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Tuskegee P-51B "Lucy Gal" Project Progress Thread

Tue Dec 27, 2011 6:29 pm

Hey all! I heard from a few posters on here that there would be an interest in following my P-51B project. I would be honored to keep you all updated right here in this thread! For those of you who do not know or have not yet heard of this project, I will give a little background.

Leland Hedges Pennington grew up in nearby Rochester, NY and attended Monroe High School. He graduated in 1942 and enlisted in the Army Air Corps. After training in Tuskegee, Alabama, he was assigned to the 301st Fighter Squadron based in Ramitelli, Italy. Pennington flew the P-51B-10-NA Mustang, which he named "Lucy Gal" after his wife back home.

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Flight Officer Leland H. Pennington

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P-51B "Lucy Gal" - Thanks to Chris Sheppard! :)

On April 21st, 1945, Flight Officer Pennington was lost in combat somewhere over Zara, Croatia. His group was returning to Ramitelli after a successful escort mission over the Attnang-Puccheim Marshalling Yard in Austria. Pennington radioed in that he was "Sack timing solo" and did not require any assistance. This was the last that Leland was ever heard of.

Our museum, the 1941 Historical Aircraft Group in Geneseo, NY wishes to build from the ground up a flying tribute to Flight Officer Leland H. Pennington. We plan to construct "Lucy Gal" full-scale and airworthy to help tell the story of Pennington and the Tuskegee Airmen as a whole. We will use this P-51 as the centerpiece to our annual Tuskegee History program as well. Each summer, in the days leading up to our airshow, we bus in children from inner-city Rochester and give them a tour of our museum. This is coupled with a lecture by actual Tuskegee Airmen as well as historians. With a flying P-51, we could expand this program into a year round event!

So, now that you all have the background, here's what I've got so far...

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In the pic above is the following...
- Throttle Quadrant (for a D-model, but hoping to trade)
- Tachometer
- Blinker Oxygen Flow Indicator
- Reproduction Data Plates
- G2 Pitot Tube
- Lacker AN-N6 Gun Camera

And thanks to a very generous grant by the Dassault Corporation, we now have use of the 3D Design Software known as "Solidworks." 8)
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Welp, that's all I've got for now! But stay tuned, there is most definitely more to come... :wink:

To Learn More : http://fighterfund.blogspot.com

Re: Tuskegee P-51B "Lucy Gal" Project Progress Thread

Tue Dec 27, 2011 7:03 pm

What a great tribute to the memory of Leland Pennington! Thanks for posting this and keep us updated please.

Re: Tuskegee P-51B "Lucy Gal" Project Progress Thread

Tue Dec 27, 2011 7:14 pm

It would be great if major pieces of this aircraft (below)..IF truly still in existence/hiding, could be used in this worthwhile project...



Serial #: 43-24760
Construction #:104-25789
Civil Registration: NX28388
Model: P-51B-15-NA
Status: Restoration
Last info: 2003

History:
Jacqueline Cochran, Los Angeles, CA, 1946-1948
- Registered as NX28388
- Flew as Bendix Racer #13.
- Crashed Sept. 1948.
Mike Coutches, Hayward, CA, 1973-2003. ???
- Reported stored, Indio, CA, 1973.
- Under restoration. ???

Re: Tuskegee P-51B "Lucy Gal" Project Progress Thread

Tue Dec 27, 2011 8:29 pm

L. Thompson wrote:It would be great if major pieces of this aircraft (below)..IF truly still in existence/hiding, could be used in this worthwhile project...



Serial #: 43-24760
Construction #:104-25789
Civil Registration: NX28388
Model: P-51B-15-NA
Status: Restoration
Last info: 2003

History:
Jacqueline Cochran, Los Angeles, CA, 1946-1948
- Registered as NX28388
- Flew as Bendix Racer #13.
- Crashed Sept. 1948.
Mike Coutches, Hayward, CA, 1973-2003. ???
- Reported stored, Indio, CA, 1973.
- Under restoration. ???


Hmmmm, now I'm curious!! lol

Re: Tuskegee P-51B "Lucy Gal" Project Progress Thread

Tue Dec 27, 2011 10:58 pm

Hi Austin,

I have heard a couple of your interviews on Warbird Radio about this project - one ofthem very recently - and I have a lot of admiration for what you are doing, and your drive and dedication. I wish you the best of luck in succeeding with this amazing plan, and I look forward to future updates.

Cheers
Dave

Re: Tuskegee P-51B "Lucy Gal" Project Progress Thread

Wed Dec 28, 2011 11:19 am

Austin thanks for the post. Drive and determination is what it takes to get where you want to go! Sounds like you have a lot of both, best of luck :drink3:

Re: Tuskegee P-51B "Lucy Gal" Project Progress Thread

Wed Dec 28, 2011 11:38 am

L. Thompson wrote:It would be great if major pieces of this aircraft (below)..IF truly still in existence/hiding, could be used in this worthwhile project...



Serial #: 43-24760
Construction #:104-25789
Civil Registration: NX28388
Model: P-51B-15-NA
Status: Restoration
Last info: 2003

History:
Jacqueline Cochran, Los Angeles, CA, 1946-1948
- Registered as NX28388
- Flew as Bendix Racer #13.
- Crashed Sept. 1948.
Mike Coutches, Hayward, CA, 1973-2003. ???
- Reported stored, Indio, CA, 1973.
- Under restoration. ???


At the risk of sounding a discordant note, I would suggest this would be the perfect basis of a restoration designed as a tribute to Jackie Cochran, and to celebrate the role of women in aviation. The brave and worthy warriors of Tuskegee are currently represented by two gorgeous flying Mustangs, while to my knowledge there is not one single historic flying aircraft or program which focuses solely on the important and ground-breaking role played by women in the history of aviation. Yes, there are numerous women pilots, such as our own LadyO2Pilot or Carolyn Grace, but I'm speaking of an actual dedicated program featuring a genuine historic aircraft flown primarily by a famous female pilot. If this aircraft still exists at all, it would be absolutely perfect for such a role.

Lynn

Re: Tuskegee P-51B "Lucy Gal" Project Progress Thread

Wed Dec 28, 2011 5:14 pm

Dave Homewood wrote:Hi Austin,

I have heard a couple of your interviews on Warbird Radio about this project - one ofthem very recently - and I have a lot of admiration for what you are doing, and your drive and dedication. I wish you the best of luck in succeeding with this amazing plan, and I look forward to future updates.

Cheers
Dave


cooper9411 wrote:Austin thanks for the post. Drive and determination is what it takes to get where you want to go! Sounds like you have a lot of both, best of luck :drink3:


Thank you both so much for the words and support! I look forward to keeping everyone updated and having great discussions about the project 8)

lmritger wrote:
At the risk of sounding a discordant note, I would suggest this would be the perfect basis of a restoration designed as a tribute to Jackie Cochran, and to celebrate the role of women in aviation. The brave and worthy warriors of Tuskegee are currently represented by two gorgeous flying Mustangs, while to my knowledge there is not one single historic flying aircraft or program which focuses solely on the important and ground-breaking role played by women in the history of aviation. Yes, there are numerous women pilots, such as our own LadyO2Pilot or Carolyn Grace, but I'm speaking of an actual dedicated program featuring a genuine historic aircraft flown primarily by a famous female pilot. If this aircraft still exists at all, it would be absolutely perfect for such a role.

Lynn


I like the way you think as well here Lynn! I've thought about this as well, it would make a lot of sense for sure. We have a member of our museum, Dawn Seymour, who was a WASP flying B-17s during the War. They really do need a flying tribute of some sort, and a P-51 would be perfect for that! :)

Re: Tuskegee P-51B "Lucy Gal" Project Progress Thread

Wed Dec 28, 2011 7:32 pm

And I would lean more that way myself, as both a huge air racing history fan, and because my dad taxied Jackie's P-51B one day at Prescott, AZ, when she was the new owner of it and waiting for weather to clear in it's last ferry leg to L.A.

I much appreciate Jackie's ground-breaking work an record-breaking legacy.

Still, I love the history of the Tuskegee airmen too. I remember clearly My dad telling me when I was a first-grader at Castle Air Force Base in about 1961 (when we shared a duplex in base housing with a black aircrew member at the base), that the Tuskagee men were tremendous when he was in B-17s in Italy flying 50 missions with the 301st BG out of Foggia area.

So,...I'm torn. In truth it seems IF Jackie's P-51B still existed, in some pieces at least, that we would have confirmation by now. I saw where one of Mike Coutches' sons posted on WIX the other day. MAYBE he can shed light on the rumors that have floated concerning P-51B-15-NA, NX28388, 43-24760 for so many years. There's usually a connection made when researchers dig.

I have posted these before but here are two photos of Jackie's B before delivery. My dad is in cockpit in the one view.

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Re: Tuskegee P-51B "Lucy Gal" Project Progress Thread

Wed Dec 28, 2011 7:45 pm

Below is my dad's short account on his day with Jackie' P-51B. Hope it copies large enough to read.

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Re: Tuskegee P-51B "Lucy Gal" Project Progress Thread

Wed Dec 28, 2011 10:50 pm

L. Thompson wrote:Below is my dad's short account on his day with Jackie' P-51B. Hope it copies large enough to read.

Image


Wow, this is cool stuff! Thanks for sharing! Who's to say we can't have a flying tribute to both? :wink:

Re: Tuskegee P-51B "Lucy Gal" Project Progress Thread

Mon Jan 02, 2012 6:34 pm

Okay friends, which of you wants to win this Tuskegee P-51 prize pack? It's easy to enter - simply donate to the "Lucy Gal" project via PayPal, and your name is in the mix to win! Follow the link below and click "Donate" at the blog for your chance at victory!

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LINK TO DONATE/ENTER RAFFLE:
http://fighterfund.blogspot.com

Re: Tuskegee P-51B "Lucy Gal" Project Progress Thread

Sat Jan 14, 2012 6:27 pm

Quick update for you all! I've been in contact with our local Regal Cinema since I learned the release date of Red Tails. The manager has been very cooperative and supportive of my project, and she just got approval from Regal Inc. to allow me to set up my project's display! I will be at the Henrietta, NY Regal Cinema 18 on both January 20 and 21 from 4-9pm to tell the public about our Tuskegee project. I'm so excited! 8) I'll have to take some pics of the event and post 'em here...

Re: Tuskegee P-51B "Lucy Gal" Project Progress Thread

Sat Jan 14, 2012 7:25 pm

Great stuff Austin. Good luck with it. I hope it generates a lot of interest in your community.

Re: Tuskegee P-51B "Lucy Gal" Project Progress Thread

Fri Jan 20, 2012 10:55 pm

I was interviewed by our local ABC affiliate today about the project. Timing was perfect! Here's a link to the interview...

http://www.13wham.com/news/local/story/rochester-austin-hancock-leland-pennignton-redtail/ByKS82Y1VUiXHtXmf6szYw.cspx

8)
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