Word: mustang
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Dates: during 1950-1959
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Under Wraps. As the first of the centuries, North American's F-100 is as great a leap over its F-86 Sabrejet of Korean war fame as the Sabre itself was over World War II's P-51 Mustang. Long and lethal-looking with 45° swept-back wings, the F-100 is the first operational fighter-and fighter bomber-to crack the sound barrier in level flight, broke the official world's record by flying 822 m.p.h. last year. Even then it was under wraps; estimates are that it can top 1,000 m.p.h. with...
...fast, hardy mustang...
...both an invasion and a rebellion: it came from northern neighbor Nicaragua, but the attackers were nearly all insurrectionary Costa Rican expatriates. It failed as an invasion because any invasion becomes international business, and other American nations cooperated to seal off the invaders and send arms-specifically four F51 Mustang fighter planes* to the victim. It failed as a rebellion because the rebels were inept and badly misjudged their own strength...
They fought in high spirits, but it was the Loyalists' two-man air force that really turned the tide. When the Mustangs reached Costa Rica early last week, not a single available Costa Rican pilot had ever checked out in what was World War II's hottest U.S. fighter. But two commercial pilots with the appropriate names of Victory and Guerra (War) had run up thousands of hours in tamer planes. U.S. instructors hastily briefed them on the Mustang. Less than 24 hours later they buzzed San José, back from their first mission...
...invaders' infantry and Figueres' volunteers met in a clash just north of Liberia. A few hours later, at 2 o'clock one morning this week, the council met again in emergency session and grimly voted to ask the U.S. to sell Costa Rica four P-51 Mustang fighters. That afternoon the planes were winging toward Costa Rica from Texas. Next problem for the O.A.S.: would that be enough to put out the fire...