One for the Warbird Registry

[JimH]

N13Y

[Jerry O'Neill]

Jim;
I guess they took good care of you at NEAM!
Did you get a good look at our new PT-22?
Jerry

[CraigQ]

Jim, what about that Wildcat in the background in the second pictures. Looks like an FM-2 rudder,

Craig Q

[T J Johansen]

I really hope they restore that 51 with the racing mods from Cleveland and not as a stock D model!

T J

[Holedigger]

Looks like my garage, except for the airplane parts and the ability for someone to walk through it!

[Jerry O'Neill]

The FM-2 use to be on display in the Museum. It was not a very quality restoration, done by a group out of house, but it is complete. It had been a war memorial in Windsor Locks before the museum was given title to it.
They take it to remote events such as the Westover and Westfield airshows and sometimes Big E fair in West Springfield.

It was taken off display as more and much better restorations were finished. It will get it's chance in the restoration shop again some day.

The plan for N13Y has always been to restore it as it's last racer configuration. When it won the Thompson Trophy racer it was pretty much a stock aircraft. It wasn't until after it's win that it was modified.
NEAM is very aware of the history of that aircraft, and has the largest collection of original Thompson Trophy Racers around. The Laird Solution won the first Thompson Race and N13Y won one of the last. With the Marcoux-Bromberg R-3, it makes for a fantastic collection of original vintage racers. Add the Gee Bee R-1 replica built a few years back, and you have something special.

Jerry

[T J Johansen]

Personally I'd like to see it in the 1949 Thompson set-up with belly scoop removed and yellow colors.

T J

[Jerry O'Neill]

Personally I'd like to see it in the 1949 Thompson set-up with belly scoop removed and yellow colors.

T J

That's exactly how it will be restored. Yellow and red 1949 Colors.
Jerry

[John Dupre]

I heard from someone that used to volunteer at NEAM that at some point N13Y was sent out for restoration work. The deal didn't work out and the aircraft was taken back to NEAM with a stock Merlin in place of the modified race version that had originally been sent out. True?

[Jerry O'Neill]

I do not believe an engine came with the airframe when NEAM got it. The engine would've been the most sought after part of the aircraft back in the 1960's. We have a -224 Merlin if we want to put that in, but It might be nicer to have it displayed next to the aircraft since the "missing Merlin"from it's 1949 race was a -225. I think the original -225 was parted from the airframe when it had been sent out for overhaul and the company "lost" it. They replaced it with a different number Merlin and it just didn't have the same power that the -225 developed. The replacement Merlin was later removed and used some where else.

The aircraft had been sent out in the late 1970's to a "restorer" but in 1986, the director went to look at some of the out of house projects and realized that besides cleaning and totally painting the fuselage and cockpit incorrectly, that it would be best for the museum to pull all of the outside projects back in house, even if it meant they would only be placed in storage.

It was a wise move at the time, as I believe some parts of the RP-63 we had seemed to have gone "missing".

There was a plan in the late 70's that involved Anson Johnson and the racer being restored and flown for a few years at Reno and an attempt to break the propeller speed record with it. Thankfully, wiser heads prevailed and the aircraft is, at least, still with us.

Jerry

[L. Thompson]

For some reason (and I'm at work and can't check) I can't recall your RP-63. Can you post some details and a photo?

Thanks!

[Speedy]

There was a plan in the late 70's that involved Anson Johnson and the racer being restored and flown for a few years at Reno and an attempt to break the propeller speed record with it. Thankfully, wiser heads prevailed and the aircraft is, at least, still with us.

I remember hearing about that back in the early '80's and thinking it would have been kind of neat to see Anson Johnson out there turning the pylons again. That airplane, in it's modified form, never really had much of a shot in '49 (started burning off the custom built exhaust stacks early in the race and had to pull out)...and I recall that Johnson made some claims of speeds in excess of 500 mph in Florida in the early 50's 'in prep' for a shot at the 3 km record.

While I understand from the Museum standpoint that it is 'at least still with' you guys, I'm more apt to enjoy it the same way Ben McKillen's F2G was raced for a new generation, and how every time Lefty ran his P-38 those of us in the know were watching J.D. Reed's "Sky Ranger" race again. (Obviously this brings up the Leeward "Galloping Ghost" airframe being readied to race again...and while it may not be the exact 'airframe', at least the data plate and spirit live on in that one.) I'd love to see the Cleveland Museum do the same with Bob Swanson's Mustang. Hopefully in a year or two we'll see the Cleland/Becker F2G turning the pylons again.

The argument could be made that it's safer to have the plane sitting in a museum than to have a (then) 65+ year old 'former owner' chasing down the ghosts of his past....but then again, who would have guessed a tornado would ever touch down in Connecticut?

[Jerry O'Neill]

I'd have to do some checking on the serial number of the RP-63. I seem to remember we had parts of two and I think they were on loan from the USAFM. We ended up giving it back and I don't really know where the airframe is today.
I'll see what I can dig out of my basement as far as numbers go, but here is what shows up on the WIX registery at the moment:
http://www.warbirdregistry.org/p39-p63r ... 11117.html

And this airframe may be the other one I was thinking about, as Don Anklin was involved in both with NEAM as well as N13Y's failed restoration in the 80's:
http://www.warbirdregistry.org/p39-p63r ... 44181.html

Jerry

[bdk]

(Obviously this brings up the Leeward "Galloping Ghost" airframe being readied to race again...and while it may not be the exact 'airframe', at least the data plate and spirit live on in that one.).

Are you suggesting that this happened during the "Reported planned export to Israel, impounded" phase of it's life?

http://www.warbirdregistry.org/p51registry/p51-4415651.html

[Speedy]

(Obviously this brings up the Leeward "Galloping Ghost" airframe being readied to race again...and while it may not be the exact 'airframe', at least the data plate and spirit live on in that one.).

Are you suggesting that this happened during the "Reported planned export to Israel, impounded" phase of it's life?

http://www.warbirdregistry.org/p51registry/p51-4415651.html

There is a HUGE question mark as to whether or not this is the same airframe as the original Galloping Ghost. Many air race and warbird historians tend to believe that it is not...that the data plates and paperwork shuffle in the 50s and 60s between the 'dealer' and Israel meant that (similar to the airframes that were broken down, separated, and sorted for the Cavalier Mustangs) the data plate and airframe were very likely swapped--perhaps more than once.

I know Jimmy Leeward vehemently opposes that view.

But the way I see it, the provinance that the 'current' N79111 has since Dr. Cummins brought it back to life in the 60's is just as impressive: Two Reno Qualifying records ('79 & '81), and three race wins (Mojave '75, Reno '80 & '81).

In the end, it doesn't matter to me. I think it's cool that Leeward is making the investment in N79111 and it is paying homage to (if nothing else) the history of the data plate. I can't wait to see it next year!