P-51 "Thunderbird" Restoration Update
Mon Jan 25, 2021 11:58 am
An outstanding update on the restoration of Warren Pietsch's P-51 "Thunderbird" is now available on the AirCorps website:
https://www.aircorpsaviation.com/p-51c- ... hy-winner/
https://www.aircorpsaviation.com/p-51c- ... hy-winner/
Re: P-51 "Thunderbird" Restoration Update
Mon Jan 25, 2021 3:02 pm
Thanks for sharing, great to see their progress.
Re: P-51 "Thunderbird" Restoration Update
Mon Jan 25, 2021 3:48 pm
Very exciting restoration! For me at least, I love this airplane.
Re: P-51 "Thunderbird" Restoration Update
Mon Jan 25, 2021 4:00 pm
Tks for sharing Matt.
A P-51 with a wet wing.....better ejecting than landing gears up for sure.
Anyone has seen pictures of what they started with?
The early model clamshell doors on the original Thunderbird may have been what caused the aircraft to crash in June of 1955 when they closed out of sequence, and jammed the main landing gear. The owner at the time, Joe Cook, elected to bail out rather than risk a landing in the wet winged Mustang with the gear jammed.
A P-51 with a wet wing.....better ejecting than landing gears up for sure.
Anyone has seen pictures of what they started with?
Re: P-51 "Thunderbird" Restoration Update
Mon Jan 25, 2021 4:53 pm
A P-51 with an election seat..... 
Re: P-51 "Thunderbird" Restoration Update
Mon Jan 25, 2021 5:46 pm
Sorry...bailing out! LOL....
Re: P-51 "Thunderbird" Restoration Update
Mon Jan 25, 2021 10:19 pm
Dang, thought this was about Lefty's old Thunderbird that ground looped years back. Any updates on that one? TIA
Lynn
Lynn
Re: P-51 "Thunderbird" Restoration Update
Tue Jan 26, 2021 7:09 am
Lynn Allen wrote:Dang, thought this was about Lefty's old Thunderbird that ground looped years back. Any updates on that one?
That one has been flying again since 2015, having been repaired/restored by Airmotive Specialties and painted as "Weaver's Nude". https://www.mustangsmustangs.net/p-51/s ... l/44-73704
Re: P-51 "Thunderbird" Restoration Update
Tue Jan 26, 2021 4:21 pm
JohnTerrell wrote:Lynn Allen wrote:Dang, thought this was about Lefty's old Thunderbird that ground looped years back. Any updates on that one?
That one has been flying again since 2015, having been repaired/restored by Airmotive Specialties and painted as "Weaver's Nude". https://www.mustangsmustangs.net/p-51/s ... l/44-73704
Thank you John, I appreciate that...
Lynn
Re: P-51 "Thunderbird" Restoration Update
Wed Jan 27, 2021 4:46 pm
Lynn Allen wrote:JohnTerrell wrote:Lynn Allen wrote:Dang, thought this was about Lefty's old Thunderbird that ground looped years back. Any updates on that one?
That one has been flying again since 2015, having been repaired/restored by Airmotive Specialties and painted as "Weaver's Nude". https://www.mustangsmustangs.net/p-51/s ... l/44-73704
Thank you John, I appreciate that...
Lynn
When it was first restored the then owners painted a Thunderbird on the lower cowl in honor of its previous life.
The newest owners did not retain that .
