Warbird Information Exchange

That is extremely exciting news on both accounts, thanks for the info. I will certainly be waiting with anticipation for the airplane's appearance.

I'm sure whatever it becomes it'll be stunning. I think the B/C gets the nod as the prettiest of all the Mustangs.

Myself, I'd like to see it finished as either Howard's "Ding Hao!" or as Gentile's "Shangri-La".

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Defending Stearmans on WIX since Jeff started badmouthing them back in 2005.

To me there is only one correct set of markings for a B model, Shangri-La, I saw Pete Regina's 51 in those markings in the 80s, then could not believe that someone would paint the plane red.

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Matt Gunsch, A&P, IA, Warbird maint and restorations
Jack, You have Debauched my sloth !!!!!!
We tried voting with the Ballot box, When do we start voting from the Ammo box, and am I allowed only one vote ?
Check out the Ercoupe Discussion Group on facebook

Well, good to see that's decided.
"Shangri-La" it is! I couldn't agree more.

I echo your sentiments Matt.

Andy

A bit of scope creep from the Fagan B model, but I recently found this article that chronicles on all three of the Jackie Cochran Mustangs, including Thunderbird and the history of it.
https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/jacki ... er-n5528n/

Minnesota restoration + Minnesota owner = Minnesota commemoration

Don Beerbower and the "Bonnie B"

https://www.mu.iastate.edu/media/gshdir ... 3c9df6.jpg

https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/opini ... -his-death

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It was a good idea, it just didn't work.

Oh gawd... I'd almost forgotten about that. Wasn't she "Miss Super K, for a drug free America" or something stupid like that?

Pete Regina's B model was the most beautiful airplane I ever saw. The guy that painted it red should have been tarred and feathered.

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Defending Stearmans on WIX since Jeff started badmouthing them back in 2005.

I recall the appearance of Shangri-La at Oshkosh 1982. It was one of the sensations that year.

I had my camera lens raised and ready for what would have been a historic shot of Regina's plane and the EAA's XP-51 in flight together at the evening warbird show. It was not to be. Things started to come unglued in the XP-51 and it landed without them doing a pass together, never to leave the ground again.

Seeing the XP outside and parked next to a couple of B/Cs at OSH last year brought back that memory also.







August

Didn't somebody have a bird strike or something while taking "Shangri-La" around the pylons at Reno one year?

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Defending Stearmans on WIX since Jeff started badmouthing them back in 2005.

sorry, the plane as a blue nose does nothing for me, if anything I think it looks kind of ratty.

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Matt Gunsch, A&P, IA, Warbird maint and restorations
Jack, You have Debauched my sloth !!!!!!
We tried voting with the Ballot box, When do we start voting from the Ammo box, and am I allowed only one vote ?
Check out the Ercoupe Discussion Group on facebook

Skip Holm was flying it, it was his rookie race,

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Matt Gunsch, A&P, IA, Warbird maint and restorations
Jack, You have Debauched my sloth !!!!!!
We tried voting with the Ballot box, When do we start voting from the Ammo box, and am I allowed only one vote ?
Check out the Ercoupe Discussion Group on facebook

This thread has been edited to remove negative comments. Please behave and be civil to one another.

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Hi Matt - Lemme try a little color correction/enhancement there:

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All right, Mister Dorfmann, start pullin'!
Pilot: "Flap switch works hard in down position."
Mechanic: "Flap switch checked OK. Pilot needs more P.T." - Flight report, TB-17G 42-102875 (Hobbs AAF)

Guess maybe I will be the dissenting opinion here. I have been lucky enough to see the Regina P-51B in all her guises and was always ecstatic to see it no matter the scheme. For a good many years it was the ONLY B/C variant flying so seeing it in any paint scheme was a real treat. But it seemed like when I was growing up in the late '70s and early '80s that nearly every model, painting, artist's rendering, whatever of a B model Mustang was of Gentile's "Shangri La". It just got to be too common IMHO. I thought the red/gold was gorgeous and remain very glad that I got to see it in that paint scheme as it was not painted that way for very long. Very surprised that anybody would put the only flying B model Mustang in a civilian scheme for sure! At any rate I hope it remains flying for a long time to come and for my money there cannot be too many of the high back Mustangs flying so bring 'em on.

Here's another "B", the Historic Flight Foundation's "Impatient Virgin", a rebuild of a 361st FG veteran with seven victories.

https://www.airspacemag.com/photocontes ... everett-w/

According to Wiki,there are 3 "B"s flying now (plus an "A", and several "C"s), numbers we wouldn't have imagined back when Regime's B was the only one out there.

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Remember the vets, the wonderful planes they flew and their sacrifices for a future many of them did not live to see.
Note political free signature.
I figure if you wanted my opinion on items unrelated to this forum, you'd ask for it.