Short range Twin-Mustang

[Tophe]

Without "very long range" P-82 feature, no need of second seat and huge span to hold extra tanks.
Two engines are useful for speed, and an asymmetric layout reduces asymmetry if one engine fails:

This was tested as (secret) prototype but cancelled when the official requirement changed, concerning range.

[ericr]

 

[Tophe]

Thanks!

Once the asymmetry principle was accepted, of course further could be done in this direction:

[Tophe]

Three engines were drinking a lot of gasoline (thus range was small) but provided the highest speed:

[PR19_Kit]

NEARLY a Tri-Stang.   

[Tophe]

You are right, your TriStang at https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=37049.150  was also a Mustang with 3 tails and 3 engines, but 3 fins and 2 seats and 4 propellers and huge range (instead of my 1 fin and 1 seat and 3 propellers and small range)

[Tophe]

The next version was still different: 2 fins for 3 tails, low lateral fuselages and high central fuselage with cockpit:

[Tophe]

The general Tophe Sr answered "triplex-boom may be accepted if tremendous special performances but I prefer twin-boom", and this led to the following version:

[Tophe]

Alas, the good general Tophe Sr was not the deciding one, and the final decision was belonging to General Boring (aka General Goring before he changed his name to make the difference with the European evil Goering). And General Boring said: "OK for 3 engines and 2 fins but a single fuselage is the best for all Mustangs!". He died soon later or else: the mass produced P-82 would not have been twin-fuselage

[Tophe]

When general Boring passed away, general Tophe Sr suggested that a double prototype is tried, and that was the true final basis of the XP-82 Twin-Mustang (with then big range requirement, so only 2 engines, a second pilot, a small tailplane with only 2 fins to decrease drag). Anyway, the 5-engined 2-tail 3-fin Mustang XP-82-00Z was the fastest Mustang ever, tanssonic!

[Tophe]

Of course, being a general, my grandfather Tophe Sr was less pacifist than me, and (before focusing on maximum speed) he required a version with a nose like the P-38, even if there is asymmetry:

[Tophe]

Far from the P-82 program, there was another Twin-Mustang prototype, not long range: the Twin-Tail-Mustang XP-54A. The Vultee XP-54 was the famous winner of the competition XP-54/55/56 (single-engined pushers), but the USAAF refused the mass production arguing: "we are not confident in this pusher propeller behind the pilot, we prefer a tractor propeller but still with a free nose like on the P-38", that is why the XP-54A was designed and tried:

[Tophe]

Another very different Twin-Mustang prototype was push-pull. Also: huge speed, very little range: