Berlin Express heading for the UK
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Berlin Express heading for the UK
P-51B 'Berlin Express', owned by the Friedkin family, has set out from its homebase in Texas today on a trip to Duxford. Having been fitted with a pair of post-WWII droptanks Lee Lauderback will fly the Mustang across the Atlantic to take part in the Flying Legends airshow at Duxford on 8/9th July.
Leg 1 of this trip saw the Mustang fly to Paducah, Kentucky. The journey will most likely take around four days to complete.
To keep track of this P-51 see here:
Follow the Berlin Express on Its Journey Across the World | Pursuit Aviation
SPOT Shared Page
https://www.instagram.com/pursuit.aviation/?hl=en
Leg 1 of this trip saw the Mustang fly to Paducah, Kentucky. The journey will most likely take around four days to complete.
To keep track of this P-51 see here:
Follow the Berlin Express on Its Journey Across the World | Pursuit Aviation
SPOT Shared Page
https://www.instagram.com/pursuit.aviation/?hl=en
Gnome de PPRuNe
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Be great to see this Mustang at Duxford 8/9 July. I believe a rebuild from wreckage recovered in the UK. Another visiting Mustang, P-51D "Frensini" already arrived at Duxford courtesy of a container.
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Gnome de PPRuNe
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Great news!
Self-correction: "Frenesi". Ooops!
Another visiting Mustang, P-51D "Frensini"
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True.
I think I read recently that this airframe has been rebuilt to an early P-51D standard but with the later strake that NAA added to improve directional stability issues caused by the cut down fuselage.
I think I read recently that this airframe has been rebuilt to an early P-51D standard but with the later strake that NAA added to improve directional stability issues caused by the cut down fuselage.
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From the Keypublishing forums:
First flight after reassembly was today (photo by David Whitworth):
As one can see, the restoration of "Frenesi" is on-par with the finest/most authentic to emerge from Midwest Aero Restorations (even more evident when you look in the cockpit or into the gear wells) - in the above photo, the armor plate/seat has not been installed yet. The restoration was completed back in January of this year - the latest restoration to emerge from that shop. The airframe itself originally was built as an F-6K, but has been restored as a generic/standard late-model P-51D. The paint scheme is that worn originally by a P-51D-5-NA, the first production variant of the 'D', and while the airframe lacks some details of those early production variants (obviously they can't fly it without the dorsal fin fillet), it has an N-9 reflector gunsight installed as those early versions did, rather than the later K-14 computing sight, and although it has the late-style instrument panel rather than the early D-5 instrument panel, the main flying instruments are outlined with a white stripe rather than yellow, as the early D/K's had (different to the mid and late production examples). If you look at the stenciling of the production block information on the side of the fuselage, you'll notice there is a curious historical typo that was copied directly from a period photograph of the original "Frenesi".
First flight after reassembly was today (photo by David Whitworth):
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Thanks Jhieminga, memory sorta right! Doesn't she look good, TFC's Candyman/Moose was always a favourite.
Some great photos on that Key Publishing link.
Though the quote from the poster there
isn't strictly correct.
'Frenesi" (111-36135) was originally built as the last in a batch of 300 P-51K-15-NT aircraft, most of which went to the RAF as Mustang IVAs in the KM3xx and KM4xx series, plus some to the RAAF and a few to the Royal Netherlands East Indies AAF.
Though the quote from the poster there
The airframe itself originally was built as an F-6K
'Frenesi" (111-36135) was originally built as the last in a batch of 300 P-51K-15-NT aircraft, most of which went to the RAF as Mustang IVAs in the KM3xx and KM4xx series, plus some to the RAAF and a few to the Royal Netherlands East Indies AAF.
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Interesting, that makes her a sister ship to the P-51 that's in a museum in Soesterberg, The Netherlands!
According to Ed Shipley's Facebook page Berlin Express is getting ready to take off from Wick right now but an inbound flight with an emergency is delaying them. Once they get going, Duxford is about 1.5 hours away. They support King Air is already showing up on Flightradar24 as 'B350'.
Edit: Looks like they're airborne (8.35am).
According to Ed Shipley's Facebook page Berlin Express is getting ready to take off from Wick right now but an inbound flight with an emergency is delaying them. Once they get going, Duxford is about 1.5 hours away. They support King Air is already showing up on Flightradar24 as 'B350'.
Edit: Looks like they're airborne (8.35am).
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Just having a look at FR24, King Air just got airborne.
Probably the best known one is Tom Cruise's mount, N51EW (111-36123) 'Kiss Me Kate'.
The second is one of the ten RNEIAAF examples (111-30885), now a gate guard at Halim AFB in Indonesia.
The third is another F-6K (111-36126) in the Israeli AF Museum at Hatzerim.
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Interesting, I guess the Soesterberg one may be from a different batch then. It's P-51K-10NT 44-12125. I've only got this photo online right now:
DSC_8685_crop by Jelle Hieminga, on Flickr
Berlin Express is North of Manchester, heading South-west, estimating Duxford at 10.40am.
Edit: ETA now 11.06am
DSC_8685_crop by Jelle Hieminga, on Flickr
Berlin Express is North of Manchester, heading South-west, estimating Duxford at 10.40am.
Edit: ETA now 11.06am
Last edited by Jhieminga; 4th Jul 2017 at 09:38. Reason: revised ETA
To confuse matters further, the Soesterberg example is masquerading as one of the aforementioned 10 Mustangs (H-307) that went to the East Indies.
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Looks like a run in and break at Duxford. They is arrived!
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Yes, that's an earlier P-51K (111-30258) from a different block, albeit still Dallas-built ('Frenesi' and the others I mentioned are P-51K-15-NT).
To confuse matters further, the Soesterberg example is masquerading as one of the aforementioned 10 Mustangs (H-307) that went to the East Indies.
To confuse matters further, the Soesterberg example is masquerading as one of the aforementioned 10 Mustangs (H-307) that went to the East Indies.
Also, according to the museum's information, during a 1966 restoration parts from 1 P-51B, 2 P-51Ds and 1 P-51K were included in this airframe (as well as Harvard wheels and brakes). Not quite a completely original example then, but still a well-preserved one.
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I noticed that the museum has the construction number listed as 111-30358. Is that a typo perhaps?
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I noticed that c/n on the Warbird Registry as well, listing Geoff Goodall as source. It wouldn't surprise me to learn that they made an error at the museum....
