Spent the day with Sierra Sue II...

[Warbirdnerd]

Came to the realization that I have been very fortunate to spend over 20+ years off and on around this beauty...
I am a lucky guy. Here's to old friends and old airplanes!

[Dan Johnson II]

Beautiful!

[JohnTerrell]

Absolutely stunning. Thank you Bryan for sharing these, and I'm glad you were ble to be there.

I've gushed plenty already about this restoration, but I should also add that I like the higher-compressed tail wheel oleo, causing the tail to sit a bit lower and the tail wheel being clsoser to the doors - that's how you always see them back during the war years.

Can't wait for the book! ; )

[florida.warbirds]

awesome looking plane, come visit us in Florida.

[JohnTerrell]

If you want to see Bryan's photos in all their glory, click on these links, then you'll really be able to see the detail.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b120/ ... g~original
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b120/ ... g~original
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b120/ ... g~original
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b120/ ... g~original
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b120/ ... g~original
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b120/ ... g~original

[C VEICH]

Who will be the first to cross over into the last frontier of authenticity? Weathering!

[steve dickey]

What! No rear view mirror?? Points taken off!!
We have combat vet Mustangs surviving, now what are the odds of two combat vets from the same group surviving!! Now thats the photo op I would like to see ! Getting "The Brat III and this one back together would be something to write abut!!

[JohnTerrell]

Here in Minnesota, 4 of our 5 flying Mustangs are combat-vets - 44-63675 of the 370th FG 9th AF restored (authentically) in original markings of "Sierra Sue II", 44-63864 of the 78th FG 8th AF restored (authentically) in original markings of "Twilight Tear", 44-72483 of the 354th FG 9th AF restored in its non-original markings as "Ridge Runner" of the 4th FG, and 44-72051 of the 8th AF (unit unknown) painted in loosely-based 4th FG markings as "Sweet Revenge".


Note, both "Sierra Sue II" and "Twilight Tear", both restored by many of the same guys, were very close to one another from the factory and of the same production block, thus their configuration, such as the precise details of their cockpits, are essentially the same. These being early P-51D-20-NA's, they don't have the rocket stub mounting holes/brackets nor the rocket controls panel in the cockpit. It wasn't all that long before this production block that D-models were still being manufactured with manual primer pumps and during the production of these aircraft the instrument panel bases were still being produced with the holes cut in them for the manual primer pump/lever despite the fact that they were no longer equipped with them, but rather an electrically controlled pump - the result is that, for a while, a simple cover plate had to be made and screwed into place, from the factory, covering that hole in the panel. Such a small, but authentic detail is seen on both of those restorations as per original. By mid-way through D-20 production, that detail would disappear as the area of the panel was redesigned to mount both of the oxygen gauges (flow and pressure) side-by-side. The design and layout of the engine and armament control panels on these aircraft is also unique, being of the type seen on all early/mid production D-models (and much the same as was on all B/C's) up until mid-late production D-20's. When the mid-late production D-20's came, they introduced the rocket controls panel (and mounting holes/brackets in the wings for the rocket stubs), which required the redesign of the engine and armament control panels to what you see most of today in later-variant D-models. They also both have a unique/authentic placement of the gun circuit protector shield plate, which was re-positioned on mid-late production D-20's and all remaining production versions. Both of these aircraft, when manufactured, also came from the factory fitted with the N-9 reflector gun sight and ball-tip throttle lever, as also seen on all previous D-model production. However, they differ in this regard through their restorations - where as "Sierra Sue II" will have the stock from the factory N-9 gun sight and ball-tip throttle, "Twilight Tear" was restored as if it had received the K-14 gun sight mod kit in the field (as originally), and is fitted with all of the K-14 accessories. The K-14 wasn't introduced into factory Mustang production until mid-late D-20's. These early D-20's also were not manufactured with the AN/APS-13 tail warning radar, which didn't come about until sometime during D-25 production. Between the restorations, "Sierra Sue II" is configured as stock, without it, where as "Twilight Tear" is restored with it, with it having been originally installed in the field. And another small detail which is exactly authentic about the restored cockpits in each, is the specific manifold pressure gauge. Generally it used to only be accepted that the 75"-span MP gauges were authentic to wartime use, however, documents/specifications have since proven that those gauges were only installed in Mustangs up until D-15 production, and from D-15 production onward, they were all fitted with 100"-span MP gauges, just as "Sierra Sue II" and "Twilight Tear" have. That change came about after the introduction of higher octane fuels in mid-late 1944.

[Invader26]

Call the paint police! the name is shaded on her now but not in the original photo..

What a beautiful restoration...

[JohnTerrell]

Call the paint police! the name is shaded on her now but not in the original photo..

You gotta get out your glasses, or view a clearer photo. ; ) Note, at a later point/end of the war, a lightning bolt marking was added.

[DH82EH]

John Terrell
Mustang extraordinaire!

Seriously dude, how do you know all this stuff?

I'm certainly glad that someone does

Thanks

Andy Scott

[snjflyer]

Here is a nice photo taken by Bob Canepa, from my back seat, at Austin on Saturday.

[p51]

Love the nose art, clearly done with brushes in what looks like 40s art style while the plane was sitting on the field. So few warbirds have that look anymore, with aribrush art or art that looks like a sign company painted it in a lab over several days...

[DH82EH]

snjflyer,

That is a cracking photo! WOW!

Thanks for posting.

Andy Scott

[lmritger]

YE GODS. That photo sent a chill down my spine... straight out of France, early 1945. What a magnificent shot.

Lynn