Miniature fin fillets in the Mustang Mk Is

[Empiricist]

Hello,

As we know there was a block of the NA-83 Mustang Mk Is RAF serialled between AL958 and AL999. The first aircraft of this British order, AL958, was photographed during its maiden flight. Two pics of this aircraft are posted at the bottom including tail section close-up. In both pics AL958 serial can be seen.

I want to pay your attention to tail section and miniature fin fillet clearly seen at AL958. This element seems to be totally unknown in the other RAF’s Mustang Mk Is/Mk IAs pics not to mention later variants images. I do have various Mustang monographs US-, European- or Japanese-published none the less not one of them shows in their pictorials or plans this miniature fin fillet in the RAF early Mustang variants as can be seen at the AL958 specimen.

I would like to ask all Mustang lovers for your comments. Do you know other pics of the RAF’s earliest Mustangs with such fin fillets or AL958 is one-specimen phenomenon for the tests for example? Was AL958 a kind of test bed equipped with such a miniature fin fillet or there was a little more such aircraft?

Thank you very much in advance for all interesting comments.

Best regards

Aerospace Empiricist :-)


http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/1135/1wa1.jpg


http://img414.imageshack.us/img414/9179/2ck8.jpg

[Artist]

What I belive you are looking at as a "miniture fin fillet" is the shadow of the normal fin. Bob

[Empiricist]

Hi :-)

The problem is in fact that there is lack of a source for such a shadow the more so that it is clearly seen at that pic that behind small fin fillet fuselage surface runs in typical manner for the whole Mustang family.

No source for such a shadow because early NA-83 and NA-91 are finished in this place totally other, much deeper down to fuselage, than at that pic, exactly as can be seen below at the manufacturing line of both NA-83 and NA-91.


http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/7338/1pj0.jpg

[Tony Kambic]

I concur with Artist. The sun is almost directly behind and above the aircraft and casting the shadow of the vertical stabilizer. Notice the shadow of the horizontal stab. and the carb scoop.

[Artist]

You must look at the other shadows. Beiing an artist this is one of the first things I look for. ( the light source) You can see the light(sun) is coming from behind the aircraft. Not only what you are looking at as a wing fillet but look at the shadow from the air scoop on top of the cowl. See how it forms the same type of shadow? Coming from the same light source. Under the horizontal tail surface to, keep looking and you will see what I mean. Bob

[Empiricist]

Hi Friends

OK, I feel convinced, most likely you are right. What a devil's trick with this light... :-)

Thank you very much for your comments.

Best regards

E.