Warbird Information Exchange

A friend of my dad's recently sent me an air-to-air photo of P-40K 'Aleutian Tiger' 33, c/n 21117.

When was this 'Hawk restored and by whom?

Canso42

I think this excerpt answers your question...from kiwiaircraftimages.com:

Two other P-40 aircraft have spent time in New Zealand in recent years. P-40N 42-105306 was formerly at Pioneer Aero Restorations Ltd, and is now in California with Chris Prevost. The other aircraft was P-40K-5 ZK-PXL (c/n 21117, ex 42-9733, N4363) which was operated by the Alpine Fighter Collection (illustrated below) More information about this aircraft can be found here. The aircraft suffered a major mishap on Sunday 26th October, 1997 when it was being flown on a practice flight by Phil Murray (one of the regular pilots). Engine problems occurred about a mile and a half from the airfield. Phil attempted to return to the airfield but didn't have enough height to clear trees (50ft plus) near the end of the runway on the run in, so he put the aircraft down in a lucerne field. The aircraft was substantially damaged (particularly the fuselage), but fortunately the pilot walked away. The NZ registration was cancelled on March 24, 1998. Put up for tender by the insurers, the aircraft was sold to Dick Thurman of Kentucky. The aircraft was restored in New Zealand by Pioneer AvSpecs (flying again on April 7, 2000), and subsequently displayed at Wanaka in 2000. The aircraft now registered as NX4436J was then shipped to the United States where it won the Reserve Grand Champion WWII Warbird award at Oshkosh.

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

Thanks Dan K,
Does that source have anything on its wartime history?
Doug

Our very own Ron "Kaigun Fan" Werneth wrote the following for Flight Journal (Oct., 2000):

The second P-40 flyer is a rare "K" model, serial no. 42-9733, which took to the skies on April 7 this year and is now owned by Dick Thurman of Louisville, Kentucky. He bought it from the Alpine Fighter Collection (Wanaka, NZ) after it had been severely damaged in a landing accident in October 1997. This particular aircraft was delivered to the Army Air Force on August 31, 1942, and first went to Great Falls AFB. On January 26, 1943, it was transferred to Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, but little else is known of its service history. At Adak AFB on May 12, 1945, it was condemned as "surplus," but 40 years later, collector Bob Sturges rescued its remains just before the area in which it was discovered was to be used as a nuclear test site. It subsequently had several owners before being sold to the Alpine Fighter Collection. After its disastrous landing accident, the collector Thurman sent the wrecked P-40K to the well-known Pioneer Aero Restorations Ltd., who specialize in restoring that breed of warbird. The fuselage was completely rebuilt aft of frame five (behind the pilot); everything forward of the firewall was replaced; and the tail feathers were repaired. The cockpit interior was completely restored, the left wing was stripped and rebuilt from the leading edge up, and the right wing was repaired. The team replaced or rebuilt the wingtips, flaps and ailerons, and Thurman provided an engine. The fighter is finished in a dramatic Aleutian theater paint scheme, and it is currently being shipped back to the United States.

Joe Baugher's site states that 42-9733 was shot down over the Aleutians, but I don't know what the source was for that info. Perhaps one of our resident 11th AF experts can help out.

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