Mustang 45-11513/NZ2423 restoration visit(s)

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K5054NZ
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Mustang 45-11513/NZ2423 restoration visit(s)

Post by K5054NZ »

Hi all,
Yesterday Brendon Deere was kind enough to host me at his Biggin Hill Historic Aircraft Centre, located at RNZAF Base Ohakea and allowed me to see his P-51D project up close (as well as put up with a lot of questions!).

This aircraft, 45-11513/NZ2423 is one of several RNZAF surplus aircraft that were bought and preserved by the late John Smith of Mapua in the 1950s-60s, among their number being a DH Tiger Moth, two P-40 Kittyhawks (one now being restored to fly), a DH Mosquito FB.VI which has been conserved in running condition, and several literal tons of parts for many other aircraft. This was widely publicised as a "barn find" following John's death in August 2019 but had been an open secret worldwide among warbird enthusiasts for many years. John was very reclusive and publicity shy but many people were fortunate to be allowed into The Shed to take a look at this truly remarkable collection. Here's a look:
https://youtu.be/Uhr__ZBYuT4

Brendon Deere is well-known in New Zealand for restoring and operating Spitfire Mk.IXc PV270, painted in the markings of his uncle the Battle of Britain pilot Al Deere, as well as an ex-RNZAF Harvard and a Grumman Avenger wearing wartime RNZAF markings. I was very pleased to hear that Brendon had been entrusted with Mustang NZ2423 by the Smith family, not just because I've known him since 2004 but also because Ohakea is less than an hour's drive from my home! The aircraft was also based at Ohakea for almost all its RNZAF service between 1952 and 1957.

When I visited work was underway: Pete Burgess was focused on pipes for the recently-installed oil radiator and Joe Deere was working on the windscreen side glazing. Brendon and Pete said that as a restoration project the Mustang is a lot more straightforward than the Spitfire was. John Smith saved as much as he could from the scrappers over the years and as such they've had to source very few parts from outside what came from Mapua - they have multiples of many parts, such as six canopies and eleven undercarriage legs! Besides what you see in the photos below there's also a shipping container with countless spares yet to be inventoried.

Brendon said the fuselage is structurally complete and the systems/plumbing work is now underway. The wing, being restored by Odegaard Wings at Kindred, ND, is about 2-3mth from completion and the engine (restored by Vintage V-12s at Tehachapi, CA) was recently run for the first time since 1957. As of her final flight on May 30 1957 airframe and engine total time was 260hr 55min.

She's being restored in her original single seat condition - the fuselage fuel tank is fitted, the radio rack is awaiting refurbished sets to be installed, and she will fly in 2023 with bomb racks and rocket rails, painted in Number 2 (Wellington) Territorial Air Force markings. All of the pipework you see in the photos is original, as is much of the hardware. It will be one of the most original Mustangs flying anywhere when complete.

It's all rather exciting!

ImageNZ2423 Ohakea 130122 Zac Yates by Zac Yates, on Flickr
ImageNZ2423 Ohakea 130122 Zac Yates by Zac Yates, on Flickr
ImageNZ2423 Ohakea 130122 Zac Yates by Zac Yates, on Flickr
ImageNZ2423 Ohakea 130122 Zac Yates by Zac Yates, on Flickr
ImageNZ2423 Ohakea 130122 Zac Yates by Zac Yates, on Flickr
ImageNZ2423 Ohakea 130122 Zac Yates by Zac Yates, on Flickr
ImageNZ2423 Ohakea 130122 Zac Yates by Zac Yates, on Flickr
ImageNZ2423 Ohakea 130122 Zac Yates by Zac Yates, on Flickr
ImageNZ2423 Ohakea 130122 Zac Yates by Zac Yates, on Flickr
ImageNZ2423 Ohakea 130122 Zac Yates by Zac Yates, on Flickr
ImageNZ2423 Ohakea 130122 Zac Yates by Zac Yates, on Flickr
ImageNZ2423 Ohakea 130122 Zac Yates by Zac Yates, on Flickr
ImageNZ2423 Ohakea 130122 Zac Yates by Zac Yates, on Flickr
ImageNZ2423 Ohakea 130122 Zac Yates by Zac Yates, on Flickr
ImageNZ2423 Ohakea 130122 Zac Yates by Zac Yates, on Flickr
ImageNZ2423 Ohakea 130122 Zac Yates by Zac Yates, on Flickr
ImageNZ2423 Ohakea 130122 Zac Yates by Zac Yates, on Flickr
ImageNZ2423 Ohakea 130122 Zac Yates by Zac Yates, on Flickr
ImageNZ2423 Ohakea 130122 Zac Yates by Zac Yates, on Flickr
ImageNZ2423 Ohakea 130122 Zac Yates by Zac Yates, on Flickr
ImageNZ2423 Ohakea 130122 Zac Yates by Zac Yates, on Flickr
ImageNZ2423 Ohakea 130122 Zac Yates by Zac Yates, on Flickr
ImageNZ2423 Ohakea 130122 Zac Yates by Zac Yates, on Flickr
ImageNZ2423 Ohakea 130122 Zac Yates by Zac Yates, on Flickr
ImageNZ2423 Ohakea 130122 Zac Yates by Zac Yates, on Flickr
ImageNZ2423 Ohakea 130122 Zac Yates by Zac Yates, on Flickr
ImageNZ2423 Ohakea 130122 Zac Yates by Zac Yates, on Flickr

If you're keen to see more I have all the photos I took (including the other aircraft in the hangars) on my Flickr account.
Last edited by K5054NZ on Thu 04 Aug 2022, 8:58 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Zac in NZ
#avgeek, modelbuilder, photographer, writer. Callsign: "HANDBAG"
https://linktr.ee/zacyates

Amp
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Re: Mustang 45-11513/NZ2423 restoration visit

Post by Amp »

Amazing - thank you!

nuuumannn
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Re: Mustang 45-11513/NZ2423 restoration visit

Post by nuuumannn »

Nice work, Zac, great to see and cool opportunity. Lots of pictures of things in cardboard!

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K5054NZ
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Re: Mustang 45-11513/NZ2423 restoration visit

Post by K5054NZ »

nuuumannn wrote:
Mon 17 Jan 2022, 9:54 pm
Nice work, Zac, great to see and cool opportunity. Lots of pictures of things in cardboard!
The sheer number of extras is truly staggering. Brendon listed off a bunch of stuff, hefting parts and boxes and I barely took it all in - I was just speechless!
Zac in NZ
#avgeek, modelbuilder, photographer, writer. Callsign: "HANDBAG"
https://linktr.ee/zacyates

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K5054NZ
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Re: Mustang 45-11513/NZ2423 restoration visit

Post by K5054NZ »

And in case you wanted to see work underway on the wing, there was an update from North Dakota overnight (from Brendon's FB post):
Brent and his team at Odegaard Wings have been busy putting lots of rivets into our wings over the last couple of weeks with the lower wing skins largely finished apart from the lower gear well skins and effort then moving to the last of the upper wing skin riveting. Focus will then move to new outer skins for the gear doors, the stainless section of the "0" station rib between the two wing panels, and repair of the outer wing panels.
ImageNZ2423 Odegaard Wings via Brendon Deere 230122 01 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
ImageNZ2423 Odegaard Wings via Brendon Deere 230122 02 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
ImageNZ2423 Odegaard Wings via Brendon Deere 230122 03 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
ImageNZ2423 Odegaard Wings via Brendon Deere 230122 04 by Zac Yates, on Flickr

When I visited Brendon said the wings are about two-three months from completion. Don't they look stunning? You can see all the progress pics on Brendon's Facebook page and my own NZ2423 Flickr album (including historic photos of the airframe).
Zac in NZ
#avgeek, modelbuilder, photographer, writer. Callsign: "HANDBAG"
https://linktr.ee/zacyates

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K5054NZ
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Re: Mustang 45-11513/NZ2423 restoration visit(s)

Post by K5054NZ »

I took my friend Nick along in early June for a catch-up with Brendon and the Mustang:
ImageDSC_5642 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
ImageDSC_5620 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
ImageDSC_5621 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
ImageDSC_5622 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
ImageDSC_5633 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
ImageDSC_5627 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
ImageDSC_5636 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
ImageDSC_5647 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
ImageDSC_5648 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
ImageDSC_5623 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
ImageDSC_5624 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
ImageDSC_5626 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
ImageDSC_5628 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
ImageDSC_5655 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
ImageDSC_5657 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
ImageDSC_5660 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
ImageDSC_5665 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
ImageDSC_5658 by Zac Yates, on Flickr

As I type this the wings (and propeller and replica guns) are finally on the water after many shipping delays. Exciting times!
Zac in NZ
#avgeek, modelbuilder, photographer, writer. Callsign: "HANDBAG"
https://linktr.ee/zacyates

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TEXANTOMCAT
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Re: Mustang 45-11513/NZ2423 restoration visit(s)

Post by TEXANTOMCAT »

Great pics thanks for sharing!

TT

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K5054NZ
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Re: Mustang 45-11513/NZ2423 restoration visit(s)

Post by K5054NZ »

My pleasure TT! Hopefully I'll be able to visit once the wing and fuselage have been reunited.
Zac in NZ
#avgeek, modelbuilder, photographer, writer. Callsign: "HANDBAG"
https://linktr.ee/zacyates

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