Mustang "Dove of Peace" now VH LUI on the move

[mcmaster]

I personally love the Dove of Peace scheme mainly due it featuring in a Robert Taylor print “Eagles over the Rhine” hanging on my wall. 🙂

[Mustang51]

.....or "Winged Death"?

[baz62]

Jun 19, 2022 13:32:48 GMT 12 ZacYates said:

Jun 19, 2022 9:44:04 GMT 12 baz62 said:

That last video was great. Wonder is she is going back into RAAF colours?

That’s my hope - it would be amazing to see!

Dont know about amazing as RAAF schemes are usually pretty plain apart from the odd sharkmouth(at least it's not on a P40!). Unless they put her in the scheme of another aircraft. Up to the new owner.

[Dave Homewood]

Ando will probably know for sure, but my understanding is that this particular P-51D spent it's RAAF career inside its crate as delivered in 1945, as a spare that never got used, and probably never even wore RAAF colours. Is that correct?

[markrogers]

It may have had the RAAF roundels painted on at the factory before being crated up. There was a photo of the engineless fuselage with no tail and no canopy and had a faded RAAF roundel on it, sitting in a paddock that I saw on the web somewhere. It possibly may have been sitting out in the open for years like that and faded from exposure to years of being in the sun.

[planecrazy]

Here's "679" when she was in Pearce Dunn's care, the "Dove of Peace" was "674"
also with Pearce Dunn for some time. All guess work of course, you could assume
she looked similar.

[Dave Homewood]

That' a bland, dull colour scheme.

[davidd]

Why would a brand new (Australian-built?) Mustang be put in a crate in Australia, when its most likely allocation would be to a squadron (or OTU?) and would therefore be flown to the new unit under its own steam. Of course it would have eventually ended up with a storage unit at some stage, but they would never put it in a crate either. However not clear to me as to whether this aircraft was USA or "Ozz" built, but if the former, it would not have been crated either, as by this time all P-51s (and probably most other US-built aircraft of small to medium size) were being shipped from USA with the protective black "Plasticine" skin, and no crate, same as the RNZAF's aircraft.

[Dave Homewood]

It is not Australian built. It is a P-51D. My understanding from what I was told way back when it arrived in New Zealand was when it arrived from the USA into Australia on the 4th of July 1945, it never got a chance to go into service and was kept in its crate as a spare.

[Dave Homewood]

By the way, contrary to popular myth, almost all the Australian-built CAC Mustangs never served in WWII. They were a postwar production to replace the US-built P-51D's and P-51K's that they'd been operating already. The very first CAC Mustangs only entered service in July 1945, and none saw any frontline service till Korea.

[planecrazy]

Pretty sure the Temora based Col Pay restored Spitfire VIII arrived in a box and never
actually flew in RAAF service as well, may be wrong and happy to be corrected.

[markrogers]

The RAAF Mustangs that served in Korea were N.A. built P-51Ds. I understand that they had a different block of serial numbers to the CAC built Mustangs, something like A68-600 onwards for them and A68-001 onwards for the CAC Mustangs

[Dave Homewood]

Some CAC Mustangs saw operational service in Korea alongside the P-51D's.

CAC Mustangs noted on the adf.serials page that are noted to have served with No. 77 Squadron RAAF in Korea include:
A68-121
A68-123
A68-125
and
A68-130

www.adf-serials.com.au/2a68a.htm

[baz62]

Since the aircraft has had no flying career with anybody it can be painted whatever the new owner desires without squeals from the armchair paint experts. Unless they want it put into "storage in a crate" colour scheme? We will just have to wait.

[ErrolC]

Jun 22, 2022 14:05:10 GMT 12 baz62 said:

Since the aircraft has had no flying career with anybody it can be painted whatever the new owner desires without squeals from the armchair paint experts. Unless they want it put into "storage in a crate" colour scheme? We will just have to wait.

How optimistic!!

BTW I've loaded more photos of ZK-SAS at Wanaka 2018
www.flickr.com/photos/errolgc/albums/72157671025733237/with/27217890018/

[baz62]

Jun 22, 2022 14:43:16 GMT 12 ErrolC said:

Jun 22, 2022 14:05:10 GMT 12 baz62 said:

Since the aircraft has had no flying career with anybody it can be painted whatever the new owner desires without squeals from the armchair paint experts. Unless they want it put into "storage in a crate" colour scheme? We will just have to wait.

How optimistic!!

Ha ha yeah! Great photos Errol, that was a great show. Obiwan27, JohnnyFalcon and I were there along with my wife Teresa. Got to catch up with another forum member whose names escapes me (yes you Greg Jaques!)but was great to finally meet in person.

[ZacYates]

Jun 22, 2022 10:03:37 GMT 12 Dave Homewood said:

By the way, contrary to popular myth, almost all the Australian-built CAC Mustangs never served in WWII.

I never realised there was a myth that they served during the war!

[Mustang51]

Only the NAA built machines were issued first and went to Townsville then Labuan and on to Japan

[Mustang51]

And just in time for its arrival, the UK CAA issues an inspection requirement for the inspection of the U/c legs which requires their removal from the wing............on all Mustangs. Not mandatory in USA but expect it is/shall be in UK, NZ and Oz. Look up Safety Notice 2022-004.

[Antonio]

The old problem?


AFMoNZ:  WgG5067-55


AFMoNZ:  WgG5048-55
(At least it won't affect NZ2423)