ScaleWings SW-51 Is So Real, It’s Surreal

The shout in the headset was urgent, insistent: “Red Three, break right now! Bandits on your six.” Without thinking, the stick and rudder went hard right with back pressure loading some three Gs in a steep bank as the Mustang pivoted on its right wingtip. In seconds I’d completed a 180 and was scanning the sky for the bad guys. 

Nothing.

I held the turn and tightened it, pulling over 4 Gs, breathing hard, looking, hyper alert, finger on the trigger on the stick, ready for anything. After completing a 360 and rolling level, the blistering blue was still empty. No Messerschmitts, Focke-Wulfs, or Zeros anywhere.

Of course, there weren’t. I was over central Texas in a modern airplane that looked like a P-51 Mustang down to the rivets on its carbon-fiber airframe. I was being introduced to the 72 percent P-51 replica, the ScaleWings SW-51 by TacAero master tailwheel instructor Ross Harwell. 

I was rapidly learning that the SW-51 was incredibly light and responsive on the controls, unlike the P-51, which requires some muscle when maneuvering at speed. Plus, the view from inside the SW-51 was consistent with that of the 1940s flying machine that was arguably the best piston-engine fighter in World War II. 

I was also having a ball flying a sport plane with a cruise speed that means it is a viable cross-country bird, has the ability to use backcountry airstrips, yet cruise in the flight levels, carries two in comfort, has cutting-edge avionics, looks and sounds like a P-51 but is without the challenging low-speed handling and nasty stall behavior of the genuine article. 

The Basics

I was introduced to ScaleWings personnel, the SW-51, SW-51 owners, delivery position holders, and potential owners at the ScaleWings Mustang Fightertown Gathering in Fredericksburg, Texas, over Veterans Day 2025. The overwhelming feeling among those present was one of passion for the original P-51 Mustang and ScaleWing’s 72 percent replica. The passion was reflected by Christian von Kessel, CEO and co-founder of ScaleWings, during several conversations. 

Founded by a small group with a strong background in engineering, aviation, design, finance, and management, ScaleWings was determined to build a successful replica WWII fighter with the necessary performance, appearance, reliability, and handling to make it in a market where many others had failed. Headquartered in Munich, Germany, the group made use of the latest advances in materials, construction techniques, avionics, and CAD programming to build a replica of what it considered the best and most popular of WWII piston-engine fighters, the P-51D. 

First flight was in 2021, followed by flight testing, production and marketing of kits, and establishing a builder assist program at its factory in what is referred to as the Aviation Valley of Poland near Krosno. As of that Fightertown event, 37 aircraft had been delivered and 56 delivery positions sold—an additional four were sold at the three-day gathering. 

Von Kessel told me that the combination of German engineering, old-world craftsmanship, and high-end components easily available in the U.S.. such as the full-FADEC Rotax turbocharged 916iS engine, MT propeller, Garmin avionics, and high-end Beringer brakes have made the airplane attractive in the American market. Thus far, the fleet has completed 2,000 flight hours and 4,000 landings. 

The factory has a full-time team of 82 artisans, as von Kessel referred to them, and a cycle time of three weeks with 16 deliveries expected in 2026. ScaleWings no longer sells kits, as current buyers go through the builder assist program at the factory where they complete 51 percent of the airplane as required by the FAA. 

Once a U.S. buyer has completed 51 percent of the build, ScaleWings artisans complete the assembly process. The wings are removed outboard of the landing gear, and the airplane is loaded into a container and shipped to the American delivery and training center—
TacAero in Fredericksburg. There it is assembled, inspected, the experimental certification requirements completed, and airworthiness certificate issued. TacAero personnel then complete the required flight testing. 

The buyer goes through training by TacAero—which specializes in tailwheel training—to a proficiency level that meets TacAero’s requirements and that of an insurer ScaleWings works with to obtain favorable rates for SW-51 owners. 

ScaleWings has entered the certification process with the intent to deliver production airplanes under U.S. certification requirements. Von Kessel said that the new MOSAIC rules should streamline that endeavor. The SW-51 is a mostly electric (the only hydraulics are in the brakes), 12-volt airplane powered by the two-in-one alternator system of the Rotax 916iS engine. For IFR-approved airplanes an additional alternator is added. 

The standard fuel system consists of two wing tanks holding 22 usable gallons of fuel. Optional auxiliary tanks increase the total by 16 gallons. Because the engine is fuel injected, it takes in more than it burns, returning the excess to both main wing tanks. Accordingly, the fuel selector is kept in the both position unless there is a need to balance the fuel. 

The optional parachute ballistic rescue system (BRS) is mounted between the firewall and forward cockpit frame. If it is not installed, lead weight equal to that of the BRS is installed for weight-and-balance purposes. 

Maximum gross weight for the SW-51 is 1,874 pounds, although von Kessel said that testing is underway to increase that to 2,100. The airplane I flew had a useful load of 461 pounds. With full fuel, it could carry 329 pounds in the cabin. 

The SW-51 is a Garmin airplane with three options for the front and rear instrument panels—silver, gold, and platinum. The silver panel included a 7-inch G3X Touch, analogue backup instruments, Trig TY91 radio, and choice of transponders. The gold panel moves up to a 10-inch G3X Touch and G5 along with a Trig TY91 radio and transponder choice. The platinum panel features a 10-inch G3X Touch, G5, GNX375 with transponder, Garmin 245 audio panel, G507 autopilot, and Trig TY91 radio. 

On the Ground

I can’t help it. Every time I see a World War II fighter, I get a visceral thrill—and it’s somehow more intense with the P-51 Mustang. 

I vividly remember the first time I saw one. I was 15 and it electrified me. I’d read everything I could about the P-51—its frantically fast development at North American Aviation as WWII raged in Europe and Asia; its dismal performance with the Allison engine; and the stunning performance obtained after people listened to Rolls-Royce test pilot Ronald Harker and caused a Merlin engine to be hung.

I thought that I’d died and avoided going to my just reward when I was fortunate enough to take dual in a two-seat P-51D three decades later. I learned, as had so many thousands, of its Cadillac handling, heavy rudder forces, and smooth control. I also learned firsthand—fortunately at high altitude—of the Mustang’s vicious stall behavior. 

Walking up to six ScaleWings SW-51s on the ramp at Fredericksburg, the old, wonderful feeling of excitement welled up inside. I tried to be casual about it—hey, this is only a 72 percent size replica. It’s not full size, but it’s certainly not small. The nose is well above me, and during the preflight I must reach up to open cowling fasteners to access the oil dipstick and the coolant quantity sight gauge. 

The top of the cowling includes two screens to release warm air when the engine is running on the ground and a NACA scoop that directs air to the intercooler. The 12 short-stack exhaust pipes are not just decorative. They are hollow and pull hot air out of the engine room in flight. Harwell guides me through the preflight where I can’t help but marvel at the accuracy of the reproduction of features and components of the P-51, as well as its superb fit and finish.

Getting under the airplane and intimate with the wheel wells and wing center section, one sees how clean the design is. The electric gear motors are easily accessible, the carbon-fiber push rods for the ailerons and elevator are clearly visible and demonstrate almost zero friction when moved. The ability to mold complex curves with carbon fiber is obvious in the radiator air intake scoop and throughout the airframe. Not only does the carbon-fiber airframe exactly mimic the joints between the aluminum skin of the P-51 and its rivet patterns, the rudder appears to be made of fabric, just like the original. 

Getting into the SW-51 is not difficult. The canopy slides aft about 10 inches and then folds open to the right. Once on the wing walk, swing your right foot over the canopy sill and step on the seat. Then step down to the cockpit floor and, while holding onto the canopy sill, let yourself down into the seat while sliding your feet forward to the rudders. The seats are not adjustable, but the rudders are. At 6-foot-4, I could fit easily into the front seat. In the rear my feet were pushed against the rudders. 

The seats are made by Carlex Collector Cars in conjunction with ScaleWings. They are beautiful upscale leather seats that are impressively comfortable. Both seats have a five-point restraint system, something I’m glad to see from a crashworthiness perspective as there is little flail space in the event of a quick stop. 

Flying It

Once strapped in, start-up is classic, easy Rotax. Turn on the electrical power, ignition, and fuel pumps. Let the computers do their checks and hit the starter button. It invariably lights instantly. 

As with the P-51, the nose of the SW-51 blocks the view directly forward, but pilot visibility in three-point attitude is better than in a Cessna 195 or Beech Staggerwing. Nevertheless, when not using the optional taxi camera mounted on the coolant air scoop on the belly, S-turns are necessary when taxiing. 

Taxiing proved to be standard tailwheel with good steering without slop or delay and help from the Beringer brakes that engaged smoothly. There was no sudden grabbing, lockup, or fade as can be the bane of fighters and trainers from the WWII era. 

Flaps are set at the “1” position (15 degrees) for takeoff, and the aircraft is taxied into
position to straighten the tailwheel and it is then locked. 

Sliding the throttle full forward generates 48 inches of manifold pressure and 5,800 rpm. Acceleration is quick but not overwhelming—ground roll is about 1,000 feet. The rudder immediately makes it clear that it is responsive to the slightest pressure. Right rudder is most definitely needed, but the controls (in all axes) are so light that the rudder pressure needed
requires little effort. 

The tail comes up on its own, and the Mustang flies off at about 65 knots. The gear is retracted immediately to stay below its 90-knot operating speed, and the flaps follow soon after as the rate of climb shoots up, toying with 2,000 fpm. I’m initially overcontrolling in pitch, working to hold speed within 5 knots as the controls are as light as anything I’ve flown. 

As I adjusted, I rapidly came to revel in the amazingly quick and effective control responses. The electric trim atop the stick helped turn holding speed in a climb or altitude in level flight into a one-finger-and-thumb-on-the-stick affair. Full power is limited to five minutes, after that max allowable rpm is 5,500 to hold the 135 hp maximum
continuous power. 

Level at 5,000 feet on a standard day, I saw a true airspeed of 152 knots while burning 8.5 gph. Von Kessel had said that when his team was designing the SW-51, it did a great deal of research on the P-51, including aerodynamics, handling and stability, and control. The team also was concerned about the airplane’s stall characteristics and designed the SW-51 to make its stall behavior mild by changing the design of the wing trailing edge.

The work paid off. When doing slow flight, I found the SW-51 to be stable and easy to control, clean or dirty. There was noticeable buffeting before the stall, with the break being mild and clean, with only a hint of a roll-off. Holding the stick full aft to keep it stalled caused the nose to bob up and down and the airplane to try to roll left or right, but it could easily be controlled with rudder inputs. 

The SW-51 airframe is stressed for six positive and four negative Gs. However, the Rotax engine will only tolerate half a negative G, meaning positive-G acro only, no slow rolls. Spins are not approved.

As we descended toward the pattern, Harwell and I discussed entry and the need to slow to the 90-knot gear speed. He noted that reducing power slightly and imposing some G loads will scrub speed quickly, so I kept the Mustang moving on the 45-degree entry to the downwind, then pulled the throttle back about halfway, rolled into a 45-degree bank, and pulled before rolling out on downwind. The speed bled down to 85 knots, and I dropped the gear. 

Shortly afterward, we were abeam our touchdown point, and I followed Harwell’s recommendation to select full flaps—position three, 35 degrees—and enter a 180-degree descending turn toward the runway. Flap travel is slow and there is no discernable pitch change, just a steady increase in drag, requiring power and pitch adjustments. Harwell recommended 75 knots over the fence, which worked well. 

While learning where the wheels were on my landings, I touched down sooner than I expected on both of my wheel landings, leading to a bounce each time. The controls are so effective at low speed it was not difficult to flare again and complete a wheel landing. The rudder stays effective during rollout, which combined with a locked tailwheel, means that the airplane is fully controllable so long as the pilot is willing to do the necessary work to keep it straight. 

I made one go-around in the flare, still curious about low-speed handling. It was a nonevent. Right rudder pressure took care of the left-turning tendency as full power was applied, and there was no tendency to pitch up as there is with some airplanes on a full-flap go-around. 

After landing the tailwheel is unlocked and the post-landing chores are completed before taxiing back to the ramp and shutting down. The prop stops instantly and, yep, that really is a four-bladed prop up there and a Mustang nose in front and Mustang wings on each side. 

Safety and Training

After debriefing my flight, I was walking past the SW-51 still feeling the excitement when I nodded at two men looking at the airplane. As I passed them, I heard one say to the other, “It’s a toy.” That bothered me. Such an attitude is nonsense and potentially dangerous. 

While SW-51s may be second and third airplanes for well-off pilots, they are high-performance flying machines that cannot ever be considered a mere toy. My flight made it obvious to me that the SW-51 must be treated with great respect and a pilot well trained before being turned loose with one.

Visibility is limited on takeoff and landing, and the controls are quite light, something that can lead an untrained pilot into PIO (pilot induced oscillation) on landing or takeoff. The rudders are effective, meaning that they will respond right now to inputs, and if the pilot makes the wrong input, they are going to take the airplane off the runway in a hurry. 

ScaleWings has teamed with TacAero at Gillespie County Airport (T82) in Fredericksburg  to provide intensive initial and recurrent training to owners. I think that it is extremely important that owners have access to quality instruction for training to proficiency so that they can truly enjoy the capabilities of their SW-51s safely.

ScaleWings has created a sport aircraft that should meet any pilot’s minimum daily requirement for fun while being a capable backcountry machine and one that will pick up its feet and travel extended distances VFR or IFR at comfortable speeds and sipping gas. Plus, it looks just like a P-51, and you’ll get to use “Mustang” in your radio calls.

Fightertown II: A Hangar Hotel and a Big Prop

I was confused as to what year it was—and it was all ScaleWings’ fault. The company arranged for its second Fightertown gathering at the Fredericksburg, Texas (Gillespie County, T82) airport. Not only is it home to TacAero, its American training and delivery center, but adjacent is the 1940s-themed Hangar Hotel, an airport diner, and Tiki Bar. 

Fightertown brought together current SW-51 owners, buyers awaiting their time to travel to Poland for the builder assist program, and prospective buyers and people who simply think Mustangs are cooler than humanly possible. A common theme was bringing childhood dreams to life. Two owners had wanted to own a P-51 for decades. As prices increased, the ambition seemed further away. The SW-51 has made it possible for them to affordably own an airplane that is a dead ringer for a P-51 and operate it without going bankrupt. Another buyer expressed the feelings he had for vintage aircraft and how he is now getting a reliable airplane with a connection to history. 

At a gathering in the Tiki Bar, ScaleWings CEO Christian von Kessel admitted to the crowd that one shortcoming of the SW-51’s appearance is the propeller—it’s skinnier than it would be if it were built to scale. Von Kessel announced that not only does MT Propellers have the original Hamilton Standard materials on the props for the P-51, the company had so much confidence in ScaleWings that it agreed to manufacture a propeller that is true to scale. He then pulled off a parachute covering the prop of an SW-51, revealing the true-to-scale prop. Now the SW-51 is even more of a dead ringer for the P-51. In addition, von Kessel said it will increase the rate of climb by 300 fpm. 

As Fightertown wrapped up, I replayed conversations I’d had with Bruce and Terri Campbell, who arranged to paint their SW-51 to match one of the “Red Tail” P-51s flown by the Tuskegee Airmen. They’ve been flying it to Tuskegee Airmen functions, where they give rides to young people to help them understand the contribution and courage of the famous fighter group. The Campbells told me that they felt that they owed a debt to those pilots, and this is their small way of repaying it. They couldn’t have picked a better airplane to use.

Spec Sheet: ScaleWings SW-51

Price as Tested: Aicraft flown “Tulsa Time,” current market approximation $615,000

Engine: BRP-Rotax 916iS, turbocharged, fuel-injected, liquid cooled, FADEC-controlled

Propeller: MT-Propeller, natural-composite, 4-blade, hydraulic constant speed

Horsepower: 160 hp (up to 18,000 ft., turbocharged)

Length: 22 ft.

Height: 9 ft.

Wingspan: 26 ft.

Wing Area: sq. ft. 118

Wing Loading: lbs./sq.ft. 16

Power Loading: lbs./hp. 11, 7

Cabin Width: 23.3 in.

Cabin Height: 49 in.

Max Takeoff Weight: 1,874 lbs., current 2,100 lbs. (in testing phase)

Max Zero Fuel Weight: 1,850 lbs, 2,000 lbs. (in testing phase)

Standard Empty Weight: 1,355 lbs.

Max Baggage: 40 lbs.

Useful Load: up to 600 lbs., depending on options

Max Usable fuel: 39 gal.

Service Ceiling: 23,000 ft.

Max Rate of Climb: 2,000 fpm

Max Cruise Speed: 165 ktas at 10,000 ft., 180 ktas at 15,000 ft., 194 ktas at 20,000 ft., 202 ktas at service ceiling (23,000 ft.)

Max Range: 800 nm

Fuel Consumption at Max Cruise Power: 8.5 gph

Stall Speed, Flaps Up: 54 kias

Stall Speed, Full Flaps: 48 kias

Takeoff Over 50 Ft. Obs: 950 ft. [ISA, sea level]

Landing Over 50 Ft. Obs: 1,150 ft. [ISA, sea level]

This feature first appeared in the February Issue 967 of the FLYING print edition.