Mustang P-51D Frances Dell (N51ZW) | Flying Legends
- STATUS: Airworthy
- LOCATION: Siegerland Airport (EDGS), Germany.
- OWNER: Flying Legends
- ROLE: Fighter
- BUILT: 1944
- LENGTH: 9.82m 32 ft 3 in
- WINGSPAN: 11.28m 37 ft 0 in
- ENGINE: 12-cylinder-V-Motor Packard-Merlin V-1650-7, 1649 HP
- MAXIMUM SPEED: 436 mph 703 km/h
- RANGE: 1,290miles 2080 km at 258mph 416 km/h (without drop tanks)
- ARMAMENT: six .50-Browning MG53-2, up to 907 kg bombs, or ten 127-mm-missiles
North Amercian P-51D Mustang, “Frances Dell” was manufactured at the North American Aviation Plant Inglewood, California in 1944 with the serial number 44–74453. Built close to the end of the war, it has not seen any wartime activity and was stored by the United States Army Air Forces until 1950, when it was sold to the Royal Canadian Air Force. It was in service with the RCAF until 1959 when it was once again sold to a private civilian owner in the US.
From then on, it had different owners and was painted as ‘Glamorous Gal’ until 2011, when the plane was damaged when its starboard undercarriage leg collapsed while landing at Florida’s Northeast Regional Airport. This caused damage not just to the undercarriage, but to the right wing and propeller, while the aircraft’s Merlin engine was shock loaded.
Afterwards, Carl Patrick, the caretaker until 2019, decided to fully restore the Mustang and present it in the colours of ‘Frances Dell“ the plane of Lt. Col. Clark W. Clemmons of the 84th Fighter Squadron of the 78th Fighter Group with its ‘Chequerboard’-P-51 Mustangs was based at the legendary airfield RAF Duxford in Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom. Lt. Col. Clark W. Clemmons chose Frances Dell after his girlfriend back in the US.
At the time, the unit was primarily tasked with escort duties as US daylight bombers ramped up operations following D-Day. From time to time they were also tasked with attacking ground targets. The Mustang gave the 78th the range it needed to protect the bombers well into Germany and back. Dubbed ‘little friends’ by the bomber crews, the fighters would break off when they started their bombing run
In March of 2020, the plane was sold to its current owner Georg Raab and his team at Flying Legends in Germany where it took to the skies again on October 30, 2014.
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