The term ‘time capsule’ is often used to describe World War Two restoration projects, but a New Zealand-based North American P-51D Mustang has such provenance that its claim is perhaps greater than most
Towards the end of World War Two the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) was looking to replace the 424 Vought Corsairs it had in service – the distinctive aircraft had been worked hard in the Pacific campaign and were coming to the end of their service lives.
The North American P-51 Mustang was the new fighter of choice, and the initial plan was for the RNZAF to procure up to 370 of the potent machines. In the event, an order was placed for 160 aircraft, and the first 30 were shipped to New Zealand in 1945. These aircraft were still in transit on board transport ships when hostilities officially ended, but they continued their journey to New Zealand. The remaining 130 examples never left the United States, so the rest of the order was cancelled.
Late comer
P-51D NZ2423 was completed by North American in July 1945 at their factory in Dallas and accepted into the USAAF that same month. It swiftly became one of the 30 allocated to the RNZAF – it, along with 29 others, arrived in New Zealand in August. It was trucked to Hobsonville where it directly entered storage pending a decision on exactly what these aircraft would be used for now that the war was over.
NZ2423 then made a trip by barge to Ardmore where it was briefly stored before being flown to Rukahia. This was, to all intents and purposes, another storage facility – the majority of machines sent there were broken up, but thankfully a different fate awaited the Mustangs.
The RNZAF reinstated Territorial Air Force (TAF) squadrons. These had disappeared with the onset of World War Two but with hostilities finally over, it was deemed a suitable time to bring these units back. They were manned by serving RNZAF pilots and crew along with experienced reserve pilots.
From 1952 to 1957 most of the Mustangs flew with four squadrons assigned to a variety of duties. NZ2423 served exclusively at Ohakea with the TAF’s No 2 Squadron before being allocated to 42 Squadron. It was flown to enable fighter pilots to remain current, fulfilled communications duties and was also used for drogue towing for a time.
End of the line
The aircraft now owned by Brendon Deere was one of the last to be withdrawn from service. It was one of a handful that been through an undercarriage upgrade at Ohakea due to failings in earlier P-51D models. In fact, NZ2423 flew the last in-service flight from RNZAF Ohakea on May 30, 1957, to RNZAF Woodbourne. When its engine was shut down that day it was still relatively ‘young’, having only flown 261 hours and 55 minutes. It was stored there once more along with many of the other Mustangs that had accompanied it to New Zealand. This time their collective fate appeared to have been sealed – the type had been retired from flying altogether, so the chance of long-term survival was small.
Like many other propeller-driven aircraft, Mustangs were being replaced by the range of jet aircraft then entering military service. Efforts were made to save them – a tender was put out for their sale – but the majority were sent to the scrapyard. At least 15 were officially purchased but never collected, so these aircraft also ended up heading for ANSA Orchard Supply in Nelson where they were broken up. To give some idea of how obsolete these now classic aircraft appeared at the time – half of them were ‘sold’ without engines for only 50 Australian dollars, and the going rate for one with an engine was still only around $140-150.
Civilian ownership
The first civilian owner of our subject aircraft was Blenheim-based Bill Ruffell who acquired it in 1958. Bill had built a high-performance hydroplane power boat named Tru-Jen. As this machine had an Allison V-1710-81 aero engine fitted to it, Bill thought that incorporating some of the Mustang’s sleek fuselage might help develop the boat into an even faster and more streamlined machine. He also considered converting it to Merlin power. It was clearly an ambitious plan, but one that ultimately proved a little fanciful – once purchased it was clear that it wouldn’t be easy to adapt the P-51 fuselage to the boat, so Bill dropped this idea. The aircraft was sold to John Smith in 1964, but it may be that Bill’s plan wasn’t entirely in vain – the boat did appear to have the vertical fin off a Mustang as its rudder.
John transported his new acquisition in pieces to Mapua near Nelson and had it reassembled on site. As with many other former RNZAF Mustangs, the outer wings had been cut off outside of the undercarriage legs as these sections were easy to scrap and melt down. Fortunately, John had a set of outer wings from another Mustang – decades later these would be used to restore NZ2423 to flight.
The Mustang sat in a large shed for many years, parked alongside de Havilland Mosquito NZ2336 and Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk NZ3220, along with several other aircraft. John sadly passed away on August 7, 2019, raising questions about the fate of his now classic aircraft. John’s family, and in particular his younger brother George, were very keen to see the collection kept in New Zealand, put on display, and possibly even fly.
As a result, the Mosquito and Kittyhawk are now on static display in the Aviation Heritage Centre at Omaka; the former frequently runs its engines for an appreciative crowd. In fact, all the aircraft that comprised John’s collection are now well cared for by different owners and remain in New Zealand – but what about the Mustang? Of all the machines in storage, the P-51D was by far the most likely to fly again. It was complete and relatively untouched. Following several offers, the family tried to settle on the best option for the aircraft – primarily ensuring that it stayed in New Zealand and, potentially, could be restored to fly.
New chapter begins
In early 2020 Brendon Deere and his company Biggin Hill Historic Aircraft Centre (BHHAC) became involved with the Mustang. The organisation is based at RNZAF Ohakea and is of course not to be confused with Biggin Hill, London.
Brendon and engineer Brian Harris travelled to Mapua to assess the aircraft. A deal was agreed which would see the Mustang not only move to a new home but fly again as a single-seater from Ohakea, the place where, by happy coincidence, it had served throughout its squadron history. Members of the Smith family visited Ohakea to see Brendon’s facility which was already populated by several airworthy classics, including a Grumman Avenger, North American Harvard and Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IX PV270 which was taken aloft for a display that day.
The Mustang left the shed by road from Mapua in August 2020. Its transit was accompanied by a 20ft container full of spares, many of which had been discovered within the dark recesses of the storage building and were exceptionally well preserved.
When the aircraft arrived at Ohakea it went through a thorough clean and further assessment to work out what needed doing. Brendon and his team were keen to leave as much alone as possible – originality would be key to this restoration.
The V-12 Merlin engine was shipped to Vintage V-12s in the United States for overhaul. The unit had been so well inhibited by the RNZAF that it needed a lot less work than most. Due to the superb condition of key parts, BHHAC has been able to keep it in very original state. Once five hours of running was completed by Vintage V-12s on a test stand the engine was sent back to New Zealand.
The wings had been shipped to Odegaard Wings in North Dakota; their job was to rebuild both using as much of the original material as possible. Two spars needed replacing as did some of the skin but apart from that, the wings are as original as they can realistically be.
When the container from Odegaard arrived back in New Zealand, six replica 50-cal guns from Aero Trader had also been despatched, packed safely into a corner. These items are mostly made from aluminium and look virtually identical to the real thing. All the fittings in the gun bays are original – a dozen sets of the rare stainless steel ammunition feed chutes came with the project from Mapua. These items are notoriously hard to find today, but thanks to John Smith’s dedication, these and many other priceless spares were recovered. The propeller unit came in complete form and was still in a packing case. This was also sent to the US for overhaul, this time to Maxwell Aviation Services in Minneapolis.
Back in New Zealand
While work was carried out on these key items, the team back in New Zealand continued restoring the fuselage and undercarriage with some work being sent to home-based contractors like Field Air to expedite the process.
Brendon’s team of engineers included Pete Burgess, Brian Harris, and Joe Deere along with other volunteers at various times. Even pilot Sean Perrett, who would end up flying the Mustang, got involved where he could and helped to keep the project moving along.
The fuselage was gradually built up again once parts had been replaced with the cleaned-up originals. Where that overriding aim could not be achieved, there were still enough spares in stock to be used instead. A lovely original gem is the canopy. John had four complete canopies in the shed but languishing in a dark corner and wrapped in paper was a new ‘old stock’ bubble canopy – this is now fitted to the aircraft with NZ2423’s original metalwork extant around its base. The cockpit side windows and windscreen needed replacing due to delamination but it’s amazing to see the P-51D flying with this beautiful, original bubble canopy.
By mid-2022 the team had got through most of the fuselage work, the engine had arrived and in August the restored wings were delivered. Once these were joined back together it was time to install the fuel tanks. Yet again a good-as-new set of original items were sourced from John’s shed, looking just as they did when fresh from the factory. These were put into the wings, after which the fuselage and wings were mated, undercarriage fitted, engine installed, and cowls tidied.
All the other required work was completed before the finished aircraft was prepared for painting on site at Ohakea. Painstaking work had been done to reproduce the stencils as accurately as possible – the Mustang was painted in ‘high speed silver’ and looked magnificent when rolled out of the hangar. All key parts from overseas were back and installed; now it was up to the local team to finish off the plumbing and electrical work.
Airborne again
October 29, 2023 was a day that nobody involved with this Mustang will ever forget – its mighty engine was started for the first time, along with checks on the systems and instruments. A few days later further engine runs including at high power were completed. All was as it should be. A first flight beckoned!
The weather around Ohakea had been less than ideal so a bit of extra patience was required. This did give the team more time to refine and double check everything in a more relaxed environment until the big day finally presented itself – November 11, 2023. It was a proud moment for all as NZ2423 took off in the hands of Sean Perrett, leaving terra firma for the first time in 66 years. Born in England, Sean is a serving RNZAF pilot instructing on the Beechcraft T-6 Texan II, and served in the RAF flying Harriers. He also flew with the Red Arrows for several seasons.
The test flight programme duly ensued and once that had been completed later that month, Brendon rang to say that the Mustang was ready for an air-to-air photographic flight. The results of that great day can be seen on FlyPast’s cover and within a special eight-page feature.
On a personal note, I have seen many different warbirds returned to flight over the past 20 years, but there is one thing that stands out to me about the restoration of NZ2423. While the aircraft has been refurbished to the highest possible level, the little imperfections it still has from its varied history can still be seen, which therefore means it looks exactly like an aircraft that would be found on a flightline in 1945. The originality maintained is admirable and makes it a very special project. It’s due to make its first airshow appearance at Warbirds Over Wanaka this Easter, not long after these words are read, and it’ll certainly be a major highlight at that great show.
From the cockpit
Pilot Sean Perrett compares the BHHAC Mustang with the company’s other great warbird, the Spitfire Mk.IX:
“People tend to have polarising opinions on which aircraft was the better fighter, usually dependent on which side of the Atlantic they were born. It’s worth noting that for longevity, we use conservative power settings and impose lower than ‘factory new’ G limits on the aircraft.
“Both aircraft are powered by the 27-litre V-12 Merlin engine. The Spitfire has the Rolls-Royce Merlin, and the Mustang has the license-built Packard Merlin. From a pilot’s perspective, both engines are fantastic, and I would not be able to tell the difference in performance.
“When it comes to controls, the Mustang is lighter and faster in roll than the Spitfire but heavier in pitch. The Mustang has a much more effective rudder at lower speeds. Later variants of the Spitfire had larger cord rudders. Flaps on the Mustang can be taken in 10-degree stages as opposed to the Spitfire which is either up or down. The Spitfire would be able to out-turn the Mustang, but the Mustang would be slightly quicker with the same power setting.
Engine and oil cooling
“This would be a clear win for the Mustang as the cooling intake is on the centreline of the aircraft and therefore gets some cooling on the ground from the propeller wash. On the Spitfire, the radiators are on the wings outside the prop wash. When the landing gear struts are down, they disrupt the airflow going into the radiators. The Spitfire flaps blank off the back of the radiators, effectively stopping all cooling. Unlike the Spitfire, the oil and coolant flaps on the Mustang are automatically controlled through a thermostat. As a result, the oil and coolant temperatures do not move once they get to operating temperature. The Spitfire’s cowl flaps are either open or closed depending on switch selection (Open or Auto) and temperature. With Auto set, the cowl flaps remain closed until a certain temperature is reached and then they open fully.
Comfort, approach and landing
“The Spitfire has a small fresh air vent and no heater. The Mustang has cooling vents, a cockpit heater and a windscreen defrost. The heating would have been an absolute must on long missions at high level escorting bombers.
“On final approach, the Mustang has a slightly better view, but the Spitfire has a lower approach speed. Both aircraft can be wheeled on or three-pointed and both techniques have their merits. On the ground, the Spitfire is steered by differential braking as the tailwheel is not steerable. The Mustang has tailwheel steering which can be unlocked if a sharper turn is required.
“I know this will disappoint some, but I cannot say which aircraft is the better fighter or which has the better engine. Both the Spitfire and Mustang are exceptionally good at their roles and both aircraft are an absolute delight to fly. If the two aircraft were ready on the flightline and I had the choice of flying only one, I would choose the Mustang… but that’s purely because I have less experience in it, not because I prefer it to the Spitfire!”
