Fagen Fighters P-51B project

[RyanShort1]

On "Princess Elizabeth", even after its most recent restoration, the fuselage remains very D-model from the upper longerons down, most notable by the straight up and down vertical panel line at sta.146, just behind the cockpit (rather than the canted line there is on a true B/C fuselage), the D-model type doghouse and the slightly out of position (for a B/C) flare gun port, though internal details provide a very close appearance to a relatively stock B/C cockpit. I've read articles which state that the highback upper fuselage (above the upper longerons) and B/C type fillets/fairings were made from patterns that Pete Regina took from Paul Mantz's P-51C (now owned by Kermit Weeks). In addition to the B/C wing, canopy and early tail, another major find for Pete Regina when he was building up that aircraft was an original lower center P-51B/C engine cowling too, which is completely different than the P-51D/K cowling panels. It, along with a couple other recent new-build restorations ("Impatient Virgin" and "Berlin Express"), lacks the characteristic P-51B/C "hump" that you see in original P-51B/C's over the transition between the forward windscreen cowling, firewall and upper engine cowlings, which I believe points to using the ever so slightly shorter D/K firewall (the prototype P-51D 43-12102 even had the B/C style "hump", before production changes smoothed out the line).

Is there a chance you or someone could put together some photos showing these differences? That's fascinating!

[Matt_in_NC]

It's described in the 2012 summer issue of "Mustangs International", that according to Pete Regina the P-51B wing came from a parts dealer in El Monte, California (who also had a complete P-38 and P-47 at the time). The wing was gutted and missing the landing gear, clam shell doors and outer extensions. He was able to acquire items like an early wing tip and early clam shell door and then re-manufacture another of each in reverse. The tail section is based on/restored from what survived of the tail section from P-51B N68738. The central section of the fuselage was restored from a P-51D fuselage recovered out of Israel. The windscreen was also found in a parts warehouse.

Speaking of Israel though, they would have done all they could to find and acquire Mustangs anywhere they could. The P-51D 44-72028 "Marge/Vivian", a Pacific Theatre combat-vet currently under restoration, served with the Israeli AF, as did the Pacific Theatre combat-vet P-51K "Fragile but Agile" (if you believe the evidence). I've heard that both, and I've seen evidence supporting it with 44-72028, made it back to the US after the end of WWII, having been serving in Japan in the immediate post-war years before being transported to Sacramento, CA in 1948, and would have been among those acquired by Israeli agents within the United States in 1948 after being put up for disposal the same year.

https://ww2aircraft.net/forum/threads/flight-of-p-51-44-72028.49603/

You had me curious about 44-72028, and I found this online. Interesting history.

[Chris Brame]

It's described in the 2012 summer issue of "Mustangs International", that according to Pete Regina the P-51B wing came from a parts dealer in El Monte, California (who also had a complete P-38 and P-47 at the time).

Sounds like Jack Hardwick?

[JohnTerrell]

Yes, that would be it. The P-38 being the one now with the Fagen family and the P-47 being the P-47G "Snafu" now with Dan Friedkin.