[Willy]

and one more borrowed technology. The design for the Mustang came from a german aircraft designer I believe. :wink:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Schmued

Interesting link there HPD...

An urban legend has grown up about Edgar Schmued, possibly related to his German origins, claiming he had once worked for Willy...

Gotta nip this in the bud though, I never met the man, let alone employed him :mrgreen:

...and that the Mustang was heavily influenced by the Bf 109

This had to do with the RAF / British Air Ministry involvement with the Mustang design development. At that time the Brits had a Bf109E, originaly captured by the French during the Battle of France.

It is little wonder then, that benefiting from this input and when it eventually got a decent engine in the form of the superb British Rolls Royce Merlin, it became so famous.

Another thought I get from that is about the Kawasaki Ki61 Hien, as it to was designed with Willy Messerschmitt's classic 109 as a backdrop.

It's then interesting to compare the early Mustang with the Hien...