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The 2005 Chino warbird airshow featured five flying Republic P-47 Thundebolts. The airshow was blessed with the bluest skies in years. It was also the hottest it has been in years. Temperatures climbed to over 100 degrees F on the flightline.
North American P-51D Mustang, NL5441V Spam Can gave rides to paying passengers in the time before the airfield closed for the airshow. It has belonged to the
Planes of Fame Air Museum since June 1957. Its original
serial was 45-11582. It is powered by a Packard V-1650 license built version of
the Rolls Royce Merlin.
North American P-51D Mustang, NL5441V at Chino on October 6, 2001.
North American P-51D Mustang, NL5441V at Pt. Mugu NWC on October 16, 1982.
North American P-51D Mustang, NL7715C Wee Willy II also gave rides to paying passengers before the airshow. It has been
owned by Steve Hinton since September 1985.
This Mustang has adopted the identity of the Red Baron
RB-51 racer, once the fastest piston powered aircraft in the world. Its
original serial was 44-84961, but it carries 413334 on its tail. The Air
Force disposed of it at McClellan Air Force Base, California in 1958. It
was purchased by Capitol Airways of Nashville, Tennessee and registered
as N7715C. In July 1964 it was acquired by Charles Willis Jr., Frank
Lynitt, and Charles Hall of Seattle, Washington. They raced it as #5,
first named "Red Baron", then "Miss RJ". Gunther Balz of Kalamazoo,
Michigan bought it in July 1971 and changed its name to "Roto-Finish",
keeping race number 5. John Sliker of Wadley, Georgia picked it up in
October 1973, but sold it to Ed Browning of Brownings Incorporated in
Idaho Falls the following February. Brownings Inc. installed a Rolls
Royce Griffon engine with contra-rotating propellers and called it the
"Red Baron" RB-51. It first flew with the Griffon engine on March 6,
1975. It set the world's piston engined speed record of 499.018 miles
per hour on August 14, 1979. It crashed with Steve Hinton at the
controls at the Reno Air Races that September. Hinton survived the
crash. Richard Ransofer of Grapevine, Texas acquired the wreckage
in 1980. Steve Hinton and Fighter Rebuilders at Chino transferred
the dataplate and probably a small section of the fuselage of the
"Red Baron" wreck to P-51D, 44-73053 to reconstruct "Wee Willy II".
It first flew after reconstruction in September 1985. Some of the
hulk of the RB-51 was acquired by Terry and Bill Rogers of Sherman,
Texas in 1989 to be used in another Griffon powered race conversion,
but Rogers' efforts were diverted into the rebuilding of Vendetta into
Miss Ashley II.
Debut of the Red Baron RB-51 Griffon powered Mustang at the Mojave Air Races in June 1975.
North American P-51D Mustang, NL5441V Spam Can.
North American P-51D Mustang, NL7715C Wee Willy II fires up its Rolls Royce Merlin V-12 engine.
North American P-51D Mustang, NL7715C Wee Willy II.
Republic P-47D Thunderbolts, NX47RP Big Chief and NX47DF.
Republic P-47D Thunderbolts, NX47RP Big Chief and NX47DF.
Republic P-47D Thunderbolts, NX9246B Hun Hunter XVI and NX647D Wicked Wabbit.
Missing Man: Republic P-47D Thunderbolt, NX47RP Big Chief pulls up out of formation with Republic P-47D Thunderbolts, NX47DF, NX647D Wicked Wabbit, and NX9246B Hun Hunter XVI.
Zlin 50LX, N6660K Tumbling Bear flown by Rob Harrison lives up to its name. It was built in 1996. Its serial number is 0075.
Link to Rob Harrison's web site.
Hartley Folstad piloted Stearman B75N1, N450SR as Margaret Stivers walked its wings.
Margaret Stivers poses on the wing of Stearman B75N1, N450SR.
Stearman B75N1, N450SR.
Stearman B75N1, N450SR.
Margaret Stivers poses on the top wing of Stearman B75N1, N450SR.
Northrop N9MB Flying Wing is now registered N9MB, although it carried no registration when it was flown as a one-third scale, free-flying, wind-tunnel model of the XB-35 bomber. It is owned by the Planes of Fame Air Museum at Chino, California. It is powered by a pair of Franklin OX 540-7 eight-cylinder opposed engines.
Northrop N9MB Flying Wing, N9MB.
You can buy framed prints or greeting cards of this photograph.
Mitsubishi A6M5 "Zero" NX46770.
Vought F4U-1A Corsair, NX83782.
Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat, NX4964W.
Mitsubishi A6M3 Model 22 "Zero", NX712Z.
Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless, NX670AM.
General Motors TBM-3E Avenger, N28SF.
General Motors FM-2, N29FG.
Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless, NX670AM and General Motors TBM-3E Avenger, N28SF taxi out as Mitsubishi A6M "Zeros", NX46770 and NX712Z take off on the background.
Mitsubishi A6M "Zeros", NX712Z and NX46770.
Vought F4U-1A Corsair, NX83782.
Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat, NX4964W.
General Motors TBM-3E Avenger N28SF, Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless NX670AM, and General Motors FM-2 Wildcat N29FG.
Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless, NX670AM.
Douglas A-1D Skyraider, NX409Z.
General Motors TBM-3E Avenger N28SF.
General Motors FM-2, N29FG.
Grumman F7F-3N Tigercat, N805MB Big Bossman.
General Motors TBM-3E Avenger N28SF.
Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless, NX670AM.
Vought F4U-1A Corsair, NX83782 chases Mitsubishi A6M "Zero", NX46770.
Vought F4U-1A Corsair, NX83782 chases Mitsubishi A6M "Zero", NX46770.
Douglas A-1D Skyraider, NX409Z.
Douglas A-1H Skyraider, NX39606.
Grumman F7F-3N Tigercat, N805MB Big Bossman.
Mitsubishi A6M5 "Zero" NX46770.
Mitsubishi A6M3 Model 22 "Zero", NX712Z.
Douglas A-1H Skyraider, NX39606.
Vought F4U-1A Corsair, NX83782 and Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat, NX4964W.
Douglas A-1H Skyraider, NX39606.
Douglas A-1D Skyraider, NX409Z.
Grumman F7F-3N Tigercat, N805MB Big Bossman.
MiG-15, NX87CN.
North American F-86F Sabre, NX186AM.
North American F-86F Sabre, NX186AM.
MiG-15, NX87CN.
Grumman F8F-2 Bearcat, N198F.
Grumman F8F-2 Bearcat, N7825C.
Boeing-McDonnell-Douglas F/A-18F Super Hornet, BuNo 166614 #133 of VFA-103 Jolly Rogers based at NAS Lemoore. The call sign of its woman pilot is "Sweaty".
Grumman F8F-2 Bearcats, N198F and N7825C.
Grumman F8F-2 Bearcat, N198F.
Grumman F8F-2 Bearcat, N7825C.
Boeing-McDonnell-Douglas F/A-18F Super Hornet, BuNo 166614 VFA-103 #133.
Grumman F8F-2 Bearcats, N198F and N7825C fly in formation with F/A-18F Super Hornet, BuNo 166614.
Grumman F8F-2 Bearcats, N198F and N7825C fly in formation with F/A-18F Super Hornet, BuNo 166614.
Thin strips of condensation have formed over the wing of Boeing-McDonnell-Douglas F/A-18F Super Hornet, BuNo 166614 VFA-103 #133 as it makes a photo pass.
Boeing-McDonnell-Douglas F/A-18F Super Hornet, BuNo 166614 VFA-103 #133.
Flying displays, page 2: FIVE P-47 Thunderbolts!, U. S. Air Force Heritage Flight, Victory Over Europe, Doolittle Raiders, Air Power Formation Flight.
More Chino Airshows.
Go to the Airshow Page of the Goleta Air and Space Museum.
Send a message to Brian.
