Photo: Adam Estes
The North American P-51 Mustang had a remarkably illustrious career in the years after the Second World War, and we're not talking about its exploits fighting jets over Korea's 38th Parallel. Instead, we're talking about its considerable success as a competitive air racer, most notably at the Reno Air Races. But for the longest time, one of Reno's most iconic racers has been starkly out of action as it underwent a comprehensive overhaul. After four years languishing in a hangar, this P-51D, serial number 44-74423, is finally back in the air where it belongs. Let's take a look at the details.
Of course, Reno Air Race fans know this airframe as the number 64 Miss Van Nuys. The plum purple air race juggernaut has just left its restoration hangar owned by the Fighter Rebuilders team based out of Chino, California. First accepted into the U.S. Army Air Force in the mid-1940s, this Mustang started its life much the same as any other military aircraft. Complete with a set of six 50 caliber M2 Browning machine guns and an uber-powerful Packard/Rolls-Royce Merlin engine. Unlike most of the Mustangs on the same assembly line in Inglewood, California, the future Miss Van Nuys spent its time home on American soil until the end of World War II before being transferred in a deal with the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1950.
The plane stayed with the RCAF for eight years until it was sold to a small upstart air service called Intercontinental Airways based out of Canastota in Central New York. This Mustang was the personal transport plane for the company's founder, James Defuria, just one of several ex-RCAF Mustangs acquired after they were stricken from official reserve units. It was only after yet another sale to a Burbank, California businessman named Allen Paulson that 44-74423 began its Incredible Hulk-like transformation into a staple of the Reno Air Races. First piloted by a United Airlines pilot and former USAF test pilot Clay Lacy, this Mustang owed its new name to the Van Nuys Airport in Los Angeles, where the plane's hangar was located.
So the legend goes, Miss Van Nuys, acquired its iconic "Plum Crazy" purple paint job when an order for the paint color intended for two of Allen Paulson's Lockheed Constellation airliners was unintentionally entered for 1,500 gallons instead of just 50. The surplus paint was vital in Miss Van Nuys appearing the way it did. Well, after spending years making this paint shine like it did brand new, it has finally paid off. To commemorate the achievement, Miss Van Nuys now sports a new name, Plum Crazy. We're sure Chrysler's legal team is seething because of it. But no matter, it only adds to the allure of an airplane now synonymous with Reno. Thanks to this overhaul, it will stay that way for years to come.
The plane stayed with the RCAF for eight years until it was sold to a small upstart air service called Intercontinental Airways based out of Canastota in Central New York. This Mustang was the personal transport plane for the company's founder, James Defuria, just one of several ex-RCAF Mustangs acquired after they were stricken from official reserve units. It was only after yet another sale to a Burbank, California businessman named Allen Paulson that 44-74423 began its Incredible Hulk-like transformation into a staple of the Reno Air Races. First piloted by a United Airlines pilot and former USAF test pilot Clay Lacy, this Mustang owed its new name to the Van Nuys Airport in Los Angeles, where the plane's hangar was located.
So the legend goes, Miss Van Nuys, acquired its iconic "Plum Crazy" purple paint job when an order for the paint color intended for two of Allen Paulson's Lockheed Constellation airliners was unintentionally entered for 1,500 gallons instead of just 50. The surplus paint was vital in Miss Van Nuys appearing the way it did. Well, after spending years making this paint shine like it did brand new, it has finally paid off. To commemorate the achievement, Miss Van Nuys now sports a new name, Plum Crazy. We're sure Chrysler's legal team is seething because of it. But no matter, it only adds to the allure of an airplane now synonymous with Reno. Thanks to this overhaul, it will stay that way for years to come.
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