Warbirds in Civies - Post your finds

[yakdriver]

Cool shots, I wonder where the engine was out of NX1204?
Chris...

...not too far away..

...by 19xx NX1204 was reassembled and placed level on jacks with the gear up in front of Paul Mantz' "Flightarama" museum...

...shown here in June, 1961 after "Flightarama" closed...

...and awaiting construction of the "Movieland of the Air" building after Frank Tallman joined forces with Mantz...

You know, seeing NX-1204 and the SNA photos in the post bring back more memories than you can imagine! back in the 60's when i was a kid i lived about a mile away from OC airport, and would go to Frank Tallman's place every day after school. it got to the point real quick where Frank gave my a job emptying trash cans and dusting airplanes so i could hang out. by the time i was 13 i was flying with Frank, and he helped my get my pilots license.
i spent more hours sitting in nx-1204 flying imaginary missions than most p51 pilots did actual. dont get me wrong i love that nx1204 still exists, and has been restored to flight status. but that ego maniac kermit weeks took a plane with ZERO war history, and one that actually had a great race history and ruined it! Race 46 needs to be all red again!

p.s. i just sent my 80 year old mom hunting for pics to scan of when i was playing in these aircraft

My parents both learned to fly at Martin Aviation in 1961-2. They would drop me off at Tallman's place when they went for their flying lesson and I would go in and find Mr Tallman and ask if I could go out and look at the airplanes. He would always say yes and as I would bolt out the door he would always say "just don't flip any switches. kid". I spent many hours flying almost all of the airplanes in the collection. I got my first Mustang ride when I was 12 with Dr Dave Webster. I don't have a picture but I remember it was silver with a blue vertical with a white shamrock on it. Don

[tow-3]

thirteen pages and nobody posts a pick of mr hoovers mustang in its rockwell colors? amazing, i guess im going to have to dig through those old boxes of pictures.

[PeterA]

1974. Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

Is it really 40 years ago.

[Warbird Kid]

Lex Dupont's Wildcat in the background?

[J. Thompson]

I just love re-visiting this thread.

Thought it was time to add a couple to it.

The first is CA-18, Mk. 21, s/n A68-100. Registration in the photo is N51AB, which was Green w/ white trim. Dates are uncertain, likely betwwen '68-'70. She later it became 'Miss Escort', and most recently 'Flying Dutchman'.




The next is N711SQ, a SNJ-4.
I wrote up some history on her, for another project earlier this year. Recieved permission to use this excellent photos.
Rosie O' Grady's acquired the aircraft in the mid 1970's, and operated it as part of their Flying Circus Sky Writing routine. The aircraft was just one of many operated when Rosie O Grady's Good Time Emporium was in the swing of things back in Orlando, Fl. In the 70's-80's.
Details of the aircraft, and personal recollections were reported to me by my friend, Alan Wengren, who lived in Orlando during the hey-day of the Circus. “...Rosie's was also known as Church Street Station back in the days.”

In May 1st of 1987, N711SQ was involved in a fatal mid-air collision with a Cessna 310, about 3,000ft above Orlando. The NTSB reported that the air traffic control experienced failure to monitor and conduct traffic, having approved 1SQ to a decent of 1,500ft, and to conduct operations within immediate traffic of Cessna N8716K. Robert Favreau, pilot of the Texan, and the Cessna pilot in command Bernard LeFils, along with his wife and son, were killed.

Heavy lawsuits toward the FAA, and ATC ensued on behalf of both Favreau's widow, and the family of Lefils.

N711SQ will be remembered for it's artistic and stunning aerial display over the skies of Florida. One of the original true 'Sky Writers'.






I also have two, un-seen photos of P-51 N5445V, while it sat at Merced, in very crude bare aluminum, and large black registration on the side. I'll post those at a later date.

- Joseph

[PeterA]

Lex Dupont's Wildcat in the background?

Indeed it was.

[PeterA]

Three more civilian schemes from Airwar 74.

I see from my log that I flew in both this Mustang and the the Wildcat...





...but not the Bearcat.

[pontiac58]

i know i am dreaming here, but even if it was some of that movie paint that comes back off. i want to see a mustang painted in civilian paint. They look so darn good.

[mexchiwa]

May I make a request here? Does anyone have pics of P-51 N6309T? I saw a pic of it on this site, but didn't make a note of it and now can't find it again, and it's driving me crazy. Can anyone help?

[C VEICH]

i know i am dreaming here, but even if it was some of that movie paint that comes back off. i want to see a mustang painted in civilian paint. They look so darn good.

Agreed!

[Courier Sportster]

probably said it before, and i think i am not alone, in saying that the wildcat with the groovy 70's interior, is just too cool that way. i think it's already been put back to stock. but from a few feet away it did not look like some wacky mod. very tastefully hidden. i wish it still had this inventive feature. even if it was never again flown with passengers. a happy comprimise. back to war paint, keep the chevy van.

[sledge39]

May I make a request here? Does anyone have pics of P-51 N6309T? I saw a pic of it on this site, but didn't make a note of it and now can't find it again, and it's driving me crazy. Can anyone help?

N6309T parked near Tallmantz at SNA 1963...registered to David Salerno 08/13/1962..registration cancelled 05/20/1965.
N6309T later used on a Cessna 182. (FAA registry)

[mexchiwa]

Thanks!