Ferrying P-51’s to Hawaii

[Dan Jones]

I’m pretty sure I already know the answer to this, but a friend of a friend of mine (since passed) used to tell him that he ferried some P-51’s from the mainland to Hawaii, but I just can’t see it. Does anyone here know if this was ever done? I can only see them getting there as either deck cargo or ferried on a flat top.

[Mark Allen M]

Never was a need to try that. Easier and safer to simply ship them out to the Pacific theater.

[JohnB]

Post war, some surplus CVEs were re-classed as aircraft ferry ships.
In the war not only were aircraft carried on flattops, but also as general cargo.
I read one account where Navy pilots being sent into the SW Pacific, asked the cargo officer if they could get into stored aircraft so they could learn the panel layout so they could pass their blindfold test in new F6Fs.
Turns out the Navy officer was one Gerald Ford.

Seems like flying Mustang would be s bit sporty...
-Adding hours to engines
-Using a lot of fuel
-Using up a lot of drop tanks
-Navigation concerns
-Weather concerns
-Inexperienced pilots...
And remember, they'd be going against the prevailing winds.

On this forum I hate to say something never happened because someone will come up with a record saying it did occur a couple of times, but from a safety and operational standpoint, I'm sure it was far from ideal.

Last edited by JohnB on Mon Dec 02, 2024 1:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Dan Jones]

I can't see it myself, plus being about twenty-seven hundred and fifty nautical miles from Santa Maria to Hilo, I don't think the airplane would have the range. I figure it's just a "bar story".

[Hooligan2]

I figure it's just a "bar story".

Sounds like a ferry story to me...

[Forgotten Field]

Don't completely dismiss it. A whole liaison squadron of L-5's flew from the Philippines to Okinawa because they had trouble getting shipping priority. They put engines on CG-4A's so they could fly them to ETO. The concept was there, why not try it? The key question is where and how did they place and utilize extra fuel in a P-51?

[L-188]

I don't think I've ever seen engines on a CG4. Are there any pics of this?

[mike furline]

I don't think I've ever seen engines on a CG4. Are there any pics of this?

Prototypes. Google "Waco XPG" and click on images for various photos.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waco_CG-4

https://www.airhistory.net/photo/236390/44-90986/490986

[Mark Allen M]

Off topic, but still cool.

[Dan Jones]

Engines on a CG-4…. I think we have now officially seen it all!

[menards]

I’m pretty sure I already know the answer to this, but a friend of a friend of mine (since passed) used to tell him that he ferried some P-51’s from the mainland to Hawaii, but I just can’t see it. Does anyone here know if this was ever done? I can only see them getting there as either deck cargo or ferried on a flat top.

You posted the same question 8 years ago.

https://warbirdinformationexchange.org/ ... =3&t=57350

[menards]

I’m pretty sure I already know the answer to this, but a friend of a friend of mine (since passed) used to tell him that he ferried some P-51’s from the mainland to Hawaii, but I just can’t see it. Does anyone here know if this was ever done? I can only see them getting there as either deck cargo or ferried on a flat top.

You posted the same question 8 years ago.

https://warbirdinformationexchange.org/ ... =3&t=57350

[Mark Allen M]

My dad flew a few long distance fighter missions from Aircraft Carriers over the Pacific. I recall him stating it wasn’t pleasant at all. Lots of stress in a single engine F6F Hellcat without autopilot or a comfortable cockpit for hours on end. Nowhere near the amount of time possibly sitting in a Mustang over water for nearly 2400 miles though. Dad stated he would sometimes try to rig up a rudimentary autopilot with shoe strings. Not sure how that could work but back in those days I’d imagine there were plenty of ideas to test. Dad used to reinforce the misconception that being a US Navy fighter pilot flying off carriers over mostly open water during war was fun and glamorous. It wasn’t what it was cracked up to be. Most all pilots simply wanted to survive and complete their tours asap and get back home. Those were still the early days of carrier operations and flying single engine fighters over open water. Lots of non-combat mistakes, mishaps and deaths back then.

[Dan Jones]

I’m pretty sure I already know the answer to this, but a friend of a friend of mine (since passed) used to tell him that he ferried some P-51’s from the mainland to Hawaii, but I just can’t see it. Does anyone here know if this was ever done? I can only see them getting there as either deck cargo or ferried on a flat top.

You posted the same question 8 years ago.

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=57350

So I did. Hmmm.... And eight years later the consensus hasn't changed; just a bar story.

[menards]

I’m pretty sure I already know the answer to this, but a friend of a friend of mine (since passed) used to tell him that he ferried some P-51’s from the mainland to Hawaii, but I just can’t see it. Does anyone here know if this was ever done? I can only see them getting there as either deck cargo or ferried on a flat top.

You posted the same question 8 years ago.

https://warbirdinformationexchange.org/ ... =3&t=57350

So I did. Hmmm.... And eight years later the consensus hasn't changed; just a bar story.

I think that you need more info. All that you provide is some dude says he ferried "some" P-51's from the mainland (presumably bay area) to Hawaii (presumedly Hickham). Was this wartime? Peacetime? Military? Civilian? Wartime large scale fighter movements were done on carriers, or P-51s were shipped in crates on liberty ships. Post-war occupation forces were equipped with P-51s through 1950. P-51's were deployed to Korea. I wouldnt rule out the probability that a "few" planes were needed "immediately" and were dispatched from the mainland arriving in a day or two instead of the weeks or months required for shipping transport. A P-51 stripped of extra weight and armament and loaded with fuel and the bigger drop tanks could make the trip. What makes the story believable, at least to me, is that its a fairly low key story. A dude ferried some P-51s to Hawaii from the mainland. No glory or need for embeliishment there.