P-63 at Courtesy Aircraft

[FAH 619]

P-63E Folks:

Does any one know the Bell S/N of this aircraft? Close-ups of this center fuselage will be appreciated. Tks P-63E Buff

[warbird51]

The fuselage shown on Courtesy's web site looks like another P-63 that was sold several years ago and is in storage currently in Northern California. I've only seen that color primer on only one other A/C and it was 43-11734.

[FAH 619]

Warbird51:

Tks for the info/data.

Is this bird the one now at "Aerocrafters" Calif? One of two dual canopy conversions made by Bell? Their website does not mention the S/n. Any updates/pictures of this project?

Bell P-63E 43-11734 may be also one of poss 3 samples of Dan Chavatal Collection of Jordan , MN. c. 1980s. P-63E Buff/Tks

[warbird51]

It used to be at Aircrafters, but it's been moved and is currently in storage. Due to various reasons, the owner is unsure on whether to continue the project. Yes, it was one of the 2 P-63E's that were converted to 2 seat by Bell. The other one is in the USAF Museum.

[snj-5]

Slightly off topic, but I visited a gentleman in Tacoma, Washington
last week who had the nose section of a P-39 in his garage. It
consisted of the forward door post of the cockpit entry door-forward
and included most of the wheel well structure. The cockpit area
still had original instrumentation/panel/boxes, throttle quadrant,
etc.

The story I was told is that for years, there were (3) disassembled
P-39s located on a farm on the Green River. The farmer passed
on, and (unfortunately), most of the P-39 stuff was scrapped. This
piece is all that remains. This gent also had a P-39 cockpit door assy
that looked complete and relatively undamaged.

Anyway, sad story... I hate to hear about the scrapping of
any vintage aircraft or parts in this day and age.

Bela P. Havasreti

[L. Thompson]

Great story on the Green River P-39s. Makes me wonder if Frederick A. Johnson/Museum Aeronautica, Tacoma, WA, (who had P-39 Small Fry for so many years while writing his Warbird Column for the Western Flyer newspaper in Tacoma) ever heard rumors of these P-39s or ever tried to buy them...?

Speaking of Cobras, Dan Chvatal once told a friend of mine who went to look at his P-63 collection, that a P-63 was once destroyed when an old hangar was plowed down at the Reno airport in the 60s or 70s (NOT Stead Field).
Anyone ever hear about that rumor?