P-51 Voodoo 480 MPH Qualifying Run! RENO 2017

Apologies for the music which cut in during the start of the first lap; Airshow Audio decided to test the sound system right as Voodoo took the course, much to the dismay of the many spectators and media.
Piloted by Steve Hinton, Jr. at the 2017 STIHL Reno National Championship Air Races, the highly modified P-51D Mustang "Voodoo" currently sits at the pole position after posting a fast qualifying time of just under 480 MPH. Recently stripped of its iconic purple-and-checkerboard paint, Voodoo was painted bare white in order to shed as much weight as possible for an attempt at the 3km Piston-Powered World Speed Record, a record which Team Voodoo set at 531 MPH. Congratulations to the team and to Steve! Team Voodoo will now attempt to beat out another highly modified P-51D, Strega, to defend its Unlimited Gold title.

[@Pylon5Productions]

*NEW* video from the *PYLONS* of 2017 Unlimited air racing! Check it out: kzbin.info/www/bejne/sH_amn2Ne9Rmjas

[@easttexan2933]

for the life of me I cannot understand air show promoters who insist on having music drowning out engine sound. IMO they have never understood that people come to air shows to hear engine sounds and not carnival music. I actually had words with one of them at an air show in Galveston, Texas in 1969. He didn't start playing the music until the CAF warbirds started taxiing in front of the grandstands. After my tirade he turned it off I can assure you.

[@Pylon5Productions]

I really can't explain it either. Nobody shows up to an airshow to hear anything but the music that's already provided--the music of Merlins and radials! Especially at a place like Reno, which is pretty much the only place you can hear a race-modified warbird tearing around the track. Kind of bums me out that they chose to test the sound during qualifying, because I absolutely love the dead silence with the twisted howl of a motor across the desert from you. If you watch my video from last June on the fenceline you'll know what I mean; the calmness of everything being shattered by one ear-splitting shriek...

[@michaelghent5554]

I agree with your comments completely. Almost as bad are the commentators who prat on non stop when all you want to hear are the sounds of the aircraft. Must be ex announcers who are terrified of "dead air".

[@WSUIN02]

My favorites are the guys who jabber at top volume all the way through each demo. STFU, dudes-nobody comes to the airshow to listen to you.

[@Daehawk]

Bah I loved hearing it. I told my wife it was strange hearing it over the PA at an air race though heheh.

[@klausschreyer7062]

Are you fn kidding Music at Airshow While a P51 is Flying that's a FN Insult these morons have no Fn clue their drowning out the Gorgeous Sounds of that Magnificent Airplane. That's like playing Carpenters during live Synphony playing Beethoven's 5th

[@Kneedragon1962]

Wow, that's awesome! Consider, that aeroplane was built in 1944. When it was brand new, it had a Packard Merlin making about 1,500 hp, and it was good for 450 mph (roughly) at 20,ooo ft. At about 4 ~ 500 ft, or 100 ft off the ground here, it was good for about 350 ~ 360 mph. 75 years later, it's 200 mph faster, and 1,500 has become about 5,ooo. A few days after this, Voodoo attempted a world airspeed record. It did break the existing record but by less than 1% so the old record stands. It was running about 540 mph. Now you may not see that as a miracle if you don't know engineering or mathematics, but that is incredible. You think NASAR is where petrol heads belong, you ain't seen (or heard) nothin! When Dago Red, or Rare Bear, or Voodoo, or Precious Metal go over your head a hundred feet away, travelling at 500 mph, in a 40 degree bank and pulling about 4 G average... That's rev-head heaven! That's 70 years of trial & error tuning on those engines. A Keith Black Big Block makes as much power, perhaps a bit more, but it has no cooling. It delivers max power for less than a second and gets shut down. This engine is running at full boost and full power for about 6 ~ 10 minutes continuous. It left the factory in 1944, with 4 valves per cylinder, double overhead cams, driven by bevel gears and shafts (just like a 1970s Ducati.) It had sodium filled hollow exhaust valves, to carry away the heat, and it had screw-in valve-guides, because the sodium filled exhaust valves worked, and those phosphor-bronze valve guides lasted about 10 ~ 12 hours. It ran water or water-methanol injection, and air to water intercoolers, to cool the charge. MOST of the tuner boy tricks we know today, including using acetone (nail polish remover) as the fuel, were tried first on this engine. Every tuner boy and modifier and hot rodder and ricer boy and go fast lad, owes more to this engine than he can imagine, because about 3/4 of all the go fast tricks you know, were used on the Merlin first! And 70 years later, we're still figuring out ways to get a few more horses out of them. kzbin.info/www/bejne/oJnEYmudmc18bLs

[@c2jones]

At the end of the war the Brits were tweaking the Merlin for the late Griffon Spitfires with some amazing results. Of course no one tweaked this like North American with the P-51H-5-NA, the pinnacle of propeller-driven craft. But this Voodoo appears souped up beyond even that.

[@stacase]

I don't know nuthin' 'bout all that, but that was a great post (-:

[@blusoda0021]

​@@c2jonesI think the engine is based on the Merlin, however I'd assume very little of the Merlin remains as I read somewhere that it pushes 3100hp, however that's the first and only time I've seen it's hp number so I could be wrong .

[@czoom51]

Rolls Royce only produced as much as 2600hp from their best Merlin test engines at the end. What you are seeing is small civilian groups that developed over several decades the best version of the Merlin that can produce over 3,000hp from the same 27L engine. @@c2jones

[@czoom51]

Most of it is late/post war Merlin variants. The Transport 500 series Merlin, as well as -23 supercharger that was used in the F-82, but also Allison V1710 connecting rods (also from the F-82 that used G6 version). @@blusoda0021

[@wippip]

We’ve got a P-51 stationed only a couple of miles away at Oostwold Airport in the Netherlands. The ‘Damn Yankee’. Flies over every now and again. One of the most beautiful things man has ever made.

[@JDK73772]

I used to be stationed at A.A.S.F. 13 right there in stead and loved the fact that the races were held there.. Just stepped outside of the back door of my tool room and there was a pylon. The unlimited war birds were and still are my favorites.

[@DullesPlaneSpotter]

This P-51 is insane! Wasn't expecting that amount of sound.

[@TheSirjohn2012]

This P-51 is modified to a top speed of 500 m.p.h. and you can hear what engineering has done to this plane.

[@rafaeltorres2886]

Its all modified I was there that weekend My first time up close the wings and all the surfaces are so smooth and the wings are clipped and engines sounds unbelievably strong, this is no ordinary 51 its all about speed.

[@Pylon5Productions]

500 or so around the Reno course, in a straight line or a dive it’s good for well beyond 500. The first pass in the world speed record run was logged at 544 and change!

[@jacobaubertin645]

2:59 One of my favorite sounds EVER!

[@derekstegall9811]

Sounds good but those radial engines dont sound to bad either

[@ikshields]

Yeah, the Carpenters were great....😃

[@frankieford7668]

That Merlin Engine is Music enough at 470 plus Mph... Awesome...!

[@MrGTO-ze7vb]

There is NOTHING like the Reno Air Races..!!!

[@skyking228]

Isle of Man TT?

[@frisk151]

There was nothing like the Reno Air Races..!!! :(

[@r08800]

The pa guy needs a high five... over the back of his head...with a chair lol

[@tearsofrageclan4143]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/fHWzfqCXfbydZ6s

[@r08800]

Tears of Rage Clan ha ha ha I was waiting for sounds of planes to come over the top of that. XD

[@hughes2397]

A steel chair lol!

[@nor4277]

75 years its still one of the most favorite planes ,of flyers and fans ,and it even shoot down early jets .I been a fan all of my life.

[@erikabarber4868]

I love you, Trevor F. Always have, always will. Thank you for introducing me to the P51-D Mustang, all those years ago. It will always be "our plane"...❤ RIP and fly high today...the Earth cannot hold you.

[@ralphpeabody9101]

That's fast...love that sound too

[@robertkinholt621]

P51 Mustang and Corsair we're called whistling Death back in war day's. Nothing like it,

[@c2jones]

F4U called whistling death. Never heard the term applied to P51. Both astonishing planes.

[@backpackerthrulife8497]

I hear that incredible roar as it passes and just can't believe those big Merlin pistons are reciprocating that fast. Also can't believe the speed!

[@Bigskyguy56]

Absolutely Beautiful. The P-51 is 1 of , if not , the most Beautiful aircraft ever deigned & built.

[@cornell3206]

Great video thanks !!

[@danawilkes6174]

This brought back memories of a P51 from the Riverside, California area in early 1963. We lived about 3-4 miles from the airport. A bunch my friends (around 20 of us) from the neighborhood were all out in the street playing baseball, when we saw the P51 flying around (which was common back at that time). He must have seen us (as he seemed to be circling us) we were all trying to get his attention, and we did. He went up aways and did a dive bomb attack right at us. I remember you could not really hear the engine until he was right over us. It was mesmerizing. Something from long ago. I loved the sound of the P51's then and now...

[@barrycuda3769]

That would have been a real treat 👍

[@barrycuda3769]

I've always been keen on Ww2 aircraft 'my father was in the RNZAF (New Zealand air force) and flew in pby catalina's in the Pacific ' he told me about seeing Kittyhawks ' corsairs 'p38's 'airacobras etc ' he was actually lucky 'he never came into contact with the enemy .Anyway' I would have been keen on these planes with or without his involvement ' especially p51 Mustangs and spitfires . In the late 1990's he went to a wardbirds show with me which was a great event ' but we went back later in the day when all the crowds had gone home ' and along with a small group of other people still there ' we were privileged to see a spitfire doing repeated dives on us' and coming in so low you could make out the details of it's underside ' probably comparable to your experience with the Mustang. 👍

[@tedhernandez2714]

Lets keep focused here. It' not about the music. It's about this awesome P-51. Fast is an understatement!!!! Wow!! Thanks fur the vid!

[@Pylon5Productions]

Thanks for watching sir!

[@gearheaddesignz]

Amazing sound! Great Video!!!

[@Icepacalapse]

Geeze.....why not play "muskrat love" to complete the experience.

[@ikshields]

Rofl

[@NarleyAdventures]

Libs are disgusting.

[@gotrox1]

My dad serviced planes as a jet engine mechanic and retired from the U.S. Air Force in 1968 at age 40. He was rather young when the Mustangs were in use and loved P-51's. We moved to Savannah, GA and he retired again from Gulfstream Aerospace assembling G-4's. He loved Karen Carpenter; especially that song. If you listen to the lyric content, it's actually a great song for flying. I'm on the top of world looking down on creation! He played the cassette on his truck player, next to his Cobra CB radio with his 1969 "Golden-Spike" commemorative edition Winchester 30/30 rifle hung on a gun rack in the rear window with his long CB antennae whipping in the wind. He lugged around an old WW1, 7'ft. wooden prop he somehow obtained during his AF career. My uncle ( retired Navy), had a custom cabinet shop and we took the prop to him to get it sanded and polyurethane coated and mounted a battery operated clock in the center hub. The brass rivets shine bright till this day! It hung on the dining room wall for years. Dad passed in 2017 at age 90, 7 months after mom passed. My brother still has the prop. Any buyers? Knowing my brother, he'll use it for firewood.

[@AUS29568]

Thank goodness.

[@Scotta1atgmaildotcom]

I love that old war bird.

[@Tree_Dee]

The very definition of "a lovely thing."

[@rollingrock5143]

"Thank goodness." You and me both, bro.

[@sski]

Not a Carpenters fan, eh? LOL Voodoo makes a glorious sound.

[@kodiakwood4924]

That was the cutest most badass thing I have seen!! I’m on top of the world!!!!

[@MrMatt1138]

Love that sound on take off!!😗

[@jfingerskeys]

thumbs up to the voodoo team looking good guys

[@craigpennington1251]

That music problem is at fire works displays also. I haven't been to one since they started that crap in 1977. As for the Mustang called VOODOO WOW what a fast ship it is. Good luck on the continued success of this fabulous bird.

[@55Diddley]

Can you imagine if our pilots had this kind of speed with P-51's in WWII ? What an amazing intimidating sound!

[@robertjones1543]

I had never heard of This plane until recently.and i cant beleive how fast it is.i always thought the mustang orthunderbolt was supposed to be the fastest fightet but my god this thing is incredible

[@atatterson6992]

You do realize that this was born a "Mustang" correct? I wasn't sure based on the way your message is written... 😊

[@dks13827]

Awesome. Simply awesome.

[@Pylon5Productions]

Thanks for watching!

[@ikshields]

At last, the titanic battle between the mega-speed Mustang and Karen Carpenter! 🤣✊🏻

[@andrewvida3829]

Lovely. Fast. Loud and screaming... What more is there?

[@alexalvesjr]

great video!!!

[@holish.t]

Damn the sound is epic

[@faerieSAALE]

RARE BEAR TURNED IN A QUALIFYING SPEED OF 480.644 IN 2015. STILL THE FASTEST.

[@raderrollins8104]

No sense risking the Merlin for qualifying in 2017. Rare Bear owners no longer spend the money to campaign it

[@francoisjacobs5892]

Amazing Machine

[@robertvanvugt3371]

He be hauling the mail in these passes!

[@umami0247]

Come on how does that not send chills down the back of your neck!! And look at that DC-3.

[@johnosbourn4312]

That's one fast pony!

[@bigtroglodyte]

When that Mustang passes the sounds make it so much more bad ass

[@Pylon5Productions]

Big Troglodyte love the username (and I agree, thanks for watching)

[@phorewhoresman1897]

No guns, no whistle. Imagine being a German and having that roar plus muzzle whistle coming at you...whether ground troop or pilot.

[@1G_G1]

...and the love that I've found is that f''king Merlin sound...classic!

[@my_dear_friend_]

Great music.

[@richardalexander5758]

Impressive to see a WWII bird still competitive after 70 years.

[@Pylon5Productions]

Warbirds rule!

[@c2jones]

@@Pylon5Productions I wish someone would restore and modify a Dornier Do 335 Pfeil and give it a whirl at these events. Probably isn't a single one left.

[@m0ther_bra1ned12]

Sound of the sky being ripped open!

[@pointnozzleaway]

when the first guy to greet you after that run is wearing flip flops....

[@danr5105]

When I look at these racing variants I try and pick out where they have changed (of course for the better) the "lines" of the original design. One part. The cowling on either the Allison engine version or the Packard/Merlin version in original configuration was a work of art. The cowl design was still improved on during the war years (improve on a work of art?). Now after so much research we see that there still were improvements to be made to this almost perfect from the beginning airframe. Hey. Why no crewmen riding on the wing giving the pilot steering clues?(while taxing) I think we all have seen the films (the one Clark Gable was in one,Combat America) where crewmen were doing just what I described earlier.

[@linavo6445]

Dan R v

[@Pylon5Productions]

Voodoo is an especially radical departure from other Mustangs, even other racers. If you can spot the differences in the wing's trailing edge, and the angle of incidence, between Voodoo's wing and that of another Super Stang like Strega, you can see what modifications were made in between 2016 and 2017. Additionally, the engine mount and cowling area has a modified thrust line so that it is more in line with the fuselage, in an effort to create less drag. Its truly incredible to try and spot all of the small modifications that really make a modern air racer.

[@LAVIDAESUNA.GOZALA]

Wow... ea verdaderamente na joya... es increíble su potencia... con su motor preparado con más HP de lo normal

[@scottsmith491]

That music should never be herd in public again!💀

[@neroshadowmoses]

BEAST

[@johnwedrall7149]

Cool lookin plane ! 😎👍

[@SuperTruck1]

damn thats an amazing plane!!!

[@tucowept]

Thank Goodness

[@dathanhinton7911]

SO LOUD I LOVE IT

[@davidsike734]

I liked having Ann Murray singing in the background. ha ha

[@jtsjc1]

She's beautiful!

[@Pylon5Productions]

Sure is!

[@Duality.12]

Merlins sound so magical bro

[@PaddyPatrone]

"are you kidding me?" lol, i guess you were refering to the music? It seems like your microphone has proplems to handle loud noises? Nice footage, keep up the good work!

[@Pylon5Productions]

Yeah, it was pretty disappointing to hear the music start coming through the speakers. They had been silent all day, and then for some reason Airshow Audio decided to test the PA *right* when Voodoo came out of the chute. I just got a new microphone and while it sounded better than what I was using before, I know exactly what you're talking about. Still working out the kinks, hopefully I'll have it tuned by the time gold heat races start. Thanks for watching!

[@rampking1]

The guy who played the Carpenters still alive ???

[@Pylon5Productions]

Someone actually pulled the plug on the nearest speaker because they were so fed up with it. Airshow Audio wasn't too happy when they discovered it.

[@Paiadakine]

PylonProductions Can't drown out the glorious ripping sound at 3 min and 4 min.....

[@rampking1]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/fInRf4ZoZbyapNU

[@tom7601]

What a Glorious "noise!"

[@seanbuckner1213]

great song

[@im2p]

Yeah, this is real sound!

[@willowwisp6401]

GOOD they cut the music befor AAAAAAGH they started playing the music again!!!!

[@bill45colt]

i like the excitement and all involved in keeping these birds airworthy,,, but still there is a part of me that hates to see them modified,,,in any way. Time will come when none are in the skys and we will wish we could step back a bit to recover at least a few that we chopped up in the process.....some neat machines there

[@Pylon5Productions]

I understand where you're coming from...but I have to disagree. More and more of these "modified" racers are being turned back to their 'stock' configurations (see 'Critical Mass,' 'Ridge Runner III,' 'Stiletto,' etc.). There are really only 2 super-stang racers in existence at the moment (Voodoo and Strega) in complete form. The trend is certainly moving in the stock warbird area rather than the modified racer form.

[@MrKevinjones03]

Holy s;;;;! That sounds awesome!!!!!!!!!!,

[@Pylon5Productions]

Right!? Maybe a little too awesome for my microphone! Stay tuned for more footage (from the pylons this time!) in the coming weeks! Thanks for watching.

[@midnight_.v]

Beauty of a Red Tail . Looks Like Aviations Muscle Car

[@curtisjordan5303]

That engine is a monster

[@A.J.1656]

When did Voodoo get the new livery? I used to fly to Yolo and see it outside the hangar occasionally. That was bak in 2015.

[@chpman2013]

1:11 that Red Tail mustang =)

[@loganwgriffith]

I would rather see that one

[@Hector_Malot]

It is regrettable to see these wonderful hunters, unique piece and witnesses of WWII, transformed into “circus beasts”. This is a lack of respect not only for these magnificent machines but also for the pilots who died for freedom.

[@peteroreilly8060]

Wow that is quick

[@titaniumcassowary]

1:45 wow, is that a DiamondJet?!

[@blancolirio]

479 MPH!

[@Pylon5Productions]

And an epic Gold Sunday to cap it off!

[@mistysowards2361]

blancolirio ...really??? At 100ft ??? Un fukn believable lol amazing

[@Pylon5Productions]

Both Voodoo and Strega eclipsed the 500MPH mark that week...and on the last lap of Sunday's Gold race, Steve-o in Voodoo was easily 50 feet or less off the deck...

[@graderdaddy]

blancolirio 8

[@Daehawk]

@Randy Crick Fastest is a modified Mustang at 554.69 MPH . Come to think of it it MAY have been Voodoo with Hinton at the wheel.

[@EricIrl]

Nothing like The Carpenters as a soundtrack to Voodoo.

[@skyking228]

not a cloud in the sky...

[@kc5hgv]

Good luck song Voodoo will probably win the Reno Race. That is a fast plane.

[@hughes2397]

The Carpenters... Yeah, that is pretty bad. That's just plain torture!

[@76NightProwler]

I can understand playing something with some balls like AC/DC or Megadeth for watching powerful prop driven planes fly by but the Carpenters? Wow that’s some next level mind fuckery.

[@davecrupel2817]

@@76NightProwler these people really are clueless.

[@charlesparr3296]

Got that Rolls Royce Merlin skin't all the way back. Listen to that thing scream!!!

[@crrestoration]

2008 Travis AFB show Voodoo wore a beautiful paint scheme, what happened?

[@kidynamite58]

A Voodoo flyby with the Carpenters? Bonus!

[@NitroGnome]

Prop sound is insane loud!

[@jerrysanders4209]

What a beauty *

[@mustangflyer6878]

Voodoo's 480 mph qualifying speed is only 43 mph faster than the production P-51D Mustang's top speed. Unbelievably impressive for a 76 year old aircraft that was designed and built using slide rules!!!!

[@czoom51]

And that is 480 in a steady state turn on a very tight course. Not straight and level at high altitude.

[@james66872]

Very nice

[@Pylon5Productions]

Many thanks!

[@skny2282]

Love the Merlin’s noise at 3:00 and 4:02. ME262 was 120mph faster than P51D. Now this modified mustang is 60mph faster than the original. Half way to go to match the 262 jet.

[@MichaelDouglasSkewes]

What was the DJ smoking? Those planes are beautiful looking and sounding!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@peterruiz6117]

Loud seventees music and a diesel truck could not ruin the mist FANTASTIC ROAR of that plane. Incredible. What idio-moron-tic luni-tickk thinks we want to hear a song while the most fantastic piston engines plane roars by ?!?

[@MichaelOZimmermannJCDECS]

That Merlin sound is magic...

[@Chopstorm.]

Prof. Michael O. Zeee JCD ECS Not a Merlin.

[@Pylon5Productions]

Definitely not a stock Merlin, but a Merlin no less. Made by Vintage V12s in California.

[@TheSirjohn2012]

And it flies at 500 m.p.h. too

[@ValiRossi]

Probably a Griffin. edit: I looked it up. Its a Merlin. I wonder if the Griffins require a counter rotating prop?

[@backpackerthrulife8497]

Unbelievable the power, and sustained too.

[@modshaman]

I'm liking that White paint job with a little hint of VOODOO up front

[@alphasxsignal]

WOW he is flying LOW and FAST

[@C17Inspector]

A Murphy Moment!

[@herkloader34]

Behind every good airshow is a commentator or music to fuck it all up.

[@jennifercaresssmith7956]

Haha love it!!!!!

[@BreakerPointsCarburetors]

Great video. I see what you mean with the music...doesn't really go with the event all that well. I see the same thing at tractor pulls. I want to hear the engines screaming and the anouncers won't stop yappin

[@Pylon5Productions]

Thanks for watching. Yeah, sadly the qualifying days were treated as a sound check for the audio folks...which I guess made sense for them, as they wanted to check their levels against the sound of the airplanes before the event officially kicked off for spectators. But for those of us that knew how special it was to have the dead silence shattered by one screaming Merlin, it was beyond frustrating. I'll have some video of the Bardahl Special putting down a 470mph qual lap this year, using the motor Voodoo had in this video, coming to the channel soon. Fortunately no music to ruin it this time.

[@leonardhopper857]

Oh, that sound!! Late '70's, Lake Washington, Budweiser versus the Pay-n-Pak, before the whine of turbines took over. Yeah, they were skimming across the water but just as sweet.

[@philipeldredge7136]

wow.. Merlin is angry TODAY!!!!

[@robarell3758]

What ever happened to Dago Red? I seem to remember that one being pretty fast as well.

[@Pylon5Productions]

No one really seems to know what the deal with Dago Red is. It is supposedly in a semi-complete form in some hangar, but I couldn't say for sure.

[@rudolphferdinand3634]

What is the location of the area where this is at? I lived near Reno, NV air races back around 1987.

[@raderrollins8104]

Reno-Stead airport, the one and only place the races have ever been. So sad that COVID-19 cancelled them this year

[@Paul942277172]

Beautiful American Aircraft..................