Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => Aircraft and Vehicles => Topic started by: Widewing on December 17, 2013, 06:44:31 PM

Title: Probably the best P-51D restoration to date
Post by: Widewing on December 17, 2013, 06:44:31 PM
Using many WWII photos of Jack Ilfrey's P-51D, Happy Jack's Go Buggy, Crazy Horse aviation restored and painted a P-51 In Jack's colors. The attention to detail is stunning.

Here it is, flown by Vlado Lenoch in 2009. I've known Vlado for years. He owns his own P-51D and a T-33 as well. No better guy to fly this Mustang.

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/615312_3991160053803_53028142_o.jpg)
Title: Re: Probably the best P-51D restoration to date
Post by: Widewing on December 17, 2013, 06:50:13 PM
Here's a link to the Restoration page....

http://www.crazyhorseap.be/Mustangs/Mustangs/N74190HappyJack/N74190HappyJack.htm (http://www.crazyhorseap.be/Mustangs/Mustangs/N74190HappyJack/N74190HappyJack.htm)
Title: Re: Probably the best P-51D restoration to date
Post by: Oldman731 on December 17, 2013, 09:08:01 PM
Wonder how they got the 108 gallon drop tanks.  Haven't ever seen those on a restoration plane before.

- oldman
Title: Re: Probably the best P-51D restoration to date
Post by: Karnak on December 17, 2013, 09:10:42 PM
Very nice.  Mustang looks small in that picture, more like the Spitfire dimensions it has on paper than the hulking Thunderbolt dimensions it seems to have on the ground.
Title: Re: Probably the best P-51D restoration to date
Post by: Saxman on December 17, 2013, 09:57:12 PM
It's nice to see an organization that actually takes care to get their restoration job right. Every time I see Marine's Dream it makes me throw up in my mouth a little.
Title: Re: Probably the best P-51D restoration to date
Post by: Guppy35 on December 17, 2013, 11:23:02 PM
Wonder how they got the 108 gallon drop tanks.  Haven't ever seen those on a restoration plane before.

- oldman

Replicas made from molds taken from one of two original 108 gallon tanks still in existence
Title: Re: Probably the best P-51D restoration to date
Post by: Guppy35 on December 17, 2013, 11:25:08 PM
Using many WWII photos of Jack Ilfrey's P-51D, Happy Jack's Go Buggy, Crazy Horse aviation restored and painted a P-51 In Jack's colors. The attention to detail is stunning.

Here it is, flown by Vlado Lenoch in 2009. I've known Vlado for years. He owns his own P-51D and a T-33 as well. No better guy to fly this Mustang.

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/615312_3991160053803_53028142_o.jpg)

It was sad to see Vlado sell his 51 not too long ago.  The recent restoration of the Korean war painted 51D by the same bunch who did this one is amazing too.  Only 3 million dollars and it's yours :)
Title: Re: Probably the best P-51D restoration to date
Post by: Widewing on December 18, 2013, 12:33:36 AM
It was sad to see Vlado sell his 51 not too long ago.  The recent restoration of the Korean war painted 51D by the same bunch who did this one is amazing too.  Only 3 million dollars and it's yours :)

Vlado sold it to Frederik Akary, and it's based in France now. Is this the P-51D in Korean War colors you are referring to (see below)? If so, it was done by Mid-West Aero Restorations as was the rebuild of Ilfrey's clone. These guys can do a MIL-Spec rebuild like no others. I love the fact that they retain the pilot armor and preserve the original look.

(https://scontent-a-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/943579_573812879328766_493813381_n.jpg)

Vlado at the controls....

(https://scontent-b-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/999353_575671799142874_833894022_n.jpg)
Title: Re: Probably the best P-51D restoration to date
Post by: Widewing on December 18, 2013, 12:51:57 AM
(https://scontent-b-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/305520_474752369234818_823199025_n.jpg)

(https://scontent-b-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/394975_474752295901492_1025902159_n.jpg)

(https://scontent-a-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/156748_474752229234832_1696057266_n.jpg)

(https://scontent-b-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/76468_474969925879729_79411941_n.jpg)
Title: Re: Probably the best P-51D restoration to date
Post by: DaveBB on December 18, 2013, 05:17:57 AM
Did any P-51s fly with that extreme polished aluminum during the war?  Seems like the plane would act as a signal mirror.
Title: Re: Probably the best P-51D restoration to date
Post by: Puma44 on December 18, 2013, 05:53:10 AM
Great photos!  Thanks for posting!
Title: Re: Probably the best P-51D restoration to date
Post by: mbailey on December 18, 2013, 05:55:57 AM
I think i saw her down at the MAAM airshow last year.....maybe 2 yrs ago....nice bird for sure.

I really need to move up to that tax bracket....i think id do well there  :D
Title: Re: Probably the best P-51D restoration to date
Post by: GScholz on December 18, 2013, 09:23:44 AM
Pretty thang! Thanks for posting!  :aok
Title: Re: Probably the best P-51D restoration to date
Post by: Shifty on December 18, 2013, 09:28:07 AM
That is a beautiful restoration of Jaqck Ilfery's bird. Here's another nice P-51 restoration and story.
307th FS 31st FG P-51 "February" and the pilot who flew her. If you've never seen the video it is well worth your
10 minutes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=OpsAaK0p0ig
Title: Re: Probably the best P-51D restoration to date
Post by: mthrockmor on December 18, 2013, 09:36:44 AM
These are great pics. I close my eyes I see my Fw-190A5 coming in from about their 5 O'clock, 100mph+ advantage, squeezing my trigger as the lead bird blows into chunks under the weight of the 20mm and bb's....

OK, back to the MA for me.

boo
Title: Re: Probably the best P-51D restoration to date
Post by: colmbo on December 18, 2013, 11:16:13 AM
We did a stop in Danville with the Collings bombers and got to go through their restoration shop. They had a Mustang there at the time getting a stock restoration, authentic as possible including armor plates. He explained that it was no longer possible to get the original wire, cloth insulation IIRC, so what they did was have wire made to match original wire in dimension and color. This was done for wiring that would not be seen except by someone working on the airplane. Many restorations today are as authentic as is possible. Big salute to the guys doing the work and the guys willing to foot the bill for that level of detail.
Title: Re: Probably the best P-51D restoration to date
Post by: Bodhi on December 18, 2013, 03:41:08 PM
The best restoration I have ever seen was the P-51 Upupa Epops done for Paul Allen by Westpac Restorations.  Having been involved in the restoration business for 20 years, it is the best job I have ever seen.

Title: Re: Probably the best P-51D restoration to date
Post by: Bodhi on December 18, 2013, 03:42:07 PM
We did a stop in Danville with the Collings bombers and got to go through their restoration shop. They had a Mustang there at the time getting a stock restoration, authentic as possible including armor plates. He explained that it was no longer possible to get the original wire, cloth insulation IIRC, so what they did was have wire made to match original wire in dimension and color. This was done for wiring that would not be seen except by someone working on the airplane. Many restorations today are as authentic as is possible. Big salute to the guys doing the work and the guys willing to foot the bill for that level of detail.

You can get the cloth covering, you just can not use it on the bare wire.  What is done now is to loom the cloth covering over modern wire.  It looks identical.
Title: Re: Probably the best P-51D restoration to date
Post by: smoe on December 20, 2013, 02:57:24 PM
Does anyone have any documentation of the 51's and the German pilot's first impressions? Of course the German pilot's would have had to survive the encounter to talk about it.

Title: Re: Probably the best P-51D restoration to date
Post by: Nath[BDP] on December 21, 2013, 03:26:23 PM
Does anyone have any documentation of the 51's and the German pilot's first impressions? Of course the German pilot's would have had to survive the encounter to talk about it.



Germans probably shot down a bunch then were overwhelmed with numbers.
Title: Re: Probably the best P-51D restoration to date
Post by: smoe on December 21, 2013, 04:03:40 PM
Germans probably shot down a bunch then were overwhelmed with numbers.

So they Allies took Germany with hordes?
Title: Re: Probably the best P-51D restoration to date
Post by: Bruv119 on December 21, 2013, 04:41:37 PM
beautiful pony pics Wide,   thanks for sharing.    :salute
Title: Re: Probably the best P-51D restoration to date
Post by: Oldman731 on December 22, 2013, 12:51:54 AM
Germans probably shot down a bunch then were overwhelmed with numbers.


Good lord, Nath, where did you come up with that?

- oldman
Title: Re: Probably the best P-51D restoration to date
Post by: GScholz on December 22, 2013, 06:33:31 AM
So they Allies took Germany with hordes?

Yup  :D
Title: Re: Probably the best P-51D restoration to date
Post by: pipz on December 22, 2013, 08:50:19 AM
Very nice.
Title: Re: Probably the best P-51D restoration to date
Post by: DaveBB on December 22, 2013, 06:50:28 PM
The first P-51 ace was actually an A-36 pilot (the dive-bomber version of the P-51).  This was in North Africa.