P-51D Landing Gear Door Question

[Electra II]

I'm building a P-51D sitting on the ground with its landing gear extended.

My question is: Are the inboard gear doors (the ones that hang under the fuselage centerline) open when the airplane is on the ground, or are they closed?

I have seen photos of the plane parked or taxiing with the inboard gear doors closed (link here: http://www.flugzeuginfo.net/acdata_php/acdata_p51_en.php )

and with the gear doors open (link here: http://www.mustangsmustangs.com/p-51/p51sf...16mar2003.shtml )

Which is correct, or are both correct? I'm confused!!

Thank you in advance for your help!

Cheers, and Happy Thanksgiving!

Mitch

[Ham]

Merlin engine Mustangs have the inboard gears up while power is on. They open only for the gear retraction and extension stages. So, if the aircraft is powered up, they will be retracted unless the gear is in motion. On the ground, with power off, the hydraulic pressure bleeds down and they will slowly extend. Sometimes they will extend asymetrically. The flaps will bleed down also on the ground on Merlin powered Mustangs. They will usually bleed down first, then the inboard gear doors.

Does that make sense?

[Electra II]

Thanks Ham! Yes that makes sense. So, I should opt to display the doors up if I have the flaps retracted?

Cheers, Mitch

(edited to include the flaps in the question)

Edited November 25, 2010 by Electra II

[John Krukowski]

Most commonly, and by far, you'll see either everything tucked up tight or everything hangin' down loose but take a close look through this photo gallery on the "Swiss Mustangs" site and you'll see that almost any combination is possible on a parked Mustang:

EDIT~ For some reason the link below converted itself to read "Visit My Website" but this is NOT, repeat NOT "my website"!!!

Visit My Website

Hope this helps,

John

Edited November 25, 2010 by John Krukowski

[Electra II]

Thanks for the info, John. My fear was that someone would look at my build and believe I had screwed up the gear door configuration.

Cheers to all! Mitch

[tourist]

on a P-51D you can position the inner doors pretty much any way you want.

one important detail to remember is that when opening or closing the left door started shortly before the right one.

[Jolly Roger]

Merlin engine Mustangs have the inboard gears up while power is on. They open only for the gear retraction and extension stages. So, if the aircraft is powered up, they will be retracted unless the gear is in motion. On the ground, with power off, the hydraulic pressure bleeds down and they will slowly extend. Sometimes they will extend asymetrically. The flaps will bleed down also on the ground on Merlin powered Mustangs. They will usually bleed down first, then the inboard gear doors.

Does that make sense? :D

What about Allison/Packard Mustangs?

[tourist]

Packard made the Merlins for the Mustang (not Rolls Royce).

On Allisons there was a locking mechanism that kept the doors up when the aircraft was on the ground.

They could be unlocked manually.

[Slartibartfast]

Same with the flaps.