Mystery Mustang - anyone know the provenance?

[Saville]

Hi All,

In one of my most favorite movies of all time - "A New Leaf" (Walter Matthau and Elaine May) - there are a few seconds shown of a taxiing Mustang. I've always wondered whose it was. I didn't see mention of it in the credits.

There's precious little to go on.

In the first picture you can see the gold and black stripe down the side of the a/c and if you look carefully there is a similar stripe on the far Wing.

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The second picture you can see the tail striping and can infer that that striping runs the length of the fuselage- NO tail number. On the canopy rail is a a name and I cannot make out the last name but the first name *MIGHT* be "Scott".

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The a/c is moving in the scene - even during the camera angle of the second screen snap.

The third pic shows a little more of the fuselage:

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Anyone have any idea what Mustang this is?

Thanks!

[lmritger]

After a bit of digging, it looks like Len Tanner's N51LT (44-73990) might be the best candidate for this... the movie was filmed in Maine and NYC in 1971 (per IMDB), and this aircraft was based out of Connecticut around that time. The striping is the same, but photos I've seen so far of N51LT show a darker color below the stripe... the registration is below the stripe on the aft fuselage, which you can JUST barely make out in that cockpit view you posted. It's by no means a lock, but the location and timeframe fit, and the colors are not too far away from those worn by the plane around that timeframe.



I'll keep looking...

Lynn

[Saville]

Hi Lynn,

Very interesting observations. And yeah I missed the bit of writing below the fuselage striping.

I see this color picture of your B&W:

http://www.mustangsmustangs.com/p-51/?i ... 523/5151/3

Interesting differences. I note the light at the top of the vertical fin in the color picture and the light does not appear on my picture. Also my pic shows black glare paint onthe nose and none in the N51LT pic.

Still, that striping and timing does seem to match.

If this is 51LT, then the MustangMustang history shows it's had a tough life:


1951: RCAF 9282, Jan 23 1951 -- May 14 1959
1959: Feb 27, N8674E, return USA, James Defuria / Intercontinental Airways
1960: Jun 18, N8674E, Aero Enterprises
1960: Aug 14, N8674E, sale, Kieran Aviation Sales, Birmingham AL
1962: Feb 03, N8674E, sale, Jack Adams Aircraft Sales, Walls MS
1962: N8674E, sale, T. Guillot / Jackson Dental, Jackson MS
1962: Aug 03, N8674E, sale, Robert Graf, Tarkio MO
1965: Jan 19, N8674E, sale, Leonard Tanner / Tan Air Inc, North Granby CT
1972: N51LT, reg, Leonard Tanner, North Granby CT
1973: Apr 08, N2116, sale, rep ntu but crash in Sep is listed as N2116, John Silberman, Sherborn MA
1973: Sep 05, N2116, crashed, Yanceyville NC, John Silberman - forced landing on highway, hit car
1975: Mar 18, N51LT, sale, Leonard Tanner, North Granby CT, rep. rebuilt w/parts from A68-175?
1979: Jan 08, N51TH, sale, Tom Henley, Emelle AL
1999: crash, gear up landing at Henley farm
1999: stored
200?: restoration started by Terry Rogers, RW Airframes. Corrosion from the storage. New Fuselage, rebuilt wings.
2012: Sep, restoration, nearing completion, estimating first flight by end of 2012
2014: restoration continues



Thanks for the research!

[Robbie Stuart]

I think it was N201F. http://www.abpic.co.uk/photo/1327327/
Robbie

[mike furline]

Another with a similar paint job.



http://www.mustangsmustangs.com/p-51/?who/case/279

[mike furline]

I think it was N201F. http://www.abpic.co.uk/photo/1327327/
Robbie

http://www.mustangsmustangs.com/p-51/?s ... l/44-84933

[Saville]

I think it was N201F. http://www.abpic.co.uk/photo/1327327/
Robbie

http://www.mustangsmustangs.com/p-51/?s ... l/44-84933

Yeah that's looking right:

1967: Dec 12, sale, N201F, Dan Futrell Aircraft Sales, Hot Springs AR
1969: sale, N201F, Alexander Edelman, Great Neck NY
1969: Jun, sale, N201F, Suffolk Flight Assoc., Huntington NY

Thanks everyone!

[T J Johansen]

The 51 in question is N201F while owned by Sandy Edelman of Great Neck, NY.

T J

[Lynn Allen]

Hi Lynn,

Very interesting observations. And yeah I missed the bit of writing below the fuselage striping.

I see this color picture of your B&W:

http://www.mustangsmustangs.com/p-51/?i ... 523/5151/3

Interesting differences. I note the light at the top of the vertical fin in the color picture and the light does not appear on my picture. Also my pic shows black glare paint onthe nose and none in the N51LT pic.

Still, that striping and timing does seem to match.

If this is 51LT, then the MustangMustang history shows it's had a tough life:


1951: RCAF 9282, Jan 23 1951 -- May 14 1959
1959: Feb 27, N8674E, return USA, James Defuria / Intercontinental Airways
1960: Jun 18, N8674E, Aero Enterprises
1960: Aug 14, N8674E, sale, Kieran Aviation Sales, Birmingham AL
1962: Feb 03, N8674E, sale, Jack Adams Aircraft Sales, Walls MS
1962: N8674E, sale, T. Guillot / Jackson Dental, Jackson MS
1962: Aug 03, N8674E, sale, Robert Graf, Tarkio MO
1965: Jan 19, N8674E, sale, Leonard Tanner / Tan Air Inc, North Granby CT
1972: N51LT, reg, Leonard Tanner, North Granby CT
1973: Apr 08, N2116, sale, rep ntu but crash in Sep is listed as N2116, John Silberman, Sherborn MA
1973: Sep 05, N2116, crashed, Yanceyville NC, John Silberman - forced landing on highway, hit car
1975: Mar 18, N51LT, sale, Leonard Tanner, North Granby CT, rep. rebuilt w/parts from A68-175?
1979: Jan 08, N51TH, sale, Tom Henley, Emelle AL
1999: crash, gear up landing at Henley farm
1999: stored
200?: restoration started by Terry Rogers, RW Airframes. Corrosion from the storage. New Fuselage, rebuilt wings.
2012: Sep, restoration, nearing completion, estimating first flight by end of 2012
2014: restoration continues



Thanks for the research!

A question on the question, Ober, in the last picture of the Mustangs in the link above, is this the Mustang that almost took out the P-63 at Breckenridge? They did park next to each after there encounter in the sky...

Lynn

[over/out]

Nope