Why is there a propeller in the picture?
They fly jets...
shareTom Cruise owns the P-51 fighter in the poster. He is rich and enjoys flying.
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MovieChat Forums > Top Gun: Maverick (2022) Discussion > Why is there a propeller in the picture?
Tom Cruise really does own a P-51 Mustang among a bunch of other aircraft but his P-51 is his favorite. I don't know if his has the North American engine or the much more powerful Rolls Royce engine. The P-51 was a badass fighter for it's day, one of the best ever.
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North American didn't actually make any engines - the first P-51s were equipped with Allison (div of General Motors) V12s. The later RR Merlin transformed it but most casual fans of this plane don't realize that the Mustang was actually faster than the Spitfire at low altitudes when it was first introduced with the Allison engine. The major difference between the Allison and the RR is the two speed two stage supercharger that the Allison lacked. The Allison engine was great below 10K feet but ran out of air above that. The Merlin's two stage blower made the Mustang a terrific performer even at 25K feet.