This week’s short story challenge

This week’s short story challenge is a photo I took of a classic warbird – the North American P-51D Mustang.

Use the photo to inspire a 150-200 word super-short story – a proper one, with beginning, middle, end and punchline (all super-short stories gotta have a punchline) – and post it on your blog, with the prompt photo and a link back to this blog for others to pick up and join in the fun. Of course the story can be about anything.

P-51D Mustang, formerly of New Zealand's Territorial Air Force. — P-51D Mustang, formerly of New Zealand’s Territorial Air Force.

The Mustang was originally developed with an Allison motor, but showed only lacklustre performance. However, when fitted with a Rolls Royce Merlin – later license-built by Packard – it became one of the classic aircraft of the Second World War, long-ranged and able to take on the very best Axis aircraft and win – including, at times, Germany’s first jet, the Me-262. Chuck Yeager shot down two of them using a P-51.

The P-51 in the picture is the only flying example I’m aware of in New Zealand and was formerly used by the Territorial Air Force, which was equipped with them in the 1950s. And I have to say there’s nothing like standing near one when the Packard Merlin fires up, as in the photo here.