Fragile But Agile - P-51K 44-12016

[deltascrew]

Same aircraft??
http://www.warbirdinformationexchange.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?p=180251

Last edited by deltascrew on Mon Sep 13, 2010 1:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[billtate]

Buddha say;

It is N98CF, registered to Comanche Fighters. It was formerly Twilight Tear that was at
Chino. However, now registered as a P-51K with a P-51k data plate. That’s all I am going to say.

As customary, John you raise as many questions as you provide answers. Thanks for the pics of "Fragile but Agile". Cheers Bill

[Django]

Nice!! Great to see another PTO Mustang.

[51fixer]

As one who has touched and worked a little bit on this A/C I will add a little bit to this.
I know there is a "Past" to this airframe but I feel the present and future are incredible for the Warbird Movement.
What was researched and documented on this is its present identity. I believe this is a Pacific Combat Vet.

I saw and touched the Bert Lee and the 2 kill markings scratched in the skin when it was assembled in my hangar back in 07.
How a Pacific Vet ended up in Israel I don't know.
What is cool is-
That its true identity has been returned to her. It is painted in markings it wore. Although markings I believe are combined from the 2 pilots who flew her at different times. Bert Lee was 1st. Fragile but Agile was the 2nd set of markings.
A NOS Aeroproducts Prop was overhauled and installed.

So combining the following makes for a very rare P-51- P-51K, Pacific Combat History and now painted in its original markings.

I know more info will be presented in the near future and that is all I'll say.

[JohnTerrell]

That is really interesting, Rich! Sure enough, if you view this photo on ASB, in high-res form, you can make out the scratch marks of Bert Lee's name, in the exact position that it is now painted:

http://www.asb.tv/photos/view.php?v=11294&issearch=1

[Jack Cook]

OK now I'm confused
First it's Twilight Tear and lost it's ID to the real one.
Now it's really Fragile But Agile. Cool but what I don't
understand is that F But A was 44-12-018 and the new
one is registered has 44-12016 N98CF. In my photo it's hard
to tell the s/n and I fell into that trap in my first thread.
44-12016 was previously a project with Mark Tisler and was
in Japan with the 8th FBG in 1947. How'd it get on the other
side of the planet.

[deltascrew]

After looking at the restoration photos again it appears that the aircraft has different numbers on each side of the tail

the left side ends in 8


and the right side ends in 6

[Jack Cook]

covering all the bases I guess

[JohnTerrell]

I'd simply hazard a guess that evidence has shown that it is 44-12018, but required a 'supported' identity through paperwork/data-plate/etc. that does not exist for 44-12018 - thus attaching the existent identification aspects of 44-12016 to it?? I wait with great interest to learn more - and of course see more of the aircraft... Beyond anything else, it is just great knowing that the aircraft is operating again!

[DaveM2]

Rich

Thanks for your input, that is interesting indeed. So the Stephen Grey ( The Fighter Collection) aircraft was masquerading as an 8th AF combat vet 'Twilight Tear' ( although Grey swore it was that aircraft through whatever evidence he had). However the battle for the identity was lost and now Fagen has the 'real' TT ( I think that is correct so far?).
Now the real 'FA' has been discovered as being the Grey aircraft ( The Fighter Collection couldn't discover that in all the years and servicing they did on it?), and it somehow made its way from Okinawa to Israel (via the 8th AF in August 1945??-I guess they never had enough surplus P-51s at that time?) and then to Sweden....
I love a good detective story, especially when the answers throw up more questions and I get splinters from scratching my head
Of course we shouldn't loose sight of the fact this is a wonderful looking aircraft and is a flyer to boot, but a bit of intrigue always adds value to any subject close to our hearts.
Jack has a pony up for grabs on this one

[Jack Cook]

That its true identity has been returned to her. It is painted in markings it wore

The real question is why since the real Fragile But Agile is 44-12 018 how you proclaim to have
the very aircraft but yet use the ID of 44-12016 which was formally with Mark Tishler
Anyone? Bueller....Ferris Bueller Jack thinks he's keeping the pony this time

[51fixer]

That its true identity has been returned to her. It is painted in markings it wore

The real question is why since the real Fragile But Agile is 44-12 018 how you proclaim to have
the very aircraft but yet use the ID of 44-12016 which was formally with Mark Tishler
Anyone? Bueller....Ferris Bueller Jack thinks he's keeping the pony this time

There is the chance that someone in the field painted the wrong number on one side of the rudder and the right number on the other side.
Since there was a war on they didn't correct it for whatever reason.
Maybe they painted the current paint job and recreated the mistake.
Keep on scratching the noggins guys.

[John Kerr]

I believe that is registered as 44-12016 because it has that data plate of it installed.
I have never seen any pictures of said aircraft in ND and think it was just a small pile of
parts including the data plate 44-12016. Would not be the lst time a data plate was
sold to make an aircraft legal.

[t6flier]

The Mark Tisler airplane is N60752 and the S/N is 44-12118.

There was a mistake in that earlier thread.

[Nathan]

My new favorite Mustang!