Vlado- Is this Moonbeam while part of the Texas ANG?

[Warbirdnerd]

Looks like it to me...



Found it here:
https://www.facebook.com/OldSchoolAviat ... =3&theater

[Ryan Harris]

That is Minuteman the warbird Mustang from the '70's. It was owned here in Texas by Ed Messick at the time.

Based on the photos of this one just talked about on the old CAF photo thread here, I'd guess the paint job matches the airplane flown by the Lt. Col. it was honoring, which is how Moonbeam got mixed up with it: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=58253&start=60

http://www.mustangsmustangs.com/p-51/su ... l/44-73163

[Warbirdnerd]

That is Minuteman the warbird Mustang from the '70's. It was owned here in Texas by Ed Messick at the time.

Based on the photos of this one just talked about on the old CAF photo thread here, I'd guess the paint job matches the airplane flown by the Lt. Col. it was honoring, which is how Moonbeam got mixed up with it: http://www.warbirdinformationexchange.o ... 3&start=60

http://www.mustangsmustangs.com/p-51/su ... l/44-73163

I thought that might be the case, but would there still have been a P-80 in Texas when Minuteman (44-73163) was in those colors? 58607 does not match the serial of any of the surviving P-80s listed on Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_ ... oting_Star

[Mark Allen M]

Here's Ed Messick (I believe) in 1973 with N51MR

[Ryan Harris]

That is Minuteman the warbird Mustang from the '70's. It was owned here in Texas by Ed Messick at the time.

Based on the photos of this one just talked about on the old CAF photo thread here, I'd guess the paint job matches the airplane flown by the Lt. Col. it was honoring, which is how Moonbeam got mixed up with it: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=58253&start=60

http://www.mustangsmustangs.com/p-51/su ... l/44-73163

I thought that might be the case, but would there still have been a P-80 in Texas when Minuteman (44-73163) was in those colors? 58607 does not match the serial of any of the surviving P-80s listed on Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_ ... oting_Star

Both the F-86 and F-80 are now gate guards at NAS Fort Worth. I found a photo taken last year of the F-80 and the serial number matches. Baugher doesn't list the airplane on his site, but the production batch it is in, is actually missing quite a few airframes off his list.

[Warbirdnerd]

Mystery solved. Thanks Ryan

[mlenoch]

As the previous comments said, the photo is of Ed Messick's Mustang painted to honor a TEX ANG pilot.
Curiously, he used the paint scheme of "Moonbeam's" while it was assigned to the TEX ANG in the 1950s: 44-73656.
Sidebar: Moonbeam/44-73656 starred in the movie 'Battle Hymn' along with other TEX ANG Mustangs. Another Mustang historian (Dienst?) tracked down all those participating aircraft.
V

[Lynn Allen]

Here's Ed Messick (I believe) in 1973 with N51MR

Not a bad birthday gift from your wife as the story I was told back then. She surprised Ed with this Mustang...