Check out this video of the restored P-51 Mustang Twilight Tear – testing the fully operational .50 caliber machine guns!
The aircraft is owned by Ron and Diane Fagen of Fagan’s Fighters, and can be seen at Fagen Fighters WWII Museum in Granite Falls, MN. She is flown regularly, and was a Grand Champion winner at Oshkosh in 2009.
The Twilight Tear is a real WWII combat veteran. On December 14th, 1944 she entered service with the 8th USAAF, 83rd Fighter Squadron. She was flown by pilot Hubert Davis from Duxford in England from where she took off to clear the skies over Europe of Luftwaffe fighters. She has three confirmed kills; two ME262 Jet fighters and one ME-109!
The restoration of the Twilight Tear started in the mid-2000s, and they went all in to make it a perfect example. The meant they had to hunt down six .50cal Browning machine guns to fit to the wings. This makes the aircraft one-of-a-kind, “fully operational,” because they were not deactivated! This P-51 Mustang has fully functional .50cal machine guns. Wow.
Fagen first had to get a license from the ATF to obtain and install them, adding the finishing touch to an already amazing restoration.
Watch the team install the .50 Cal machine guns and then test fire them on an improvised range with live ammunition!