Lafayette, LA - After 11 years of restoration, another P-40 Warhawk took to the skies once again on March 1, 2008. P-40N Warhawk 42-104959 was recovered from Finschaffen, Papua-New Guinea in 1974 by d’E.C. Darby & N.M. Armstrong. Comprising only wings and the cockpit section, this P-40 was restored using fuselage sections from 42-105861 and tail surfaces from 42-105526, two P-40s also recovered from PNG. Military Aircraft Restoration Corporation of Chino, CA stored the remains frpm 1974 till at least 1993. Eventually 42-104959 came into possession of John S. Fallis, of Lafayette, LA and he started an ambitious and lengthy restoration of this airframe to airworthy status. It’s great to see another of these venerable warbirds return to the skies that they were made for. The warbird community eagerly looks forward to seeing what scheme this aircraft will be painted in.
