Rarely seen Mustang

The Inspector · **Posted:** Sun Mar 18, 2012 7:44 am

Tim Adams wrote:

What a waste of machinery.

It's one thing to restore an airplane to flying status and put it in a museum. I don't like that, but can understand it, at least people get to see it. Restore it to flying status and let it rot in a hanger, that's just plain stupid.

Yeah, but it seems to be in the 'Shrine' mental complex. Lots of people would rather watch an heirloom car/airplane/boat rot away and refuse to sell it because 'it was Uncle Charlies favorite car/airplane/boat'. I'm sure there are more than a few bedrooms in America that are exactly as they were when Dave went off to 'Veet Nawm' 43 years ago and Mom wants to remember her boy-I watched a very nice 67 CAMARO RS rot into the swampy ground because of that issue a few years ago. 'It was my boy Pete's car and he parked it when he went in the Army and off to Viet Nam, it ain't for sale'.

cwmc · **Joined:** Fri Jan 28, 2011 2:43 am **Posts:** 322

Valerie Bonzer isn't that way, exactly.
She holds the airplane dear yet it was displayed at three museums through the years, EAA being where I saw it. It wasn't hiding. It was at Champlain until it closed except when it was at the resto shop, so it was on display. Not hidden.
She sold the other one, N335J years ago so she knows the value of them. It's not exactly the greatest investment in the world, but like gold, it does hold value and slowly increase, so it's not a bad way to diversify a portfolio. Yes she could've made a lot more investing in a blue chip 43 years ago but it's hers to do with as she wishes.
It certainly is not in danger of rotting in a large hangar in Phoenix, Arizona, it has been under cover and through the years maintained in near flying condition. It may need a month of work to get it flying now but it certainly isn't junk either.
Valerie is very elderly and Fred may have been her main reason for holding it fast and she may have been protecting his position all these years.
In mortality and financially!
Chris...

Matt Gunsch · **Posted:** Sun Mar 18, 2012 12:58 pm

Valerie Bonzer is 94 and still going....... Does this make her the oldest Mustang owner ever ?

sledge39 · **Joined:** Thu Jun 29, 2006 1:01 pm **Posts:** 262

...6 June 1965...Lancaster, CA (WJF)...

cwmc · **Joined:** Fri Jan 28, 2011 2:43 am **Posts:** 322

That's is a crystal clear picture, thanks!
Chris...

N3Njeff · **Posted:** Sun Mar 18, 2012 6:57 pm

Good for her...........god bless her!! Let it sit right where it is, looks pretty nice to me! :drink3:

Zac Yates · **Posted:** Sun Mar 18, 2012 11:40 pm

I remember first seeing this restoration in Classic Wings (Downunder?) magazine and being amazed by the paint job. I often wondered where it was, and I'm glad to see it remains in that very unique scheme.

Chappie · **Joined:** Wed Dec 19, 2007 9:40 am **Posts:** 987

Man I love checkerboarded Mustangs!

Chappie

wendovertom · **Posted:** Tue Mar 20, 2012 3:27 pm

as Bugs Bunny would say, "Da roool, da roool"! Awesome plane!

Tom P.

Chappie · **Joined:** Wed Dec 19, 2007 9:40 am **Posts:** 987

GARY HILTON · **Posted:** Wed Oct 16, 2013 12:51 pm

Thanks for sharing Matt, any more interesting hangar finds out at Falcon? It's been a few years now since I've last been there. Would like to take a tour of the Phoenix area airfields, but would probably get arrested at Gila River Mem.

Jeff Nelson · **Posted:** Wed Oct 16, 2013 9:57 pm

We totally re-wired this aircraft while Dave Goss was restoring it and never even got to put a battery in it so it could be tested. To my knowledge, it never got hydraulics, fuel, or oil, either. I heard once it was going to end up in the Smithsonian at some point. Still my favorite Mustang. When the wiring was finished and I met Ms. Bonzer, I thanked her for allowing us to work on such an historical aircraft. She smiled and shook her finger at me, saying "Oh, I checked you out first!" Nice lady...

N3Njeff · **Posted:** Wed Oct 16, 2013 10:40 pm

You know it would look good hanging up from the ceiling at Hazy in a banked turn :supz:

Courier Sportster · **Joined:** Thu Oct 20, 2011 7:03 am **Posts:** 319

"Under restoration to airworthy as "American Dreamer"." ---does this mean that checker paint is coming off??? better not! i might have to hurt myself. it's beautiful the way it is and i prefer the exec stangs to all these invasion stripey kind...yawn. all in the eye of the beholder but i think this one is the very coolest of them all!!

Chappie · **Joined:** Wed Dec 19, 2007 9:40 am **Posts:** 987

Courier Sportster wrote:

"Under restoration to airworthy as "American Dreamer"." ---does this mean that checker paint is coming off??? better not! i might have to hurt myself. it's beautiful the way it is and i prefer the exec stangs to all these invasion stripey kind...yawn. all in the eye of the beholder but i think this one is the very coolest of them all!!

I don't know where the American Dreamer came from. It was restored by Gosshawk in 1996-97 to its 1965 configuration more or less. Black & white checkers, no name, green #14. The way it looks in the above photos it the way it was found. That's all I'll say- read my article when it is complete.

Chappie

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