Harry Tope's P-51 "Death Rattler/Little Horse"

[Jerry O'Neill]

The 325th Checkertail posts got me thinking recently about Harry Tope and his P-51 "Death Rattler".
I know it was transformed into "Little Horse", but was it a data plate rebuild or was there enough left to include
substantial parts of the original aircraft?
Also, did "Little Horse" recently change hands?
Thanks.
Jerry

http://www.warbirdregistry.org/p51regis ... 11586.html

[Lynn Allen]

I think its part of the growing group in Galveston...

[kalamazookid]

The 325th Checkertail posts got me thinking recently about Harry Tope and his P-51 "Death Rattler".
I know it was transformed into "Little Horse", but was it a data plate rebuild or was there enough left to include
substantial parts of the original aircraft?
Also, did "Little Horse" recently change hands?
Thanks.
Jerry

http://www.warbirdregistry.org/p51regis ... 11586.html

I've seen video of the crash and it's hard to imagine anything more than the data plate surviving. If anyone has any further information I'd be interested to see it.

[P51Mstg]

I remember the Death Rattler up at Kalamazoo back in the olden days. I always figured it was doomed.... You have the name, a grim reaper and #13 painted on it, you are asking for trouble....

Mark H

[Steve]

I remember it when Wally Oaks owned it. Wally said the Playboy club in Lake Geneva was only a loop and a barrel roll away. Few times I had to drive Wally back the next day to pick-up the plane.

Steve

[RickH]

The airplane lives at Ellington Field now. Not Galveston.

[Lynn Allen]

The airplane lives at Ellington Field now. Not Galveston.

Voops

[JohnH]

I remember the Death Rattler up at Kalamazoo back in the olden days. I always figured it was doomed.... You have the name, a grim reaper and #13 painted on it, you are asking for trouble....

Mark H

I normally do not think these kind of things. But I had the same thought when I saw at Minter field in april, 93 Bill Speers and his data plate rebuild of Passion Wagon, which he named Deja Vu. N51U. It was only a year and half later after it first flew that at Reno it was lost- and a couple of weeks shy of the fourth anniversary of Passion Wagon's crash. Deja Vu, all over again.

[Scott Rose]

Updated the entry for this aircraft.

http://www.warbirdregistry.org/p51regis ... 11586.html

[Warbirdnerd]

Somewhere I have a picture of Death Rattler on a trailer when it arrived at Tri-State. It was smashed so flat it looked like it had been in a car crusher. I'm certain they reused every part and fitting they could in Little Horse.

[DH82EH]

I had a really good chat with Harry Tope two weeks before at the Hamilton airshow.
He happily entertained this enthusiast. We spoke airplanes for quite a while. R.I.P. Sir.

Tragic.

Andy

[Warbirdnerd]

Somewhere I have a picture of Death Rattler on a trailer when it arrived at Tri-State. It was smashed so flat it looked like it had been in a car crusher. I'm certain they reused every part and fitting they could in Little Horse.

Found them-
Scan0009 by Bryan Darnell, on Flickr

Scan0008 by Bryan Darnell, on Flickr

[JimH]

Shot this at the Cleveland Airshow...

[Warbirdnerd]

This is from the CAF show at Holman Field, St Paul, MN 1989-
Scan0009 by Bryan Darnell, on Flickr

[lmritger]

Scott, just as an FYI, I found the following info on 45-11586 on Aviation Archaeology; might be some good info to add to the Registry entry.

Date: 480926
Type: F-51D
Serial: 45-11586
Sqn: 157FS
Group: 116FG
Home base: Congaree AFB, SC
Accident type: Landing accident
Cat. damage: 3
Pilot: Murphy, John G USA
Accident location: Congaree AFB, SC

Page reference: http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/ ... fset=23025

Cheers,

Lynn