A fine example of a D-Day paint scheme was applied to this beauty, the P-51D Mustang, “TANGERINE,” of the 364th Fighter Squadron, 357th Fighter Group, of the 8th Air Force, flown by Lt. Henry “Hank” Pfeiffer, one of the “Yoxford Boys,” staging out of Leiston Airfield, Suffolk.
“Tangerine” is s/n 44-73140, c/n 122-39599. This aircraft has a very extensive civilian history, dating back to when it was surplused from the RCAF (Where it had served as RCAF 9567) in 1960. The first owners were James Defuria and Fred Witts, to whom the aircraft was registered as N6337T. It then went through a succession of owners before it wound up in the hands of the late Dr. Burns Byram in 1967, who changed the registration to N169MD. It was at this time that it was painted as “Tangerine.” The name was later changed to “Judy Ann,” along with the registration, which became N51N. In 1978, Dr. Byram was killed in Mexico while ferrying an ex Guatemalan Mustang back (N52HA) to the US The registration was then changed to NL51N, and it was painted overall silver, with invasion stripes and black and white checkers on the nose and rudder, by its new owner, Charles Ventors. The Mustang was then sold to Carl Bradley, of the Canadian Warplane Heritage, in 1982. The Mustang was repainted in 424 “City of Hamilton” squadron RCAF markings, with the codes BA-U applied. This was reflected in the Canadian registration it now wore, CF-BAU. The Mustang was virtually destroyed in a landing accident on a small country road after suffering an engine failure in 1984. Bradley and his passenger survived, but the Mustang was consumed by a post-crash fire. The identity of this Mustang was later used in a new Mustang rebuild performed by Pioneer Aero, of Chino, California, who built the aircraft up for the late Doug Arnold of Warbirds of Great Briton. This aircraft was painted in the famous markings of Eighth Air Force, 352nd FG ace John C. Meyer, as “Petie 2nd,” and it was given the registration N314BG. The Aircraft went to England after completion, but since Doug Arnold’s death, it has been operated by his son David under the banner “Flying ‘A’ Services.”
