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Old 19th Feb 2008, 00:12
  #2438 (permalink)  
Russell Gulch
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: UK
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The monoplane in the foreground certainly looks like an early (Allison?) razorback P51.

It reminds me of a story related to me by Paul Poberezny a few years ago:

Several decades ago, the EAA were in possession of some rare beasty (the type escapes me, possibly a B25?), and the US National Air & Space Museum were hankering after it like a long dog after a bitch.

So they invited Paul to Washington to see if he could be tempted by one of their exhibits as a swap.

Whilst perusing the rather anonymous contents of hundreds of 40' containers in 'the back lot', he espied in one the dismantled remains of one of the early prototypes of XP51 (razorback, Allison-powered). So he offered the EAA's prized posession in a straight swap for the contents on "container X"; and offer quickly accepted ny NASM.

Before the day was out, Paul had phoned home and arranged a truck headed eastbound from Wisconsin to collect "container X". The next day, all was loaded and west-bound.

A slightly more knowledgeable NASM chappie learned of the swap too late; he demanded that the truck be turned around. Paul gave a suitable Churchillean salute as he and the EAA's latest aquisition disappeared westbound.

Not too many years later, and after returning the P51 to flying condition, Paul flew it. It now resides (non-flying, but airworthy) in the EAA museaum at Oshkosh.

Details here.

Oh well, back to the thread, (and I don't know which aerodrome this is).
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