Brendon Deere's P-51D Mustang NZ2423

[Mustang51]

Zac....see if you can also find one for me. I'm back over your side of the Ditch for Wings in Masterton so hold it till then. Let me know how many bags of gold I' owe you...

[ZacYates]

Gold? If you happen upon any Kittyhawk bits I'll take 'em I'll be sure to get a copy for you and deliver it in person.

Some recent updates! 19/05/2023

When the decision was made that P51D Mustang NZ2423 would move from the care of the Smith family to our facility at Ohakea, we were faced with two challenges. The first was to extract the aircraft from the shed and the second to transport it up to Ohakea. The first task was accomplished with lateral thinking from John Saunders and Mike Nicholls and the aircraft was moved out into the light with just a few millimeters of clearance from the wing of the Mosquito.

The second problem was solved with the equipment and expertise of Palmerston North based PTS. The container with aircraft parts and spares was loaded the same day and had already made the journey up to Ohakea when NZ2423 followed shortly after. Once at Ohakea, we were able to make a start on the complex restoration process.

NZ2423 20230519 update Brendon Deere 01 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
NZ2423 20230519 update Brendon Deere 02 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
NZ2423 20230519 update Brendon Deere 03 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
NZ2423 20230519 update Brendon Deere 04 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
NZ2423 20230519 update Brendon Deere 05 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
NZ2423 20230519 update Brendon Deere 06 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
NZ2423 20230519 update Brendon Deere 07 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
NZ2423 20230519 update Brendon Deere 08 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
NZ2423 20230519 update Brendon Deere 09 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
NZ2423 20230519 update Brendon Deere 11 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
NZ2423 20230519 update Brendon Deere 10 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
NZ2423 20230519 update Brendon Deere 12 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
NZ2423 20230519 update Brendon Deere 13 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
NZ2423 20230519 update Brendon Deere 14 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
NZ2423 20230519 update Brendon Deere 15 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
NZ2423 20230519 update Brendon Deere 16 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
NZ2423 20230519 update Brendon Deere 17 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
NZ2423 20230519 update Brendon Deere 18 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
NZ2423 20230519 update Brendon Deere 19 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
NZ2423 20230519 update Brendon Deere 20 by Zac Yates, on Flickr

21/05/2023

Truck journeys for NZ2423 two and a half years apart.
Photo of the Mustang leaving Mapua by Cody Forward

NZ2423 20232105 update Cody Forward by Zac Yates, on Flickr
NZ2423 20232105 update Brendon Deere by Zac Yates, on Flickr

23/05/2023

Last look at Mustang 23 in the familiar primer green......

NZ2423 20230523 Ohakea Brendon Deere by Zac Yates, on Flickr

[Antonio]

Awesome update.
Great comparison shots

[ZacYates]

Update posted on Facebook (link) 26/05/2023:

The process of restoring an old warbird back to flying condition involves lots of decisions to be made – some large and many small ones. It is impossible to make everyone happy with the decisions made along the way but that is the nature of the beast. There are those who believe that restorations of the nature of what we are undertaking with P51D Mustang NZ2423 shouldn’t happen on either of two levels – first those who want to see an original aircraft preserved in its original state and not touched and secondly those that think they shouldn’t be flown because of the risk of loss.

Keeping an aircraft like NZ2423 in its “original” form would have been an ongoing challenge as although John Smith had done his best to protect it for sixty years, it had still suffered at the hands of the scrappers and rodents with corrosion well established in key extrusions and other components - his shed at Mapua was close to the sea. It is hard to know how that deterioration would have progressed over the next sixty years, but it wouldn’t have stopped by itself. The discussion around whether to fly warbirds or not is equally fraught and I’m sure there is no right or wrong answer.

There is a whole field of discussion and debate around what level of originality you can or should maintain in any restoration and what level of concessions you make to modern technology. We have endeavored wherever possible to stick with the original structure and components throughout NZ2423’s restoration but necessity has meant key structural items like longerons have had to be replaced for airworthiness and longevity. Modern avionics is a necessity these days, but we have done our best to hide this equipment using the original radio boxes. Like the Spitfire, we have gone to some trouble to not have modern aerials all over the aircraft, even using the original radio mast as the antenna for the Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT).

Debate on the finish of the aircraft is always interesting but we have to recognize the environment the aircraft will live in at RNZAF Base Ohakea. NZ2423 in RNZAF service carried an original combination of unpainted fuselage and filled and painted wings, as it came from the Dallas factory. The original Mustangs arrived in New Zealand by sea, coated in their factory plastic covering, intended for temporary shipping protection only. As the Mustangs were no longer required on arrival in August 1945, after the cessation of hostilities, they were put straight into storage, remaining in the plastic wrapping. The first Mustang only emerged from storage in 1952 and NZ2423 was one of the last taken out of storage in 1954. The RNZAF found the surface condition on several aircraft had suffered some deterioration under the plastic wrap after years of storage – well beyond what the material was designed for.

After some period of operation, the Base Commander at RNZAF Whenuapai (the RNZAF Base in Auckland) decided that the Mustangs based with 1 TAF Squadron at Whenuapai were looking decidedly tatty and asked that they be painted in the High-Speed Silver being used on the newly in service Vampires. We have used this “licence” to paint NZ2423 in a modern interpretation of the same HSS finish. New Zealand by nature is a marine environment and RNZAF Ohakea is close to the west coast of our North Island with a prevailing westerly wind flow and we decided paint was the best long-term protection for the aircraft.

One of the key elements of the design of the Mustang was the laminar flow wing. Part of the production process on the wings saw them filled with putty and sanded to a very smooth finish, necessary for the greatest efficiency of the laminar flow wing. Reality at the combat front was that this surface quickly became damaged and lessened the value of the original factory preparation. When Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC) produced Mustangs for the RAAF after the war, they dropped the wing puttying part-way into the production run as they determined that the technical benefits didn’t justify the effort in the factory. In the modern work done by Odegaard Wings, they use a thicker sheet in this area which creates a smoother wing surface and we have skipped the wing puttying on our restoration.

One of the big decisions we have made is to restore our Mustang as a single seater. Most Mustangs these days are equipped with a second seat to allow a passenger to be carried (think Jennifer Connelly in Tom Cruise’s P51 in Top Gun Maverick). NZ2423 will have its original seat and radio configuration in place as well as the fuselage tank (although this will not be used). This configuration will include the original armour plate panel behind the seat which has a secondary function as rollover protection for the pilot as well as carrying the head rest.

NZ2423 had two distinct phases of its limited RNZAF service (all of it at Ohakea) – initially with No. 2 Territorial Air Force Squadron and then finally with No. 42 Squadron on target towing duties. The colour scheme that we are restoring the aircraft in will be as it was in its time with 2 TAF SQN and there was never any question of it being in any other scheme than its original RNZAF one. Once again we are very grateful for the assistance provided by Nathan Bosher from the Air Force Museum of New Zealand in recreating this colour scheme as accurately as possible.

Many thanks to Nick Szalárdi for the photos of NZ2423’s progress in the paint shop.

NZ2423 20232605 Ohakea Nick Szalárdi 01 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
NZ2423 20232605 Ohakea Nick Szalárdi 02 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
NZ2423 20232605 Ohakea Nick Szalárdi 03 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
NZ2423 20232605 Ohakea Nick Szalárdi 04 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
NZ2423 20232605 Ohakea Nick Szalárdi 05 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
NZ2423 20232605 Ohakea Nick Szalárdi 06 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
NZ2423 20232605 Ohakea Nick Szalárdi 07 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
NZ2423 20232605 Ohakea Nick Szalárdi 08 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
NZ2423 20232605 Ohakea Nick Szalárdi 09 by Zac Yates, on Flickr

[ZacYates]

Here's today's update (I've omitted the Avenger photos as this thread's about the Mustang):

Brief update this week with the R2600 engine coming of the Avenger and more paint tasks continuing on the Mustang.

NZ2423 20230602 Brendon Deere 01 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
NZ2423 20230602 Brendon Deere 02 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
NZ2423 20230602 Brendon Deere 03 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
NZ2423 20230602 Brendon Deere 04 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
NZ2423 20230602 Brendon Deere 05 by Zac Yates, on Flickr

[rayo]

Fabulous.
I totally agree with the approach taken by the team.
Apart from the fact Brendon owns the aircraft and its no one else's business really. There are heaps of Mustangs in Museums to keep the never fly protagonists happy.
The full effect can only be appreciated when they are flying. It is an Aircraft after all.

[JW]

Looking forward to seeing the final paint scheme on NZ2423. Enjoy seeing the progress each week.

[ZacYates]

This week's post is another look back with a snippet about progress (FB link):

This is the only known colour image of NZ2423 in RNZAF service taken by the late “Slim” Darrah at Ohakea late in NZ2423’s career. Here it is shown when with 42 Squadron and after the removal of its 2 TAF SQN yellow and black checkerboard markings. This photo was likely taken in early 1957 when 2423’s career ending last flight to Woodbourne was just around the corner.

42 Squadron operated a wide range of aircraft at the time including the Devon, Avenger and Harvard. NZ2423 was one of four Mustangs retained at Ohakea after the termination of the Territorial Air Force operation of P51s for the purpose of target towing (alongside Avengers retained for the same function). The distinctive drogue attachment added to the underwing stores point under the right-hand wing is clearly shown in this photograph.

In the end, NZ2423 did very little total flying in its life after construction in July 1945, with final airborne hours totaling 261 hours and 55 minutes when it landed at RNZAF Woodbourne for long term storage. This included factory test flying and delivery flight time from Dallas to Sacramento for shipping to New Zealand. Of the two distinct identities in its RNZAF career, we will be finishing the aircraft in its 2 SQN livery with the distinctive Wellington provincial checkerboard colours.

Small progress has been made this week on the aircraft painting with addition of more stencils. The work has to fit in with and around core RNZAF tasks associated with the operational fleet and inevitably stretches the task out timewise.

NZ2423 Brian Darrah via Brendon Deere by Zac Yates, on Flickr
NZ2423 profile by Malcolm Laird via Brendon Deere by Zac Yates, on Flickr

[ZacYates]

Brendon shared a Mustang update on Facebook (link) yesterday:

The P51 Mustang was designed as a very friendly aircraft for the field servicing personnel. An extensive collection of placards and stencils provided key servicing information for the aircraft. As well, key tools and spares were packed with each aircraft when it left the factory – for example the two Robertshaw actuators for the cooling system included spare brushes for the electric motors in a small canvas bag attached. A specialized tool kit was included with the aircraft to support frontline aircraft ahead of more formal servicing depots. It is quite a big job to replicate all of the stencils and placards but we are well down the track.

NZ2423 20230623 Ohakea Brendon Deere 01 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
NZ2423 20230623 Ohakea Brendon Deere 02 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
NZ2423 20230623 Ohakea Brendon Deere 03 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
NZ2423 20230623 Ohakea Brendon Deere 04 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
NZ2423 20230623 Ohakea Brendon Deere 05 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
NZ2423 20230623 Ohakea Brendon Deere 06 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
NZ2423 20230623 Ohakea Brendon Deere 07 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
NZ2423 20230623 Ohakea Brendon Deere 08 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
NZ2423 20230623 Ohakea Brendon Deere 09 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
NZ2423 20230623 Ohakea Brendon Deere 10 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
NZ2423 20230623 Ohakea Brendon Deere 11 by Zac Yates, on Flickr

[ZacYates]

According to this Otago Daily Times story Mustang Two Three will debut at Warbirds Over Wanaka 2024.

[ZacYates]

A Facebook update from Brendon this evening (link):

NZ2423 travelling back in time..................

NZ2423 20230706 Ohakea Brendon Deere by Zac Yates, on Flickr

[Mustang51]

My God that is beautiful.............

[johnnyfalcon]

Yep, I concur

[ZacYates]

I've no clue how to embed a Facebook post but Brendon has shared a video here of Mustang Two Three's roundels being unmasked:

Like unwrapping a present. Thanks to FSGT Dan Poulton for the video. The Mustang will be in the paint shop next week for the addition of some smaller stencils and the main serial block on the fuselage before returning to our Palikulo hangar next Friday. Still lots of work ahead for our small team...........

[teemack]

Jul 6, 2023 19:47:13 GMT 12 ZacYates said:

A Facebook update from Brendon this evening (link):

NZ2423 travelling back in time..................

NZ2423 20230706 Ohakea Brendon Deere by Zac Yates, on Flickr

[teemack]

Looking absolutely fantastic! I'm somehow not looking forward to the time when the project is complete and I lose these very pleasant moments when a new post comes through...

[planecrazy]

Jul 7, 2023 20:01:56 GMT 12 teemack said:

Looking absolutely fantastic! I'm somehow not looking forward to the time when the project is complete and I lose these very pleasant moments when a new post comes through...

Agree this thread has and is so awesome, thanks Zac and Brendon. I am really looking forward
to seeing some air to airs of her especially perhaps with NZ 2415 and the rest of the Biggin Hill
hangar fleet.

[shorty]

Regarding the Mustang tool kits. I was told years ago that they were all buried at the rifle range behind the Married Quarters at Woodbourne

[ZacYates]

I must apologise for the delay in uploading these - I recently moved to Blenheim and the internet at the new place isn't quite ready so my online time has been spotty at best. However, despite the ISP's best efforts, here's the latest on Mustang Two Three!

Posted July 12 (link):

The stencils on a P51D Mustang all tell a story, some more than others. As mentioned previously, Mustangs left the North American factories at Inglewood and Dallas with extensive stenciling and labelling, providing key servicing information on the aircraft itself, recognizing the often chaotic servicing environment at the front and the relative inexperience of the ground crews.

The 29 Mustangs that went into RNZAF service in the 1950s came out of the Dallas factory in 1945 with the usual factory stenciling but in the 1950s adopted Royal Australian Air Force stencils as well as specific RNZAF markings. The two examples here both have RNZAF stories.

The RNZAF did not use the fuselage tanks on their Mustangs and the stenciling shown here was one of two variants used on the RNZAF aircraft to warn ground staff against trying to fill that tank. The fuel capacity of the fuselage tank was a key element of the extreme long range of the Mustang on bomber escort missions and critical to wartime efforts adding 85 US gallons to the fuel already available in the wing tanks.

Its downside was that the tank badly impacted the longitudinal stability of the Mustang. Sloshing of the fuel in tight maneuvers could lead to unexpected changes in the centre of gravity and dangerous instability. Late in the war, North American Aviation issued a Technical Order suggesting fuel in the tank be limited to 40 gallons. We have refitted the fuselage tank to NZ2423 but it is blocked and cannot be used.

Every RNZAF aircraft type had its own set of Aviation Publications, Technical Orders and modifications - for the RNZAF Mustangs these were incorporated into NZAP 134.

The main serial block on a Mustang is a well-known feature. The RNZAF Mustangs had the usual NAA factory serial block with the addition of the top line referencing the NZ Government – it is unclear whether this was added in the NAA factory or added in New Zealand. All aircraft were produced for the United States Army as this preceded the US Air Force of today and our aircraft plate reflects it was a block 25 P51D produced in the Dallas (Northern Texas) factory.

The Army Air Forces serial number on the next line referenced the year of manufacture (45) and the individual service acceptance identity assigned to our aircraft (11513). The serial number was stenciled onto the fin/rudder. NZ2423 had the part of the serial on the fin overpainted with the fin flash but retained the remainder of the serial on each side of the rudder - 115 on one side and 513 on the other. NZ2423 was from the last batch of 400 P51D Mustangs produced at the Dallas factory.

Although conventional aviation fuel was 100 octane, aromatics were used in the war to lift the octane rating of the fuel and the performance of the aircraft.

Thanks to Nick Szalárdi for the images

NZ2423 20230712 Ohakea Brendon Deere 01 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
NZ2423 20230712 Ohakea Brendon Deere 02 by Zac Yates, on Flickr

Posted today (link):

Return journey.............................

NZ2423 20230714 Ohakea Brendon Deere 01 by Zac Yates, on Flickr

(link):

Having the right gear for the task always helps - thanks Central House Movers.

NZ2423 20230714 Ohakea Brendon Deere 02 by Zac Yates, on Flickr

(link):

Safely home.......

NZ2423 20230714 Ohakea Brendon Deere 03 by Zac Yates, on Flickr

www.facebook.com/groups/119982544710555/posts/9687127311329316/

(link):

Great team effort this morning to move the Mustang safely back to our Palikulo hangar.

NZ2423 20230714 Ohakea Brendon Deere 04 by Zac Yates, on Flickr

[ZacYates]

Brendon has shared another photo from yesterday (link):

Heart stopping moments.........

NZ2423 20230714 Ohakea Brendon Deere 05 by Zac Yates, on Flickr