JOHN PAUL'S P-51B

[Jack Cook]

DOES ANYONE KNOW THE STATUS OF JOHN PAUL'S P-51B PROJECT UP AT CALDWELL, IDAHO????

He posted something either on here or on the Planes of Fame board right after the Chino show in May about the project.

I can't remember exactly all the details but he did say that if it were at Fighter Rebuilders it would be finished in a month. Manpower and time is I guess the only thing slowing it down.

Can't wait to see it though and he seemed very enthusiastic about it.

Ryan

We havn't been doing much work on it this summer but are going to put together a program to get us back on track this winter. No reason why it shouldn't fly by spring/early summer next year. My Dad's just been to busy with day to day at the Warhawk Air Museum to dedicate the time to it.
It's a "C" model by the way, it's on the gear, radiator and oil cooler are in, hydraulics are plumbed, firewall forward is done, prop is hung, instument panal is complete - just needs to be installed , need to finish the cockpit and still working to assemble the canopy (lots of little pieces), hang flaps and ailerons, finish wing tips, etc. It is very, very close and is absolutley beautiful. We're painting it in the markings of Duane Beeson's "Boise Bee". So, for now, we just fly P-40's! Check out www.warhawkairmuseum.org.

JC

Sorry, try this www.warhawkairmuseum.org

[Jack Cook]

JC,
REMEMBER WHEN YOU PAINT IT. BEESON'S P-51B WAS NAMED "BEE" NOT THE "BOISE BEE" THAT WAS HIS P-47C. THE R/R GUYS WILL CATCH THAT AT RENO!!!

[Rob Mears]

Don't be unlucky enough to pait it that "wrong color" green either. The R/R boys will be sure catch that too!

[Chad Veich]

If it started out as an A how is it that it is now a C? And while we are getting info straight from the horse's mouth, just how did you guys deal with the different wing positions (vertically) that exist between the Allison Mustangs and those that are Merlin powered?

Last edited by Chad Veich on Wed Oct 13, 2004 10:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Jack Cook]

It's all in the paperwork!

The confusion lies in the paperwork my Dad still ownes for the A-36 that he once owned and is on the civil register. He took all of the parts off of that project that were also used to build B/C model mustangs and sold the remaining A-36 project to Collings. He didn't "chop up" anything. I'm surprised nobody put all that together on their own.

As far as the Rolls-Royce guys go, we have zero interest in them judging anything. Their opinion means nothing as far as we are concerned. We had that beautiful Corsair that John Lane restored in our Museum for a little while and I had the pleasure of flying with John back to Jerome one day ( I was in the P-40). Need I say more? Let the "know it alls" know it all, while the rest of us enjoy these airplanes. I'm pretty sure that my Dad has earned his stripes in this industry.

Thanks for the reminder of the mustang Mr. Beeson flew being named "Bee". We are aware of this, but you may be unaware that we live in Boise, Idaho and his family was kind enough to donate his collection to the Warhawk Air Museum here in Nampa, Idaho (My parents founded). It may be inaccurate historically, but we are putting his "Boise Bee" instead of "Bee" on it anyway. The tribute to this great fighter pilot by far outways the adverse opinions of the few who just don't get it.

Blue Skies,
JC

P.S. We are always very, very happy to have a B-25 stop by!! hint, hint!!

[Rob Mears]

My sentiments exactly JC. I hate that the R/R guys chose to completely undermine their credibility in light of the odd fact that there was an unusual run of exceptional Corsair restorations during the first three years of their competition. In the end, the brought upon themselves the very result they were looking to avoid by letting politics interfere with unbiased judgement (in my opinion anyway).

Oh well, there's still Oshkosh & Sun 'n Fun Can't wait to see the P-51 when it's rolled out!

I plan to fly the Hell out of it when it's done and hope to display it at airshows all over the country. We'll see what can be worked out.

JC

JC, I flew in formation with your dad in my B-25 at Stockton, Ca. and over San Francisco Bay in 1983....before we flew to Australia.

JC:

Is your P-40 "put away" for the winter?
Thx.

[Randy Haskin]

JC, I flew in formation with your dad in my B-25 at Stockton, Ca. and over San Francisco Bay in 1983....before we flew to Australia.

Was this the Esso Tiger flight that they made the TV program about? I remember seeing it 15 years ago...a formation flight that had Bob Love's Mustang, Lloyd Hamilton in "Baby Gorilla", and I think one or two other fighters "escorting" the B-25 over the Golden Gate Bridge.

Fantastic stuff to see on PBS when there was very little warbird coverage on television.

That was it. We had a great time flying with John Paul, Lloyd Hamilton [got arrested by the Stockton police with him after a "quiet" few hundred drinks..mmmm], Bob Reiser, Bob Love et al....

Great flight over the Bay area. We did contemplate a flight "under" the Golden Gate..