"Gentlemen, you have a race!"
- R.A. "Bob" Hoover

One of several Mustangs flown by the late Bob Hoover, N51RH served as the official pace plane for the Reno Unlimited air races from 1971 into the mid-1990s. It also served as Hoover's personal display aircraft and was flown in many airshows and demonstrations across the country.

As the pace plane, "Ole Yeller" was the leader of the formation of racers, right up to the drop of the flag, when Hoover would pull up away from the field with the famous words "Gentlemen, you have a race!". Hoover was assigned the race number 47 for this purpose, though he never raced as a competitor.

However, Hoover's P-51 remained airborne for the entirety of each race, as he circled overhead and acted as the race's safety pilot, providing advice and assistance to competitors in the event of an aircraft emergency.

Bob Hoover's Mustangs flew in a variety of markings, but the most well-known was the yellow and green "Ole Yeller", with Hoover's name in large letters across the upper wing surfaces.

Image credit: MustangsMustangs.com

Controls

AG 1: Canopy
AG 3: Wing lights
VTOL: Flaps

All other controls are standard.

Credits

Jundroo (base P-51-D)
hanleehan03 (Text Stars)

Numerous modifications were made to the Mustang. However, since my goal was not to completely rebuild it, most major details are the same as the original, and the entire aircraft has simply been "cleaned up" a bit.