Thanks to all for your help on this one. (I noticed an error so all my beautiful pictures were of no value. I got some quick and dirty screenshots in an effort to beat the timer on the BBS editor.)
This is Lt. Robert J. Farney's P-51D-15-NA "Croghan Cruiser" / "Waverly Democrat" of the 361st FG, 375th Fighter Squadron.
Born Sept. 25, 1921 in Croghan, New York, he graduated from high school in 1939 and began his flying career by training as a cadet pilot at W&B Flying School, Chickasha, Okla., and Aloe (Texas) Army Airfield. After finishing cadet training, he entered the Army Air Corps on April 15, 1944, and served with the 375th Fighter Squadron throughout the European theater of operations. He was stationed at Debden, England, and in France.
Lt. Farney primarily flew P-51 "Mustang" fighter planes and logged a total of 53 missions, mostly escorting bombers in battles in the Rhineland, Germany, Ardennes, France, and Central Europe. He named his assigned fighter plane the "Croghan Cruiser."
An interesting anecdote of his describes his experience on an engine break-in flight (new aircraft were required to be tested, a.k.a. slow-timed, prior to use in combat. Lt. Farney's diary described it thus: “Flew Major Keppler’s ship for 30 minutes and when the engine practically quit, I made a forced landing down wind. I ended up down the lot and tore the plane all to pieces. What a day.”
He received many decorations and citations, including the Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medal with seven Oak Leaf Clusters. Mr. Farney was recognized in three books written about World War II, "Aces & Wingmen" by Danny Morris, "Little Friends" by Steve Gotts and "Mustangs" by Robert F. Dorr. He was honorably discharged as a first lieutenant on Dec. 23, 1945, at Fort Dix, N.J.
He married Theresa C. Bush on May 5, 1948, and the couple had four children. He died in 2008 at the age of 86.
Originally skinned by MachNix, it was adopted and updated for Aces High III. I retained his radiator internals and rudder trim tab actuator as a hat tip to his work--everything else was re-skinned.
