Merle Gustafason Still Getting Mo Fame

[jedrickj]

I'll have to see if I can find some of my old pics. I remember after Robbie sold his Corsair (#22 Marines w/ the checkerboard cowl, "Whistling Death", like the old Monogram model & a little die cast toy Corsair from the '70s) he had a Mustang & I was sure it was Damfino. When I graduated high school in '79, Merle gave me a beach towel & said it was from Miss Sylvia & Steve & that he was going to give me a ride in Robbie's Mustang since it had 2 seats & the Corsair didn't. We never got around to doing that ride.

I, too, am a late-comer to this thread. I'm 20 miles from the museum in Tallulah & still haven't made it over there. 4 years already! Anyway, wasn't Damfino owned by Robbie Jones originally?

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I seem to remember that Robbie Jones had a Mustang, but I believe Don built "Damfino" from parts.

Robbie

Yeah it was from parts and they were everywhere that I remember I think the reason we saw Don at that time is that my Dad had ferried some parts for him to Baton Rouge. I've loved war birds ever since that time. My dad took me to several Confederate Air Force shows over the years.

Rick

[jedrickj]

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Hi Rick, I don't know Benny (that I remember), & I don't believe I ever met Joe. The story about Damfino is the same as Don told me. Yes he did fly the airplane with that name, & it was sometime after I left South Louisiana, that it was named "Buster". (early 1980's)
Robbie [/quote]

The History on the plane is wrong at the Survivors site. The plane's maiden flight was as Damfino and not Buster. I thought you might know Benny because he was around back then. Benny flew P-51's in the war. I believe he is still alive and in Covington La. Its been about 4 years since I've seen or talked to him though. Joe Hartung flew for my dad, and also flew for the CAF. He and Benny were friends as well. Unfortunately he was killed in an AT-6. He was rolling it at low altitude and it went in inverted. I knew Joe and it was a very sad day for me He wasn't supposed to fly that day, but did someone a favor I seem to recall. He had a cold and was stuffed up and I believe someone even said he shouldn't fly, but he decided to do it anyway.

Thanks for the information,

Rick

[famvburg]

If that's Damfino, it's not the one I was thinking of anyway. IIRC, Robby's had an all yellow nose with some b & w stripes somewhere, maybe above the exhausts. Invasion stripes, too, IIRC, but that's all I recall. I think before he had it painted, it was dark green with a light strpe, gold maybe. A civvie scheme.

I, too, am a late-comer to this thread. I'm 20 miles from the museum in Tallulah & still haven't made it over there. 4 years already! Anyway, wasn't Damfino owned by Robbie Jones originally?

Robbie Jones P-51D was N51AB "Miss Escort", an ex- Australian airframe.
http://www.warbirdregistry.org/p51regis ... 68100.html

Forumite Steve Guilford has got a photo of it that his father, the late Bob Guilford shot years ago on his website.
http://www.steveguilford.com/photoGallery/

T J

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Thanks TJ, I knew someone here could come up with the answer, because I was starting to just say DAMNFINO
Robbie

[T J Johansen]

IIRC, Robby's had an all yellow nose with some b & w stripes somewhere, maybe above the exhausts. Invasion stripes, too, IIRC, but that's all I recall. I think before he had it painted, it was dark green with a light strpe, gold maybe. A civvie scheme.

And that would be N51AB. It was originally green with two white stripes down the fuselage, in a similar scheme to the "Maytag Mustang" N332 shown here.
From http://www.mustangsmustangs.net
http://www.mustangsmustangs.com/p-51/p5 ... 44_ms7.jpg

Later it got the yellow nose with black/ white stripes, blue top and name "Miss Escort".
From http://steveguilford.com/photoGallery/
http://steveguilford.com/photoGallery/a ... _n51ab.jpg

T J

[Howard]

While employed at Tomlinson Avionics at Pine Bluff I did some of the work on Angle. She was a Hugh aircraft and Merle flew it with more grace and skill than any person could emagine. He took me up once in a TF-51 for a circle of the field. You are right when you said he could fly anything. He was big and sometime gruff but he loved people, flying, the world and his family. He will be missed.

[Connor]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJJ00tP- ... F122715D7A

Heres a link to The Country Boy