’m flying sharply diverges from an actual North American P–51D Mustang. The real thing requires heavy aileron pressure and rolls at a slower rate. Also, a Garmin G3X primary flight display with synthetic vision dominates this airplane’s instrument panel, and this stark break from the original version keeps me locked in the present moment.

Combining the best aspects of modern and historic aviation is the foundational idea behind the ScaleWings SW–51 Mustang. It’s a beautifully crafted, thoughtfully designed, ergonomically excellent, carbon-fiber sport airplane that’s also the spitting image of the world’s most iconic fighter.

Melding past and present has proved irresistible to SW–51 buyers. They get the ramp appeal of a Mustang, the finely balanced handling qualities of an aerobatic sport airplane, digital avionics, a turbocharged, fuel-efficient Rotax 916 engine, a silky MT constant-speed propeller, and the flexibility inherent in the experimental/amateur-built category.

I point the SW–51’s slender snout towards the Gillespie County Airport (T82) in Fredericksburg, Texas, where SW–51s are imported, assembled, and test flown at TacAero, a firm that specializes in tailwheel flight training.

No grudges

Christian von Kessel, the German co-founder and CEO of ScaleWings, explains his historically ironic decision to build an airplane based on an American fighter in purely pragmatic terms.

An entrepreneur and civilian helicopter pilot living in Munich, von Kessel, 43, and his team saw that the convergence between carbon-fiber technology, computer-aided design, and old-world craftsmanship offered the chance to produce durable, lightweight replica aircraft with unprecedented realism.

In 2017, ScaleWings surveyed prospective customers asking which warbird model was their favorite. Not surprisingly, the North American P–51D Mustang topped the list.

“It won by a large margin,” von Kessel says. “The others weren’t even close.”

Von Kessel and his partners harbor no grudges against the Mustang for escorting the U.S. bombers that destroyed German cities and strafed their native country during World War II. The company employees all were born long after the war had ended, and von Kessel likes to point out that the Mustang was designed by Edgar O. Schmued, a German/Austrian aeronautical engineer who emigrated to the United States via Brazil in 1933.

ScaleWings set up a factory in Poland to produce replica aircraft, and company officials were well aware that many other kit firms had produced miniature Mustangs without much market success. They believed theirs would be different, however, because it’s all carbon fiber, uses a modern Rotax engine, has a whole-airframe parachute, and contains two full-size seats.

“It checks a lot of boxes,” von Kessel says. “It’s a modern, reliable, safe aircraft that’s economical to operate, yet it also appeals to emotions. The idea of flying a Mustang is something that most pilots have dreamed about since childhood.”

That’s where ScaleWings’ astonishing attention to detail matters. Touch the airplane’s skin and you’ll feel rivet heads on the smooth surface just like an original aluminum Mustang. The rivets aren’t real, however. They’re elaborately molded into the carbon fiber. The exhaust stacks also are pretend along with the six machine gun holes in the leading edges of each wing.

The distinctive air scoop on the belly is made to exact proportions, and it performs a vital role on the SW–51 by directing air through the Rotax radiator, just like the original. It also creates a whistling sound in flight, much like a full-size P–51.

ScaleWings invested heavily in a production plant in Poland before it sold its first airplane. The company created a detailed mock-up to exhibit at events and began construction of a flying prototype. Company officials knew that the United States would be their biggest market, but when the 2020 COVID-19 outbreak shut down international travel, no one from Europe could come here.

The production prototype SW–51 was ready to fly in mid-2021, but there was a complication. The European “ultralight” category has a hard limit of 600 kilos, and the SW–51 was too heavy. The company registered the prototype as an experimental/amateur-built aircraft and made its first flights in the Czech Republic under E/AB rules.

In late 2021, as soon as the COVID travel ban was lifted, von Kessel traveled to Florida for a light sport aircraft show at Sebring.

“The only thing I brought with me was a carbon-fiber panel to show what the skin of the SW–51 would look like,” he said. “But people in the United States were enthusiastic about what we were doing. They have an appreciation of German engineering, and they were supportive.”

 He went to the Spruce Creek fly-in community and gave a talk to pilots there, and some of the people that seemed most interested in his project were owners of full-size P–51s. From there, he went to Ohio to meet with potential U.S. builders, and he made his first two kit sales.

“My one-week trip turned into a five-week trip,” von Kessel said. “It was very encouraging to a young company with a bold vision.”

The ScaleWings factory completed its full-scale SW–51 mockup and sent it to the Sun ’n Fun Fly-In at Lakeland, Florida, in 2022 where it got a great deal of attention. Von Kessel wanted to attend EAA AirVenture at Oshkosh, Wisconsin, that year, but finances were tight. Then a major manufacturer pulled out of the show at the last minute, and EAA offered ScaleWings a premium display space as well as an opportunity to fly the SW–51 prototype in the daily airshow.

“There wasn’t enough time to send the prototype by cargo ship,” von Kessel said. “The only option was putting it on an airplane, and that would cost 62,800 Euros [$69,700]. But when the universe presents you with an opportunity that big, you have to go all in.”

Von Kessel covered the shipping cost personally and helped load the prototype and mockup on a KLM 747 bound for Chicago. A ScaleWings team reassembled the prototype at Fon du Lac, Wisconsin, then flew it to Oshkosh where it became a sensation.

“Opportunity favors the prepared, and we were well prepared,” von Kessel said. “But we also saw that we had to make changes to our business plan.”

The biggest shift was launching a builder-assist program at the ScaleWings factory in Poland. Instead of simply sending kits to individual builders, company officials realized they could improve build quality and finish more aircraft by having customers take part in the factory construction process.

Builders travel to Poland for a few weeks where they earn FAA credit for each of the construction tasks they complete. Once they’ve done 51 percent of the jobs necessary to complete the aircraft, ScaleWings workers do the rest.

The finished aircraft performs taxi tests in Poland. Then it gets disassembled, loaded into a shipping container and sent to Fredericksburg where it’s reassembled, inspected by an FAA representative, gets an experimental airworthiness certificate, and undergoes flight testing.

ScaleWings has 75 employees and almost all of them work at the 24,000-square-foot factory in Poland. The company has sold 50 complete airframe kits, and 10 of them have been completed and are registered and flying. Six of those airplanes are in the United States. ScaleWings says it expects to complete 15 airplanes this year, and there’s a one-year backlog in kit orders.

“As long as the builder does 51 percent of the construction, the work itself can take place anywhere,” von Kessel says. “Including Poland.”

Mustang flight

Approaching the SW–51 for the first time is reminiscent of Gulliver on the island of Lilliput.

The 72-percent scale replica is almost perfectly proportional, yet its diminutive size relative to the original feels profoundly different. During the walkaround, noting the countless similarities and differences between it and a 1940s Mustang is natural, and distracting. Mentally jumping back and forth is so bewildering that I make a conscious effort to stop comparing them.

Climbing in requires one big step onto the left wing, unlocking the canopy, and sliding it back, then folding it over. The canopy mechanism is clever, and the Plexiglass and its frame feel solid and substantial.

Swing a leg over the front seat and stand on it, then grab the canopy bow or side rails and lower yourself down. The cockpit is 23 inches wide and has the feel of an F-1 race car. The seat is slightly reclined, and the airplane’s relatively high deck angle makes it feel even more laid back. A five-point seatbelt harness latches securely.

The electric landing gear switch and LED position lights are on the upper left side of the instrument panel, and the electric flap control knob is on the right. In case of an electrical failure or landing gear malfunction, the gear can be lowered using three release mechanisms, one for each landing gear. The fuel selector is on the right side of the sub-panel.  

Engine start is standard for a Rotax 916 with dual-channel EFIS. Activate both “lanes” and two fuel pumps, let the computers go through their checks, then push the Start button. The engine catches almost immediately and a graphical engine monitor on the left side of the PFD shows its health in colorful detail.

The view straight ahead is blocked by the nose, and a video camera with images shown on the PFD lets the pilots see obstacles. Clearing the area ahead requires S-turns because the video images, helpful as they are, provide no real depth perception.

I select takeoff flaps (position one) for takeoff, line up on Gillespie’s Runway 14, lock the tailwheel, and apply full engine power. Acceleration is moderate, as the turbocharged, 160-horsepower engine puts out 48 inches of manifold pressure.

Light forward stick raises the pneumatic tailwheel off the pavement at about 30 knots, and I hold a tail-low attitude as the airplane accelerates. The main wheels lift off at about 65 knots. The airplane accelerates in a 10-degree nose-up attitude, and I raise the landing gear, then flaps, as it accelerates to 90 knots.

Handling via pushrod controls is light, crisp, and responsive. The elevator is noticeably light when the rear seat is occupied and balanced when flown solo. The airplane is rated for +6 and -4 Gs. There’s no inverted oil system on the engine, so aerobatic maneuvers are limited to positive Gs.

Original Mustangs have a reputation for wicked departure characteristics, but slow flight and stalls in the SW–51 Mustangs are relatively benign. There’s considerable aerodynamic warning and a clean stall break whether flaps and landing gear are up or down, and little if any wing drop.

Visibility in flight is very good, and the commanding view, excellent situational awareness from modern avionics with terrain and traffic warning systems, and comfort make the experience of flying the SW–51 stirring and joyful.

Returning to the airport, I lower the landing gear at 90 knots or below, then make a descending 180 turn from downwind while extending flaps and targeting 85 knots on short final. A quartering, 10-knot headwind is just enough to make things interesting.

The SW–51 is well suited to both main wheel and three-point landings. The main landing gear are exceptionally wide apart, and nitrogen shock absorbers provide a firm, positive, and pleasing feel on touchdown. Lowering the tailwheel is the trickiest part of any wheel landing since the flaps tend to disrupt airflow over the tail, but a few quick taps on the rudder pedals keep the airplane tracking straight.

Once slowed to taxi speed, unlock the tailwheel, clear the runway, and slide the canopy open. Somehow, the fresh air seems sweeter.

'Sportbird'

Despite their striking similar appearances, the feel of flying an SW–51 is entirely different from a North American P–51. That’s not a surprise given the two airplanes’ vast differences in size, speed, power, and performance. Nothing else flies like a Mustang, and no other engine performs (or sounds) like a Merlin. There’s also no comparison, however, in the two airplanes’ acquisition and operating costs, engine reliability, spare parts availability, maintenance requirements, and insurance rates—all factors that tilt heavily in the SW–51’s favor.

The SW–51 is a unique and original combination of warbird looks and sport airplane feel: the first “sportbird.” It’s easy to imagine groups of pilots starting Mustang flying clubs to build, own, and operate multiple SW–51s together. 

Appreciating the SW–51 for what it is means evaluating it on its own terms. It’s a beautifully crafted, well-appointed, thoroughly modern, sport airplane, and it just happens to share more than a passing resemblance with the most admired fighter of all time.

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