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The North American TF-51D 44-72483 in its new livery ar Airmotive Specialties ( Photo Airmotive Specialties Inc )

The Airmotive Specialties Inc. workshop, located in Salinas, California, unveiled this week the first photos of the P-51D Mustang “Hel-eter” in its new colors. This marks an important milestone in the restoration of this aircraft, whose return to airworthy condition has been underway for several years and is expected to lead to a new first flight within the next few weeks.

The aircraft, which has been converted to the two-seat TF-51D configuration, now sports a livery inspired by P-51D 44-72577 on the Pacific theater. Bearing the code 527 painted on the fuselage, it is expected to receive the “Hel-eter” nose art on its engine cowling.

This Mustang, serial number 44-72483, has a rich history: delivered to the USAAF on January 23, 1945, it was assigned to the 354th Fighter Group of the 9th Air Force, where it carried the tactical code AJ-R. After the war, it was transferred to the Flygvapnet, the Swedish Air Force, as Fv 26087, before joining the Fuerza Aérea de Nicaragua (Nicaraguan Air Force), where it flew under the code GN85.

Brought back to the United States in December 1963, it was long mistaken for another aircraft destroyed during the conflict. It was only in 1966, thanks to the efforts of David Forrest, that its true identity was officially re-established with the FAA.

The P-51D 44-72557 Mustang Hel-Eter (Profile © Gaëtan Marie / Bravo Bravo Aviation)

The aircraft then began a new civilian life, changing hands several times before being acquired in November 1975 by Dan Martin, a seasoned pilot and well-known figure at the Reno Air Races. Registered as N151DM, the Mustang was restored and flew for more than three decades under the name “Ridge Runner III” (P-51 Mustang Survivors – P-51D-20NA 44-72843), in tribute to Major Pierce W. McKennon, ace and leader of the 4th Fighter Group. Dan Martin flew the Mustang in many editions of the Reno Air Races.

After 37 years of ownership, Dan Martin sold the aircraft in June 2011 to Pat Harker, based in Minneapolis. Harker launched a complete restoration, entrusted to Airmotive Specialties, with the goal of converting the aircraft to TF-51D standard while restoring an appearance faithful to its original military service.

Today, thanks to the meticulous work of the Salinas team and the passion of its new owner, the Mustang “Hel-eter” is preparing to take to the skies again, nearly 80 years after it was first built.

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North American P-51D-30-NT 45-11518 G-CLNV on its maiden flight at Sywell ( Photo © Peter Green )

On Friday, August 25th, at Sywell in the United Kingdom, English pilot Pete Kynsey conducted the first post-restoration flight of the North American P-51D 45-11518, registered as G-CLNV on the British civil register.

Restored by Air Leasing Ltd, led by Richard Grace, this P-51 was built in 1945 and was taken over by the Royal New Zealand Air Force in August of the same year, where it was given the serial NZ2427.

P-51 Mustang NZ2427 in RNZAF service (© Gaëtan Marie/Bravo Bravo Aviation)

Stored until 1952, the Mustang flew until 1958 before being stored again for many years and acquired by Sir Tim Wallis and his collection, The Alpine Fighter Collection, in Wanaka. It was eventually sold to Maurice Hammond of England in 1997.

North American P-51D-30-NT 45-11518 during its RNZAF service ( Photo RNZAF via Anthony Galbraith)

Reconstructed over a four-year period, the new first flight took place on June 14, 2001. Operated by the Hardwick Warbirds collection, the P-51 unfortunately suffered an accident on October 2, 2016, seriously injuring its pilot/owner Maurice Hammond and resulting in the passenger’s death.

North American P-51D-30-NT 45-11518 in its former colors (Photo © Richard Paver)

Purchased by Graham Peacock in 2020 and his collection, Fighter Aviation Engineering Ltd, the P-51 was modified to the TF-51 two-seat standard. Its new livery represents that of a Mustang from the 23rd Fighter Group, 75th Fighter Squadron, based in the China-Burma-India theater.

North American P-51D-30-NT 45-11518 G-CLNV during its maiden flight at Sywell (Photo © Nigel Harrison)

There are now a total of eight flying Mustangs in the United Kingdom.

North American P-51D-30-NT 45-11518 G-CLNV during its maiden flight at Sywell (Photo © Nigel Harrison)

World Warbird News extends its sincere thanks to Peter Green, Nigel Harrison and Anthony Galbraith for allowing the use of the photos that illustrate this article.

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The North American Mustang Mk 23 “Duffy’s Delight” (serial A68-170, registered VH-SVU) of the Royal Australian Air Force Museum recently made its first engine runs since the engine was returned from overhaul.

Mustang A68-170 painted as A68-750 at Avalon Airport in 2011 (Photo Johntorcasio (CC BY-SA 4.0)).

The aircraft was fully restored in the nineties and made its first post-restoration flight on 17 February 1999. In 2012, the aircraft was grounded after metal had been detected in its Merlin engine’s oil screens.

The Merlin was shipped to the UK for overhaul and was reattached to the airframe in late 2018. More ground runs will be necessary according to the RAAF Museum & Heritage Centres’s Facebook page but one can reasonably expect to see “Duffy’s Delight” back in the air soon.

https://www.facebook.com/RAAF.Museum/posts/2037510773029167

Source: RAAF Museum & Heritage Centres

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The P-51D Mustang “Pecos Bill” (Photo Christopher Ebdon (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0))

The P-51D Mustang “Pecos Bill” (s/n 44-74445, registered N4132A) crashed yesterday in  Fredericksburg, Texas. Little information is available on this tragic event but police have announced that the pilot and his passenger were killed in the crash. Some sources indicate that the passenger was a World War II veteran.

Our thoughts and prayers go to the family and relatives of the victims of this tragic event.

Sources:

• Email by GeeBee
• World War II-era plane crashes into an apartment parking lot killing 2 in Fredericksburg 
• 2 dead, vintage plane destroyed in Fredericksburg crash

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The P-51D Mustang “Moonbeam McSwine” (previously F-AZXS) has returned to the US. The aircraft was sold to Frenchman Frédéric Akary in 2013 and had become a favourite at airshows in France and Europe thanks to Akary’s superb flight demonstrations.

Before returning to France, “Moonbeam McSwine” belonged for several years to Vlado Lenoch, who was killed in July 2017 along with his passenger in the crash of the P-51 “Baby Duck”. The Warbird Heritage Foundation announced earlier this year that it had acquired “Moonbeam McSwine” and plans to fly it in memory of Lenoch under the new registration N51VL.

Source: Aerodynamic Media

Continue reading]]> https://www.facebook.com/aircorpsaviation/videos/1836366976404213/

The P-51C-10-NT Mustang “Lope’s Hope 3rd” made its first post-restoration flight on October 17 after being restored by AirCorps Aviation. The flight was made with pilot Warren Pietsch at the controls. The aircraft, serial number 43-24907, was used for training during World War II and did not see combat. It carries the colours of s/n 42-103585 “Lope’s Hope 3rd” flown by 5-victory ace Lt. Donald Lopez of the 23rd Fighter Group, 75th Fighter Squadron.

After the war Lopez became a test pilot and later was deputy director of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum until his passing in 2008.

https://www.facebook.com/aircorpsaviation/videos/1836366866404224/

Lt Donald Lopez’s P-51C “Lope’s Hope 3rd” in September 1944. Profile created by Gaëtan Marie/Bravo Bravo Aviation for AirCorps Aviation.

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The P-51D Mustangs 44-72216 “Miss Helen” and 44-73877 “The Shark” suffered a mid-air collision during a formation flight during the Battle of Britain Air Show in Duxford on Saturday the 23rd of September. Both aircraft were damaged in the incident but luckily they were able to land and their pilots were unhurt.

The collision can be seen on this video by Aviation Videos & Wildlife Full HD at 10:30, followed a minute later by the landing of “Miss Helen”.

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On September 2, Steve Hinton Jr. established a new speed record for a propeller-driven piston-engined aircraft by flying the heavily-modified P-51 Voodoo at an average speed of 531.53 mph (855.41 kph), thus largely defeating the previous record, established by Will Whiteside Jr. and Yak-3U Steadfast in 2012.

Despite this achievement, Hinton and his team were a bit disappointed with the result as they had hoped to defeat the 528 mph speed record set by Lyle Shelton with the F8F Bearcat Rare Bear in 1989. Since the FAI’s regulations have evolved, Shelton’s speed record is no longer official, but Steve Hinton was hoping to better it by at least 1%, i.e. the minimum required to validate a new record. This would have required an average speed of 533.28 mph.

Nevertheless, Steve Hinton is now the proud owner of the world speed record for a propeller-driven, piston-engined aircraft.

Source: The Vintage Aviation Echo

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The P-51 Mustang “Baby Duck” in 2016. (Photo JanetanPhil (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Vlado Lenoch and his passenger Bethany Root were killed in the crash of the P-51 Mustang “Baby Duck” on Sunday, July 16 in Atchison county, Kansas. Vlado Lenoch was a respected member of the warbird community and a member of the Air Force Heritage Flight since its creation in 1997. Bethany Root was general manager at the Amelia Earhart airport in Atchison.

Our thoughts and prayers go to the family and relatives of Vlado Lenoch and Bethany Root.

Sources:

• MSC News
• KSHB
• Air Force Heritage Flight

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The TF-51D “Miss Velma” made a wheels-up landing during the Flying Legends airshow at Duxford this weekend. It appears the engine failed shortly before landing and the pilot made the quick decision to perform a wheels-up landing in a field. The aircraft suffered damage but the pilot was unhurt.

In a separate incident, the P-51B “Berlin Express”, which recently crossed the Atlantic to participate in the airshow, had its Malcolm hood disintegrate during a low pass, damaging the tail surfaces of the aircraft. Fortunately, nobody was hurt in this incident either.