Stewart P51 Partners Offers Another Take on the P51

As far back as 1997, Jim Stewart had designed kitted a 70% all-aluminum replica of the iconic North American Aviation P-51 Mustang, known simply as the ‘P51’.

To the uninitiated, the P51 got its start in 1941, and is a single-seat fighter/bomber that saw great utility in WWII as well as the Korean War. Movies have been made about it, its an easily recognizable aircraft, and at a price point of $4 million or up for a used machine in ‘reasonably good condition’, it comes as no surprise that the option to have 100% of the fun at around 7% of the cost resonates with many! And of course, a certain sequel that was 36 years in the making and sporting a P-51 in a sunset shot at the end will probably add to the nostalgia!

Mr. Bill Hudgins shared with us that Jim Stewart originally came up with this iteration of the 70% scale model which originally used a big-block General Motors V8 power plant. When asked about cost, Mr. Hudgins stated that you’ll likely be about $500,000 by the time you put a complete airplane together with engine, airframe, propeller, and avionics.

The Stewart P51 uses a propeller speed reduction unit, and a Hartzell propeller. Mr. Hudgins stated that parts of the airframe were previously manufactured in the Czech Republic, and that they’ve been intentionally sourcing in the USA for some time.

As with all kit aircraft, time from order to fully flying varies based on level of effort. With full-time effort, it could be ready in less than a couple of years…factoring in the current FAA certification and processing delays. Thus far, they’ve sold about 70 kits, and approximately 24 or more are currently flying with others in various stages of production. The Stewart P51 is available as a Fast Build (factory assist), and they plan to offer a “Box of Parts” that will cost less than the Fast Build. Caveat: the builder will supply all rivets and hardware not used in the Fast Build kit.

FMI: https://stewart51.com