Who's Mustang #5

[Victor Archer]

Here's another one. This is the only information I have been able to find.
44-74327 to RCAF as 9583. To civilian registry as N6309T

[Race 29]

Vic,
Unfortunatly I came up with a big goose egg on this one. I can't find any info in the serial number, Canadian registration, or the "N" number belonging to a Mustang. The FAA site says the "N" number was De-registered from a Cessna 182 out of New Mexico in 1997. Maybe someone else can take it from here?

Sorry,
Race 29

[Leo]

Huh?

I'm gettin' nuthin from the usual sources and I don't have either of the numbers listed as an aircraft I've photographed.
As a comment tho, I know it's not pc in this age of military restorations, but I still like the civilian paint schemes of the 40's 50's, 60's and 70's. Even the ugly ones do little to hide the Mustangs lines and some were downright pretty!

Leo

[Victor Archer]

I'm a little stumped on this one too. I haven't been able to come with any registered owners. The photo was taken at Orange County Airport, CA in Oct. 1962

[Race 29]

Vic,
There are a few Mustangs that have simular "N" numbers. Most of them still fly today either with the same number or with new personalized plates. It looks like all of these were bought from salvage by Mr. James Dufria. Some of the noteworthy mustangs are as follows.

N6301T Cripes a' Mighty IV
N6303T Miss Diet Rite
N6313T Lou IV / Cutters Capers
N6315T Miss Pheobe II
N6318T Hovey's #2 racer
N6319T Donald Duck
N6320T Old Crow
N6321T #6 Sumthin' Else
N6322T Fort Rucker Display
N6325T Cottonmouth #49
N6337T Petie's 2nd
N6343T E.D. Weiner's #14
N6345T Double Trouble II
N6357T Risky Business
N6517D Clay Lacy's #64

Looks like Mr Dufria had a pretty big hand in saving quite a few Mustangs from the cutting torch. There's more that I've found that he saved, this is just a small list of the more famouse ones. I gave the original "N" numbers and the name each Mustang is arguably most known for. Some of them have different "N" numbers today.

Race 29

[Victor Archer]

Race 29, that is quite a list! Guess we owe Mr Dufria a big thank you for helping to save so many Mustangs! It would be fun to know what Mr Dufria paid for them and what they were sold for. I herd that you could get a pretty nice plane for a few thousand back in the '50's

[hattend]

Is that 6309T or 6308T? If 08T, it's registered as a P51D in Berrian, Michigan.

Don

[AAFO_WSagar]

Don, looks like 08T to me... copied it and blew it up..

Wayne

[Leo]

princely sum

I had an aquaintence during the early seventies that owned a Mustang and had flown it for a number of years.
He was very smug about selling it ( I think it was in 73) for the pricely sum of $40,000, flying.
He's long gone now and I can't find the one picture I had to ID it.
Man's name was Mel Jones.

[Victor Archer]

Originally posted by AAFO_WSagar
Don, looks like 08T to me... copied it and blew it up..

Wayne

I have a high res scan of it at home, I'm sure it's 09T but I'll double check it one more time.
I think I'll rescan the slide mabe make it 20x24 and see if there is anything els I can read.

[Victor Archer]

Here's the number. it's even hard to read in the high res scan.

[Victor Archer]

I did find this, it's the small crate next to the plane. I can just make out the word paid under the number but no names or date. Allthough I do know the photo was taken Oct. '62

[GWB]

9583 sounds like one of the ones that my Father in law may have flown after the war...I don't have his log book handy to check for sure....

There was a mustang with the same shade of burgandy (no white) registered CF-RUT in the mid to late sixties..it may not be the same plane, but that is not a color you see every day...especially on a P-51....

[Race 29]

Ok, so.....the Mustang is registered as 08T...and the box is registered as 09t? Now I'm all confused!

Last night I thought it might have been N6308T after I couldn't find anything on 09T, I couldn't find anything on 08T either. I also checked the RCAF number given and didn't get any dice there either. Samething with the serial number, nothing. I'm really stumped.

(This is kinda long, sorry!)
The refrence material used has James H. Defuria all over the mustang section. Sometimes it lists Mr Defuria and Fred Ritts both of Intercontental Airways out of Canastota, NY. as the owners. Almost all were from the RCAF at some point. We all definatly owe him and Fred Ritts a debt of gratitude! Most were bought or first registered during '58 to '60. Some stories I've heard had Mustangs surplussed out of McClellan AFB for $500! I worked there in the late 80's early 90's, and while walking through the DRMO I'd see D model canopies, mustang propellers, spinners, instruments, etc. that were still around. All of it was going to the scrappers. I tried to buy the stuff, or have it donated to ANY museum and was always told there would be too much red tape (read: government workers too damn lazy to lift a finger to preserve history!) I even contacted a few of the scrappers but it was too much trouble for them to let me pick through their lot of metal before dumping it all into the crusher. All of this stuff was new in the crate. The majority of what I saw was from the century series fighters (for awhile there was even an entire F-4!), but there was some WWII treasures there also. Since the base is now closed, I'm sure all of it is now gone. The last time I was out there though, one of the few surviving (might be the only one) F-111B was still out there. The F-111B was the short nose Navy version that unsuccesfully competed against the F-14 for the Fleet Defense Fighter contract in the 70's. It was being used to train airframe repair, so it's in pretty bad shape.

Crying with my head in my hands,
Race 29

[speeddemon]

For what its worth...

N6318T Hovey's #2 racer

Most people know that Hovey had Bob Love race this plane for about 10 years or so...both in the black & red "Jello Mold" scheme, and the RAF Camo job she has today.

But a lot of people don't know that this airframe was also C.E. Crosby's "Mr. Choppers", race #3 at the 1964 Reno Air Races. The plane was light blue with white and red trim.

Crosby was from Bellingham, Washington, and the plan was to have all the local merchants of the city chip in and sponsor the plane for the race (sort of like what Lyle Shelton and Walt Olrich did the following year). So confident was Crosby that he had "Sponsored by the City of Bellingham" painted on the side of the plane.

Unfortunately, it didn't work out that way. He hardly raised any money at all..so at the last minute, he took some water soluable white paint, blocked out "the City of Bellingham", and replaced it with "My Wife" in big red letters.

If you look at photos of the plane in any of the books by Jim Larsen, John Tegler, or Reed Kinnert, you can see this on the aft fuselage. It's pretty funny, I think...and says a lot about 'sponsorship' and 'air racing' even back then.

Crosby finished third in the transcon that year, and although I believe he qualified for the pylon races, he decided not to run.

Just one of those stupid little facts that you really don't need to know.