Thunder
Mustang Builders Group
Press Release
December 19th, 2000
 Papa 51
Ltd. Co. was formed in 1995 to
develop and manufacture a 3/4
scale version of what is likely
the most admired of all World War
II era fighters, the North
American Aviation P-51D Mustang.
Over the next two and a half
years work went forward with the
design and construction of the
first Thunder Mustang.
After the very successful launch
of this new high performance all
carbon fiber kit plane, the
unthinkable happened. The
prototype Thunder Mustang was
involved in a tragic accident on
May 30, 1998 that destroyed the
aircraft sadly killing both pilot
and passenger. The NTSB (National
Transportation Safety Board)
reported in its preliminary
report that it found no fault
with the airframe or engine that
contributed to the accident and
it’s official probable cause
is listed as “the pilot's
failure to maintain adequate
airspeed which resulted in a
stall.”
This unfortunate accident nearly
halted further sales of the
Thunder Mustang.. In addition,
Papa 51 was slow to respond to
this turn of events and soon
found itself in serious financial
jeopardy. Papa 51 approached each
of the kit owners for support. A
number of Thunder Mustang owners
responded by forming a group
called the Thunder Builder Group
LLC.
The TBG (Thunder Builder Group
LLC.) resolved in November 1999
to lend Papa 51 Ltd. Co. the
funds necessary to restructure
and finish supplying all of the
outstanding parts required by the
groups’ 24 members to finish
their kits. The TBG, in tandem
with the original Papa 51
investor group, brought in Tom
Giertz to be the new President
and oversee this process. The TBG
is happy to report that we have
been successful in this effort
and owe a great deal of thanks to
Tom and his dedicated team at
Papa 51.
Throughout this past year the
Thunder Mustang has continued to
draw a lot of attention in the
aviation community. As recently
as September 2000, the Thunder
Mustang team had an exciting week
together at the Reno Air Races
when N7TR, the second Thunder
Mustang to fly, secured 3 first
place and one 2nd place finish in
the Sport Class races. Thanks to
everyone who participated in our
success for your support.
Despite continued high interest
in the Thunder Mustang and the
support of many dedicated fans,
there have been no additional kit
sales. Papa 51 Ltd. Co. was
forced to shut down on December
1, 2000. Papa 51 turned over the
remaining assets of the Company
to the TBG to satisfy its’
outstanding loan. The TBG is now
in possession of the intellectual
property and molds required to
manufacture the Thunder Mustang
kit.
A priority of the Thunder Builder
Group has always been, and
remains, to facilitate the
continued success of the Thunder
Mustang. Our focus is now on
discovering a way to resume
manufacturing this remarkable
airplane. Additionally, the TBG
will continue to make refinements
to the construction manual and
aircraft as builders complete
their Thunder Mustangs. Investors
and prospective customers should
contact one of the following TBG
Managers for more information.
Malcolm
Thomson at
mdthomson@attglobal.net
or 719-591-9373
John
McCartney at
kwmacs@aol.com or
281-360-9260
George
Walters at
gwalters@sc.rr.com or
803/765-1128
The TBG will
continue to maintain the Thunder
Mustang web site at www.thundermustang.com to keep
fans updated on any new events,
shows and completed Thunders.
Several new Thunder Mustangs will
be completed by next years air
show season, one having a
supercharger! How fast do you
think it will be and what class
will it complete in?
The TBG looks forward to seeing
all our fans at next years air
shows.
archived AAFO.COM
reports on Thunder Mustang
2000 reports
Giertz
takes over | Thunder
Over Reno | More
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