Don't even think about affording a real P-51 unless you win the lottery. Warbirds may be the biggest attraction at AirVenture Oshkosh year after year but only a few pilots have sufficiently deep pockets to own and fly one of these historic machines.
SW-51 is breathtakingly priced as well, many readers may think. Nonetheless, SW-51 is an awesome-looking flying machine that some will figure out how to afford.
Even more rare than a Ferrari, SW-51 is a very-limited-production design. The company forecasts a dozen aircraft per year. At that rate and given SW-51's exquisite detail, I'll bet they can sell out year after year.
Nearby images supplied by CEO Christian von Kessel of Scalewings Aircraft reflect the first deliveries of this oh-so handsome '51 replica. He reported…
"As of today, we have completed up to serial number 15, of which 5 are in flying condition. Some are kits in progress. At this time, owners can travel to ScaleWings' factory in the Aviation Valley of Poland to participate in our Build Your Legend builder-assist program," encouraged Christian.
It appears that after signing the contract, new owners personalize or memorialize their SW-51. Distinctive paint jobs may explain their intent better than words. Enjoy these professionally-shot images.
Christian von Kessel, or CvK, has lead ScaleWings for several years and has poured himself into the project. It's taken years but he has persistently financed and built the company to create these amazing aircraft.
"Our team has grown from 25 people in early 2022 to 72 full-time employees today," Christian said. "As a consequence of the increased staff, production ramped up to one ready-to-fly SW-51 every four to six weeks."
"Our fleet, including prototypes and customer aircraft, have experienced nearly 1,000 hours with zero problems, a testament to the integrity of design and systems," Christian noted. "We only had to perform routine maintenance at official Rotax intervals." He explained that even while aircraft were tested in both cold plus humid, hot, and high conditions, "cooling and engine parameters ran smoothly."
"While SW-51 is extremely true to the original look, ScaleWings' trailing edge is modified from the Original P-51 shape to allow for safe stall behavior, even in accelerated stalls," Christian stated. A special "polished aluminum“ paint finish has been developed for an even more realistic original look.
Heavy duty landing gear with generous suspension absorbs hard landings, said ScaleWings. "It helps makes the pilot look like a pro," smiled Christian.
Dual controls are offered in both front and rear to include power quadrant and prop setting. The SW-51 canopy allows an aft slide of 5-10 inches for ventilation; it then hinges to provide easier entry for the rear pilot or passenger.
A Garmin avionics suite features the big 10-inch G3X Touch EFIS with G5 in the front panel. The aft panel has a 7-inch G3X Touch.
Being a taildragger, ScaleWings incorporated a underside-mounted, forward-viewing taxi camera for a live view of gear extension or retraction plus more comfortable and safe taildragger taxiing.
Deluxe Beringer-brand brakes and wheels are fitted with Michelin aviation tires.
A bigger 4-blade prop in the works via a collaboration with MT-Propeller. Planned for the 916iS, it can use a larger diameter that will more closely resemble the large prop on a North American Mustang.
Christian finished with this thought: "Pilots who flew both types (P-51 and SW-51) told us the SW-51 in many ways is more fun to fly due to its intuitive controls, comfortable stick forces, ease of operation and forgiving speeds. The only thing missing is the sound and power of a mighty Merlin engine."
Okay, let's grapple with the cost of a SW-51. At better than $400,000, it's expensive, yes. Look very closely at this aircraft and you might appreciate why it requires such a price. "A ready-to-fly version of our SW-51 is available at about 10% of the acquisition cost and only 2% of the operational cost of an Original P-51," said Christian.
If $400 grand is outside your budget, one alternative exists: a kit version (see nearby image).
If you have skills and time, you could buy a SW-51 piece-by-piece. This 
At Sun 'n Fun 2022, we recorded this video interview on the SW-51. This was a live recording during the event so please excuse related airshow noises at the time.
https://youtu.be/B35mt7QwTlc?si=Ad_YhCO_eY0mthLV
Every pilot loves a P-51 Mustang, right? The World War II fighter with gutsy lines and a thundering engine turning a giant prop consistently ranks as one of the most desirable airplanes of all time. Don’t even think about affording a real P-51 unless you win the lottery. Warbirds may be the biggest attraction at AirVenture Oshkosh year after year but only a few pilots have sufficiently deep pockets to own and fly one of these historic machines. SW-51 is breathtakingly priced as well, many readers may think. Nonetheless, SW-51 is an awesome-looking flying machine that some will figure out how to afford. Even more rare than a Ferrari, SW-51 is a very-limited-production design. The company forecasts a dozen aircraft per year. At that rate and given SW-51’s exquisite detail, I’ll bet they can sell out year after year. Mount Your Mustang You can watch a video below from Sun ‘n Fun 2022 that provides additional and fairly recent detail.
One such example is a fascinating collaboration, in this case between two companies each producing a substantially authentic scale model replica of the famous World War II fighter. One has a market established over several years. The other has a spectacular new entry. How can you imagine the story ends?
Surprise! They decide to work together.
Christian von Kessel of 
As 
Ron showed active work on the project as they unveiled their new nose cowling at Sun 'n Fun. If you look at the earlier article you'll see they've made a quality upgrade. This happened when an automobile industry engineer with an interest in airplanes offered to assist Thunderbird. He was able to employ his skills including use of an auto company wind tunnel to refine the shape. As the nearby images show, the work reveals professional quality; the shape is excellent. Will it be all done by AirVenture Oshkosh 2022? No, but it'll be coming along this year, Ron is sure.
"Hummingbird is an innovative project designed and manufactured by Hummingbird Industria Aeronautica and distributed in North America by 
They promote reasonable prices: the two-seater around $75,000 and a single seater around $40,000 (but contact the company for current prices; shipping costs are at crazy levels). The two seat tandem model we saw at Sun 'n Fun had the 
You may love your LSA or Sport Pilot kit or an ultralight aircraft, but nearly all pilots occasionally dream of owning — or at least flying — a P-51 Mustang.
Let's face it. You probably can't afford to buy one and it's almost certain you don't have the budget to maintain it and fly it. The fuel bill alone for an hour's flying will make you gasp.
So, what do you do if you have a Walter Mitty-esque urge to own and fly a P-51 but you don't have a couple million laying around unused?
Why not build your own?
As you see from the timeline above, it has taken a while for the twists and turns of development to unravel themselves. Now ScaleWings appears to be firing on all cylinders. Recently, ScaleWings announced they starting shipping Quick Build kits (see nearby image).
Does it take so long to get such an aircraft ready? Well, yes, for at least two reasons.
First, a more complex design takes longer to go through concept, creation, alteration, testing, and gaining approval from authorities. After all that, the company can start building but this is also when the investment needs to be highest.
SW-51 began life as the FK-51. Alert readers will recognize that "FK" refers to FK Lightplanes, a German design company lead by Peter Funk. For years, Peter manufactured popular designs such as FK-9 that sold hundreds of units. Peter developed other designs including the biplane aerobatic Comet, the sleek Polaris LeMans, and several wonderful vintage recreations. His interest was in the creation and development of designs, though; Peter was less enamored of the manufacturing side of the business, so he turned to others.
A man named Rolland Hallam launched into building a series of the FK designs. It seemed to go well for a while and at Aero Friedrichshafen a decade ago, he created a sensation by introducing the amazing creation of the highly-energetic Hans Schoeller.
FK, working with ScaleWings as a consultant, hoped to build one a week starting as early as 2015. It never happened. Whatever the challenges Rolland faced, they proved insurmountable. Production of all FK airplanes slowed to a crawl. FK-51 went dark.
After Rolland bowed out, Hans joined up with younger entrepreneur Christian von Kessel, who found money and facilities and vowed to bring the now renamed SW-51 to market. That took time, but Christian kept after his goal.
SW-51 conducted a successful maiden flight and passed other technical benchmarks. Then Christian and Hans set about putting SW-51 into production. This is not a small project but they are now excited to announce they are shipping kits.
Christian and Sebastian recently sent news about ScaleWings Aircraft launching shipments of a “Quick-Build Kit” of the SW-51 Mustang.
Calling it "the world's most accurate P-51 Mustang replica at 70% scale," a standard SW-51 kit — with MTOW of 750 kilograms or 1,654 pounds — includes "the complete all-carbon body parts, control elements, seats, and the electrically driven retractable landing gear."
The company describes SW-51's unique feature: "more than 100,000 details (rivets, screws, etc.) of the original P-51 Mustang are faithfully worked into the carbon surfaces of the delivered kit, creating a near-perfect reincarnation of the legendary icon."
"This is beyond any previous kit execution in the market," said Christian and Sebastian. I'm inclined to agree for the singular fact of SW-51's incredibly authentic mimicking of the World War II original.
According to ScaleWings, the standard SW-51 kit includes:
So… can you afford this beauty? Nautrally, that depends on your individual budget. Kit prices reflect the work involved in fabricating parts.
In their "Launch Edition," Standard Kits start at €119,000 (about $138,000). The Standard Kit and optional packages can be ordered now at the 
Don't feel too conspicuous. It's happening to me, too, along with nearly everyone else. [
ScaleWings reported, "Aircraft serial number #001 took off at 11:37 am into a light cloudy sky." The all-important first flight went without problems.
"Chief Test Pilot Jirko 'Jiri' Hybler praised the balanced and highly maneuverable handling of the aircraft, managing crosswinds of more than 10 knots with superior control," continued ScaleWings. "Within the first flight hours all systems were checked to prove their functionality."
The company reported test flights included cycling up and down of the all-electrically-driven landing gear. First flight went exactly to plan and 35 minutes later, the aircraft landed safely.
"This first flight of the serial aircraft configuration of the SW-51 Mustang is an important milestone for our team," ScaleWings said.
The SW-51 aircraft program was launched in 2013, followed by a successful first flight of a “proof of concept” prototype just one year later in 2014. Since then ScaleWings has been working on both production processes for the aircraft and preparing the company's production site in Krosno, Poland.
The ScaleWings SW-51 Mustang is a true-to-scale high performance replica modeled precisely upon the original North American P-51 Mustang aircraft dimension but fully built from carbon fiber.
No question, SW-51 deserves the closest possible examination. This is an amazing construction.
SW-51 is an intricate eye-catcher featuring more than 100,000 details such as simulated rivets, screws, fabric and more that were meticulously handcrafted into the manufacturing molds. Even when you physically touch them, rivets and screw heads feel real. They're not; it's a marvelous illusion.
Schoeller's unique treatment combines with a high quality chrome-like finish, allowing SW-51 to almost-identically mirror the original's aluminum appeal. Without a doubt, this is an unprecedented execution beyond anything I've ever seen.
The aircraft is designed for up to 750 kilograms (1,653 pounds) gross weight, while it is currently being flown in a category limited to 600 kilograms (1,320 pounds) in accordance with prevailing European standards. The numbers show SW-51 could fit nicely into FAA's proposed Light Personal Aircraft but it could also stay a Light-Sport Aircraft. A fixed gear, fixed pitch prop version has been in discussion for some time.
With first flight in its logbook, ScaleWings said, "We will produce and deliver 5 aircraft in 2021 and 12 aircraft in 2022."
SW-51's configuration features a 
"SW-51 Mustang costs less than 10% to acquire, less than 1% to maintain and it burns less than 15% of the fuel of an original North American P-51 Mustang aircraft. That's a big savings but this is not an inexpensive kit.
ScaleWings SW51
Blackwing 600RG
JMB Aircraft Update
Fly Synthesis Synchro & Catalina
The stories from 
This article was 
Vendors in attendance logged steady demo flights to prospective customers. 
Airport manager Chris Collins forwarded more photos of the ceremony dedicating the SW21 Jet to the Mt. Vernon airport. Of the one with Jon Hansen reverently touching the main support for the aircraft he donated to the airport, Chris said, "I love this shot!"
In the lower image, Chris identified all the parties that helped make this unusual light aircraft display possible.
Many pilots who first set eyes on the SW51, a precisely faithful 70%-scale imitation of the famous North American Aviation P-51 Mustang managed to utter a single word: "WOW!"
Can you blame them? Look at this bird. The shape is classic and the detail is exquisite, finished down to the last rivet to mimic the famous World War II American fighter. Except, it's a kind of fake. I better explain.
We've seen this spectacular execution of Hans Schwöller before. It was then called FK51 and we reported it earlier in 
Thanks to his youthful associate, Christian von Kessel, SW51 has been refunded and reenfranchised, bringing it to reality. The earlier producer group stumbled and this amazing construction never reached market.
Can you handle a machine that looks this awesome? As you hear Hans and Christian state in the video, SW51 is easy to take off and land and docile in flight. Early test flight were done by a Lufthansa airline captain (image). In fact, other P-51 clones also boast relatively manageable flight qualities, unlike the North American original that demanded considerable training and good skills, according to those with experience in the powerful machine. (If you have extra time on your hands, you can 
For those ready for the hottest action, you can build the Experimental version and install a Chevy V-8 engine, but that's well beyond the scope of this website. If you're curious, though, ScaleWings says the airframe can take up to 600 horsepower.
The most distinctive quality of SW51 is its tight adherence to the original look, albeit it as a 70%-scale replica of the historic P-51 Mustang. The earlier report referenced above goes into more detail but I must repeat that although this looks remarkably like a riveted structure, it is not. SW51 is a carbon fiber execution of the original so true that a reported 100,000 rivets are molded into the finish. I saw people examining the example at Aero Friedrichshafen run their hand over the skin and they may still not have realized it was something of an illusion. Yes, it's that good!
SW 51 also bests the original with detachable outer wing sections that feature an autoconnect design; wing locking connects flaps, ailerons, pitot tube, electric and fuel lines. The developer reports the process takes one person a mere five minutes to complete.
If you want the LSA version, it will be supplied with a fixed gear configuration; the manufacturer understands what is needed for the U.S. market. For those that want the whole Walter Mitty effect with big engine and high speeds, 
Gulp! Can you afford this beauty? Budgets vary by person, but SW51 is roughly comparable to other higher-end Special LSA. In Europe, the assembled base price is about $182,900, though shipping to the U.S. and other countries will add expense. Yankees wanting the retractable version will indeed have to choose a kit, with the cost starting at around $140,000 for a quick-build version, however, this does not include the engine. A wide range is available if you kit build, up to a very powerful V8 engine. Given what you may be acquiring, those prices are reasonably affordable if you yearn for the full fighter jock sensation of flying your own 70%-scale P-51 Mustang lookalike.
Learn more on our video from 
(This article has been 
First named FK51, SW51 reproduces the 100,000 or so rivets and screws that put together an original World War II vintage P-51 Mustang. The work is all done in composite so those are not real screws or rivets but you'd have to be a P-51 mechanic to tell the difference, even when you put your hand on the skin to be sure your eyes are not deceiving you. SW51 is magnificent! "Every rivet row, every screw and every maintenance door matches the original plane," said creator ScaleWings. A reported 40,000 man hours have been invested.
Today, Jon Hansen of 
Developer ScaleWings said, "[Our] Mustang is an absolute true to original ... replica of the legendary P-51 Mustang." What was formerly called FK51 "will be produced in a complex but extremely strong carbon-honeycomb construction ... a guarantee for an extremely lightweight construction with maximum strength. [SW51] Mustang will look deceptively similar to the original Mustang in all surface details." To be sure structures and aerodynamics were professionally engineered, ScaleWings worked closely with the founder of FK Lightplanes, Peter Funk. Using his years of experience, Peter is responsible for the aerodynamic and static design, structure layout, dimensioning, load tests, flight tests and the certification of the SW-51 Mustang, said ScaleWings. This was a smart decision as today Peter focuses on engineering and new development after turning over manufacturing over to Rolland Hallam in Poland.
We see that yellow taildragger Cubalikes sell briskly in the USA where many aviators have a sweet spot for vintage aircraft. Yet none that I recall inspire as much interest as the P-51 Mustang, easily one of the most highly regarded aircraft of all time. The problem is that only a very few people can afford an original and probably even less are qualified to fly them today. This gives an opening to creations like the 1990s Loehle all-wood 5151 Mustang, the Titan T-51 Mustang 