P-51 N71L Weather Mustang: Is it still around?

[Jerry O'Neill]

I found the link below to a weather site and they used a P-51 in the 1950's for weather research, N71L. Just wondering if it's still around?

Just scroll down the first quarter of the page and you can see a pic of the Mustang.
Jerry

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl= ... l%26sa%3DN

[bdk]

44-72410 according to Joe Baugher's site.

[Swiss Mustangs]

make that 44-72401.....

http://www.warbirdregistry.org/p51regis ... 72401.html

Martin

[T J Johansen]

I found the rudder off of this one in Pioneer Aero Service's stash at Chino many years ago. Also a canopy which looked like it came from N5420V. These a/c were most likely disassembled by Cavalier in the 1960s.

T J

[Jerry O'Neill]

Thanks guys!
It's interesting that Earl Ortman, a pre-war Thompson Trophy participant, owned it, and it's listed as "Race #2". Does anybody have it's racing history? Bendix?, Thompson?
Nice to know there is another "historic" racer out there somewhere!
Jerry

[T J Johansen]

Sad to say, I think you will find that apart from the rudder the a/c is not around anymore. Cavalier probarbly used it (or sold it) at one stage or another. Do note the deeper lower cowling which was made to accomodate the Merlin 225 low altitude engine by Lee Fairbrother in 1949. Ortman flew the 51 to 3rd place in the 1946 Thompson, Fairbrother placed 4th in the 47 Kendall, retired from the 48 Tinnerman and Thompson, and placed 7th in the 49 Thompson.

T J