Warbird Information Exchange

I'm having trouble finding contract numbers for P-51's of any make or plant, but I specifically need to know which one P-51D S/N 44-73990, M/N 122-40530 falls under. Can anyone help?

The info is needed to make the data block correct on the airframe's new paint job.

Ryan

Need to double check to verify but what I have found the contract # would be AC-2378 date 3-11-44

Craig

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CraigQ

Ryan, the contract number was never part of the data block - what I believe you're looking for is the "Special Project Number", as in:

AAF. SPEC. PROJ. NO. XXXXX
U.S. ARMY P-51D-25-NA
SERIAL NO. AAF 44-73990

The special project numbers were assigned, and varied, based on which Theatre of Operation the aircraft was shipped/transported to - a period military equivalent of a modern day order tracking number. As I recall, a special project number was usually assigned to a batch of aircraft, shipped/transported overseas together - sometimes with an extra addition to the number, such as "-R" for "replacement".

If the aircraft was never shipped out of the US (as I believe the case to be with this particular aircraft), I don't believe it would ever have had a project number assigned, and thus that portion of the data block would likely have remained empty, with just the initial/default "AAF. SPEC. PROJ. NO.", with no corresponding number.

If you were to have the data block portray that of the original "Alabama Rammer Jammer", however, its project number *may* have been 92835-R


(BTW, if the aircraft still has its original data plates, the original contract number can be found on those.)

Ryan

Did this aircraft get assigned to the USAAF or go to the RAF? According to Joe Baughers datasite on serial numbers for US WW2 aircraft, 44-73990 was sent to the RAF. If it was, there is a chance that a special project number was not assigned to it.



Craig

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CraigQ