Gerry Beck P-51A Engine Runs and possible 1st public outing

[Shay]

Ryan

So can you tell, if it is planned to restore the A-36 as a Apache or continue on as a B/C model?

Shay
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Semper Fortis

Sorry Shay I forgot to mention that part. John Paul has used the A-36 wing and a new build B model fuselage to create the airplane under restoration in the photo a few posts up. It should fly by the end of this year I believe.

Collings is using the A-36 fuselage and the A model wing to rebuild the A-36 as an A-36. She is currently the one at American Aero Services. Art Teeters has the wing while Gary Norville has the fuselage. You can see pictures of the fuselage at the American Aero website. From what I've been told she will be restored to 100% stock; better than the Corsair even. Gary and Art do amazing work so this will be no surprise.

[TimAPNY]

Ryan
Is there a serial number associated with the Collings A-36? I know the WIX registry does not have one for that airframe and it has come up a few times with no resolution here on the WIX.

Tim

[Shay]

Ryan

Do you think a trade of the P-51A wings for the A-36 wings could be made? Or has Mr. Paul already modified the wings and it's a moot point? Still it would be nice to keep all the original assemplies together. Hence the Dora wing swap a little while back.

Shay
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Semper Fortis

Tim,

I'm not entirely sure about the serial number yet. I am working on it though.

Shay,

No I don't think the wing swap is an option these days. John has already mated the wings to the fuselage and he is too close to flying to want to do this I would imagine. I would imagine he has already modified them as well. It would be a nice idea but things are too far along on both projects. Technically if you wanted to keep all the pieces together, the A model wing should go back to the Moon Spillers P-51A (now owned by Jerry Gabe). At the time Moon was rebuilding the A model, the wing was very badly damaged from the crash in Alaska and it was easier to get flying by using a D model wing.

Ryan

[Shay]

Thanks for the good information Ryan

Shay
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Semper Fortis

[Randy Haskin]

At the time Moon was rebuilding the A model, the wing was very badly damaged from the crash in Alaska and it was easier to get flying by using a D model wing.

...as well as a lot of other D model parts in the fuselage.

It would be nice to see the Gabe airplane get restored into a real A model, and perhaps use the D model parts and rebuild 44-73483 (the donor for the rebuild).

[Gary Norville]

Collings A-36 will have a A-36 wing.

[Connery]

Gary,

Any chance you could post some pix of the current state of the restoration? I've been looking high and low and this is the only pic I've run across. I'm not sure where I got it, but I'm thinking it was from someone here on WIX

[MX304]

Didn't the D model wings and new build D model fuse parts come from Terry Rodgers who had originally inteneded to use them in a recreation of the old Red Baron Griffon powered Reno racer?

[John Beyl]

How much of the plane was scratch built? Is the whole airframe/wings home made or did he start with pieces from an original airframe and make an "A" model out of it?

Regards,
Mike

Mike,

With the exception of a small handful of parts such as gear legs, trunion casting, other assorted castings and small parts, the entire airframe was built from scratch, including the wing. This example will have fiberglass cowls in the interest of getting it airborne more quickly, however the form blocks are under construction to stretch aluminum parts for the upcoming units (parts for an addition 10 airplanes were made as this airplane was built). The prop is DC3 with some mods. Although it lacks the little detail parts that would make it pass as an original production built airplane, the quality of craftsmanship in this airplane is exceptional and trust me, it’s all A model Mustang, of that there is not mistake! It was built from the original drawing with modernizing as required for safety, serviceability and longer service life.

John

A small correction to the post above. The plan was to fly this airplane with a fiberglass cowl but a friend of Gerrys (who is also in the warbird fab business) offered to make an aluminum set for it. The only part of the cowl that remains fiberglass is the very top section that houses the intake. This will be aluminum in the production models.

Aside from the usual punch list of little things that need done, the only things keeping it on the ground at this point are the butterly fairings, the fairing between the fuselage and horizontal, and final fitting of the slider windows.

I have some pictures of Gerry doing power runs with it this weekend. I will see if I can prevail upon Warbirdnerd to post them for you to see.

John

[Warbirdnerd]

I have some pictures of Gerry doing power runs with it this weekend. I will see if I can prevail upon Warbirdnerd to post them for you to see.

John

Ta Da!
Caption Contest anyone?

[Chad Veich]

Fantastic! Thanks for sharing the pics, can't wait to see this one finished and flying.

[Connery]

Beautiful!!!! Has a paint scheme been picked out yet?

[John Beyl]

Beautiful!!!! Has a paint scheme been picked out yet?

Sure...but why spoil the surprise!?!?!? It'll fly in bare metal for the movie. Paint by Oshkosh????????