Court Ordered North American P-51D Mustang And Other Aircraft Online Auction Starts On 6/2/2015 FYI only, no affliliation, yada yada.... Could fly again in a year and a million$....and a spare Merlin to boot! Oh, and a PT22 kit-of-parts, and a Tempco Swift too. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Hopefully the P-51 comes with the tail! That said, I can't imagine (on a relative scale) that it would be that hard to get that thing going again. P-51s have been rebuilt from a pile of rust and a data tag... What is the football thing behind the cockpit?
I hope they keep a similar paint scheme. That airplane has spent most of it's life in those colors, and yet whoever buys it will probably put it into some military scheme it wore for a couple of years... it would be cool to respect all that history.
With CGI not as much call for them in movies. Too bad. They are very good looking in some of the non military paint schemes though.
+1 I love warbirds in classy, colorful paint schemes. more pics: P-51 Mustang Survivors - MustangsMustangs.com Image Unavailable, Please Login
Were any of these assembled from spares in later years? This one bears a 1944 serial number but the FAA registration indicates a build date of 1958.
not trying to argue with you... but wasn't the paint job after the military history NOT respectful of history? So in otherwords... wouldn't the paint schemes after the first paint scheme be disrespectful?
Everybody is entitled to their opinion. In my opinion, it isn't in the military any more, and hasn't been for a long, long time. There is no reason to think it had any historical significance from it's military service. And, if you want to see a Mustang in military livery, there are many of them out there.
Agreed. That paint scheme is ugly. This is a war bird, paint like a war bird or at least a piece of military equipment as it was meant to be. AND for God's sake leave off the invasion stripes. Everything didn't have invasion stripes. The stripes were painted on with short notice and little time by brush and bucket. Rather crude instead of the carefully taped and sprayed. Usually quickly faded from flight and rain.
It has to be repainted either way. Personally, I like the scheme, although I might choose different colors. Have to see it in person to really know.
Yeah when was it originally painted like that, the mid 70's? Considering the color palette and patterns popular in the 70's bronze with a pretty subdued black "swoosh" is pretty subdued. I dig it
Remember, in the '50s and '60s, most of the flying warbirds of the time (far fewer than today!) were generally painted in civilian color schemes. When the warbird restoration movement took hold, the switch was on to authentic (or reasonably so) wartime schemes.
I still remember as a kid seeing the Miss America P51 and that paint scheme. was flashy and all but as a kid was awesome to hear and see.
Miss America paint scheme looked nothing like the mustang above.... at least that I remember... Unofficial Miss America Air Racing Site
When we were doing the Abottsford show in 1969, Howie Keefe was there with his Miss America. After his event was over, he landed without lowering the landing gear and we thought that something had failed. When help arrived he was sitting in the cockpit with a blank look on his face. Questions flew and when the words settled down, he looked up and sheepishly said, "I forgot to put the wheels down." Almost 20 years later when the airplane was being repaired from another incident a number 10 bucking bar was discovered in the radiator fairing that had been left there from the Abottsford repair.
You and I know someone else that did the same thing. Some say there are them that has and them that will.
Good story..... Abbotsford airport is about 5 miles from my house. I've been going to the airshow off and on since 77/8. This year two Mustangs are slated to perform a rare B variant and a typical D. Besides the Mustangs, there will be a Hurricane MK.XIIA and a Spitfire MKVc, a B25D, a CAF B17. Should be a good WWII era show. As for paint, originally they wore military liveries, they should always be kept original.