Two Cockpits, One Plane: The North American F-82 Twin Mustang

In this video, we talk about North American Aviation's F-82 Twin Mustang, the plane with two separate, functional cockpits. We discuss this plane's roots back in WWII, what important function it was to serve, why it never served that function, and what ended up happening to it.

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

This aircraft didn't become the F-82 until 11th June 1948. So, anyone looking up this aircraft might need to look for the P-82.

[@reverseuniverse2559]

Oh an the props were put on reverse which was an added headache to the pilot/S

[@anzaca1]

No, it's always known by the later designation.

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

@@anzaca1you more wrong than Wikipedia. The XP-82 first flew in June 1945. At this time F stood for Photographic Recconaisence not Fighter. It wasn't until 1948 until F became Fighter. At that time the P-82 became the F-82.

[@MonsieurPhilippe1]

Well, considering the fuel "efficiency" of jet fighters, the long-range escort role should have and apparently has held for quite a while with the SAC.

[@tedsmith6137]

@@anzaca1 Not in 1945 when it was still the P-82. The F-82 did not start till June 1948 when the newly formed USAF changes all P a/c to F a/c.

[@fantabuloussnuffaluffagus]

I believe the 14 1/2 hour flight by a propeller plane has been exceeded by the Rutan Voyager in 1986 when it flew around the world in ~9 days, nonstop.

[@gort8203]

Just to clarify, the F-84 could never replace the F-82 in its original role of long range escort. The F-84 escorted B-29s over Korea, but it was over a much shorter combat radius than the F-82 would have been able to fly.

[@Riccardo_Silva]

😂🤣😂Although not a very important feature in aircraft design, i think you are pretty right! This plane looked real cool! Very interesting video on a somewhat forgotten plane. Well done!

[@eskeline]

great video as always!

[@craigsawyer6453]

A nod to Cornel Jack Krout, perhaps having the most time in the F82. A man of great integrity, generosity, and intellect. He will be sadly missed.

[@Species5008]

What rank was he?

[@LA_Commander]

@@Species5008 He was a Cornel. He served in the Acorn Air Force

[@BlackHearthguard]

@@LA_Commander He was a Dogwood bush?

[@leeham6230]

He will be missed? Must have Fell on Black Days.

[@theVlKlNGR]

Now can we please get a video of the Messerschmitt Me Bf 109Z Zwilling? :)

[@merlesmith6794]

I like the loop antenna of the ADF on the left fuselage and the sense on the right. Those were the days.

[@barrybristow4646]

Love this aircraft.

[@eivindlunde7772]

F-80 should be the correct designation at that point (Korean war), as the USAF changed from the P-ursuit designation to the F-ighter when they became a separate branch in 1947.

[@marcusmaddenov2451]

These planes were stationed at Bergstrom AFB in Austin while my dad was stationed there.

[@the_unrepentant_anarchist.]

It'd be nice if you could keep us updated every now and then on the restoration of that last F-82, and if they managed to get it flying again... 👍 🍄

[@tedsmith6137]

It first flew in December 2018.

[@the_unrepentant_anarchist.]

@@tedsmith6137 He could've said that in the bloody video!! Thanks for letting me know- now I can go on a hunt for some footage- I'm sure KZbin will have some somewhere if I dig deep enough... 👍 🍄

[@cabanford]

I've read that it was the P-51s cruising speed that was the biggest issue, as the B-29 flew faster at cruise and the Mustangs burned fuel far too quickly trying to keep up.

[@gort8203]

Can you tell us where you read that? I find it to be unlikely. Not that I consider Wikipedia a definitive source, but it lists the P-51 as cruising 142 mph faster than the B-29, which is a significant margin.

[@cabanford]

@@gort8203 to be honest, I'm not sure where I read/heard that. But it was probably watching some of the clips on the restoration of the XP-82... But then again, I could just be wrong 🤪

[@gort8203]

@@cabanford Thanks

[@dukecraig2402]

It's the opposite, which actually made any escort fighter's burn excessive fuel trying to match speed with the slower bombers, pretty much all the fighter's had that issue.

[@simongee8928]

Allegedly some way in the USAAF during WW2 told a rookie bomber pilot that he would have the best escort. The RAF escorted them to the enemy coastline, the Luftwaffe escorted them to the target & back, then the USAAF fighters escorted them back to base. 😮

[@paulhowes5094]

My Uncle flew them in Korea at first. his story about his squadron got jumped by MiG15s was a nailbiter

[@reverseuniverse2559]

After a few hours of the first flight both pilots had a disagreement and parted ways and the original Mustang was born 🍋 it’s also believed that the original twins engine props mangled each other on the first test flight as they were placed too close together and they forgot to make an open hatch release on the inside cockpits and forgotten flaps

[@Dreska_]

If jets came later would this twin fuselage style design have become more common as an efficient way to mount 2 piston engines to a plane? It was done a few times but never seemed to go anywhere but I think had potential, at least in military applications.

[@dallisb1047]

One cool looking bird.

[@tyo8663]

Range aside, I'm curious as to how the F-82 compared to the P-38 &, for that matter, the Mosquito which also continued to be used after the war.

[@johndaly8060]

Appreciate the presentation. But I would adjust the comment that the move to jets killed this plane, Maybe 10 years later but at the time jets had no long distance capability so if you wanted 2k range you needed propellers.

[@malcolmcarter1726]

And the one which is in airworthy condition, is the first prototype, the XP 82 complete with Packard Merlin V 1650s!

[@kdrapertrucker]

Actually was preserved from destruction by Wally Saplata. Who collected a lot of abandoned warbirds in the course of his work.

[@JohnnoDordrecht]

Great video

[@googleuser3760]

Excellent video👍👍

[@BlackHearthguard]

Wasn't the Skyraider the last prop fighter/attacker used by the USAF and USN?

[@kevinflick61]

It would have been extremely interesting if you could have found out how the 2 pilots operated in combat; which pilot flew the plane and who operated the machine gun, etc. ?

[@BlackHearthguard]

I thought by the time it entered combat the second pilot was effectively a RIO?

[@anzaca1]

Whoever was flying basically operated as if in a normal fighter. The other pilot would simply be an observer.

[@marco-boss]

Inanimate objects. But very cool to see the different designs.

[@robot336]

THERE'S ONLY ONE THING MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN A P51 = TWO P51' s JOINED

[@flightforensics4523]

I think Tom Reilly in Georgia has an airworthy 82

[@indridcold8433]

I was thinking I needed glasses.

[@mattjackson5254]

I can personally confirm the gunpod is a laser

[@av8rdav]

The F-82 DID NOT come from 2 Mustangs. It was a clean sheet design and shared only a couple parts with the Mustang.

[@luvr381]

Packard V1650 engines were American-made.

[@brinx8634]

Good to know.....did the name "Packard" give it away?

[@kdrapertrucker]

You are not bombing Japan from the solomon islands they are just north of Austrailia. The bases for bombing Japan was the Marianas islands in the north pacific east of the phillipines. Namly Guam and Saipan.

[@ianb4801]

The Rutan Voyager, crewed by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, flew around the whole world in 1976 - using propellers A F82 surely doesn't hold a distance record, for propleller planes, at all

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

The record set by the P-82 was for a propellor driven fighter, a distinction that our presenter ignores. However, it might still be a record depending on the actual wording of the record set, some speed records are for flight around a specific course leg length at a given payload. However, the time taken for this distance has never been bettered by any piston engined aircraft.

[@givenfirstnamefamilyfirstn3935]

December 1986, a wonderful achievement. This video doesn’t cover how awful the F-82 and its production version’s engines were.

[@anzaca1]

​@@givenfirstnamefamilyfirstn3935Yes, he does.

[@ekspatriat]

@@neiloflongbeck5705 That's a pretty petty record then.

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

@@ekspatriat it's like boxing. You have different weight classes so that you get a fair fight by matching, as closely as possible, capabilities. The Rutan Voyager had a maximum take-off weight around two-thirds of that for a P-82 putting it in a different weight class.

[@brookeshenfield7156]

Aloha! - for the algorithm.

[@joeylawn36111]

I called it the "PP-102" 🙃😉🤣

[@carlyleporter5388]

Unbroken record? I see you're unaware of the Rutan circumnavigation trick.

[@dennis-nz5im]

Shame they didn’t turbo charge it, lots of used turbos from decommissioned craft, then a few feet of wing more, and two ball turrets and an upper machine gun instead of the second “ pilot “ . Crew of four and bristles with guns, scrap the 50 and take 20 mm auto cannon

[@1joshjosh1]

This plane aways confused me. 😁

[@tedsmith6137]

You should correctly refer to the Twin Mustang prototypes as XP-82 and all production planes as P-82 till June 1948. Thereafter they were redesignated as F-82.

[@lufasumafalu5069]

the korean pilots slaughtered this abomination so much they are pulled from korean theatre

[@stevecam724]

Not exactly a 262 hahaha!

[@thomasdykstra100]

Very informative, but your narration is too "sing-song", and grates on the ear...

[@catman4644]

You too? I was about to say something along the same lines!

[@Species5008]

Yeah? So does your whining

[@skaldlouiscyphre2453]

If this guy is 'sing-song' you'd hate listening to Scandinavians.

[@martydavies7198]

Cut it out you girls

[@Allan_aka_RocKITEman]

Great video...👍