The all-time piston single speed record was set Saturday when Steve Hinton Jr. flew Voodoo, a highly modified P-51 Mustang, at an average speed of 531.53 mph over four runs at Clarks Ranch in remote central Idaho. His fastest run was 554.69 mph. His average speed beat Lyle Shelton’s record of 528.3 mph set in 1989 in Rare Bear, a tricked-out Grumman Bearcat. His father, a legendary race and test pilot, also set the speed record in the P-51 Red Baron in 1979.
Hinton Jr. had been trying to beat the record since early last week but weather and technical issues delayed the flight until Saturday. Hinton has flown the same aircraft to three successive Unlimited titles at the World Championship Air Races in Reno, Nevada, but there were even more modifications made to the Mustang for the record attempt. Even the distinctive purple paint job was removed to reduce drag and weight. Below is a Facebook video of the record run but better quality video is expected in the next few days.
