This is a clip from the movie I posted about earlier, "Empire of the Sun." I was looking for a graphic showing the Kamikaze being shot down by the P-51's as the American forces moved deeper into China at the war's close and couldn't find one but did find this video clip and just thought I would post it.
Having met and talked to some of the WWII P-51 pilots and having seen the aircraft perform at air shows - I can say the plane really was the pinnacle of propeller aviation innovation before the jet-age began and it did outperform many of the early jets and was in use by air forces up into the 1970's. Although personally I would like to see an F-4U corsair fly. Though nearby in McMinnville the Evergreen Aviation Museum houses one of the largest aviation collections in this half of the U.S. including the Spruce Goose and there is an F-4U on display but I've never gotten to see one fly. Mostly P-51's and T-6's and the ocassional P-47 from WWII, though I have seen B-17's, B-24's and B-25's there just isn't much left flying from those ages. If you get the chance to see them - go do it! I have seen the last Japanese Zero that was actually used in combat over Japan (I was told) in the world at a U.S. Naval Air Station in Japan (Atsugi).
