P-51D for sale in Texas

[Silberpfeil 363]

Just a little too pricey for me, but for some of the CA high-rollers, the link below takes you to a website advertising "possibly the last unrestored P-51D" (former Guatemalan AF) along with many spares including twenty Merlin powerplants.  Lots of detailed pix of aircraft and spares:

https://www.platinumfighters.com/p-51d-n38227

 

[fallenphoenix1986 603]

Sod the P-51... I'll take the F-4 

https://www.platinumfighters.com/phantom2

Pretty interesting collection they have there.

Edited February 28, 2019 by fallenphoenix1986

[+streakeagle 871]

I doubt I will ever be able to afford either one, but that F-4 is pretty special. Look at the nose. It is a version prior to the F-4B, most likely designated as an F-4A in later documents. It looks like the front windshield has been replaced by the single-piece version used on a handful of F-4Es, F-4Gs, and RF-4Cs. That would be a sweet ride if restored to flying condition... but it is a hard wing that will bite you at high AoA.

Edited February 28, 2019 by streakeagle

[one4five 26]

the P-51 and the F-4 are iconic, the P-51 seems better investment

[fallenphoenix1986 603]

16 hours ago, streakeagle said:

I doubt I will ever be able to afford either one, but that F-4 is pretty special. Look at the nose. It is a version prior to the F-4B, most likely designated as an F-4A in later documents. It looks like the front windshield has been replaced by the single-piece version used on a handful of F-4Es, F-4Gs, and RF-4Cs. That would be a sweet ride if restored to flying condition... but it is a hard wing that will bite you at high AoA.

Hadn't noticed but looks like you're right about the windshld. Bit odd for a restoration, would have thought the three piece would have been easier to find and more accurate.

[+streakeagle 871]

In comparison to the F-4, P-51s are a dime a dozen. I see two P-51s flying near my work place almost every day giving paid rides. The Collings Foundation F-4D Phantom is the only privately owned operational F-4 in the world to my knowledge. I think Congress had to approve its sale. It would be an absolute treasure to get this F4H-1F/F-4A fully restored and flying the airshow circuit. There are plenty of F-4s at museums (including this limited production early prototype), having something like this touring the country and/or world for public airshows would be awesome. When I got out o the Navy, I went to the Mac Dill AFB open house airshow nearly every year until I got married (and went to a couple more after my son was old enough). For me, the star of the flight demonstrations was the F-104 team with their awesome J-79 jet engines, which have a distinctive sound compared to all the more modern turbofan engines. It reminded me of my childhood airshows at Mac Dill with F-4s, which sound even better with twin J-79s :)

Don't get me wrong, I love the P-51 Mustang. But they are fairly common compared to the F-4 unless you happen to live in one of the countries still operating F-4E variants.

As for the one-piece front windshield, it was developed to increase resistance to bird strikes and also increased forward visibility. I would think it would be hard to get one, but maybe modern manufacturing techniques made it cheap to make a new one or they recovered a spare from one of the very few upgraded F-4s? As a safety upgrade with its much greater strength and much better forward view, I don't mind considering the goal was to make this aircraft flyable.

Edited March 1, 2019 by streakeagle