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Aircraft:
Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk
- Reg: VH-MIK photos
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Serial #:
42-104977
- Airline: Private
- Photo Date: Jul 04, 2009
- Uploaded: Mar 07, 2016
- Bundaberg - YBUD, Australia
NOT a Potential Nose-Over! It is a Tail-High Take-Off! Who said that you can’t see past the nose of a P-40 during take-off roll? You can if the tail is held high (and the nose is so low that the propeller tips are only two inches above the grass runway!) Mike Spaulding's ‘new’ Warhawk/ Kittyhawk P-40N VH-MIK Cn 28759 SN 42-104977 Code BU-B was a star attraction at the 2009 Wide Bay International Airshow. Stbd side take-off photo taken at Bundaberg (YBUD) on 04Jul2009. [Code BU belonged to 80 Squadron RAAF.] Built for the USAAF as 42-104977, this aircraft served with the 49th FG, named 'Punkins'. On 13Sep1943 it was shot down by a Zero at Tsili Tsili, near Finschafen, New Guinea. The wreck was recovered in 2004 and rebuilt at Wangaratta and Mareeba. This aircraft has since been Sold overseas. The aircraft was purchased by John Davis III, and is now USA Registered as N587VD. It was sighted at Front Range Airport near Denver Colorado in early 2016. (Ref: Flightpath Magazine.)
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NOT a Potential Nose-Over! It is a Tail-High Take-Off! Who said that you can’t see past the nose of a P-40 during take-off roll? You can if the tail is held high (and the nose is so low that the propeller tips are only two inches above the grass runway!) Mike Spaulding's ‘new’ Warhawk/ Kittyhawk P-40N VH-MIK Cn 28759 SN 42-104977 Code BU-B was a star attraction at the 2009 Wide Bay International Airshow. Stbd side take-off photo taken at Bundaberg (YBUD) on 04Jul2009. [Code BU belonged to 80 Squadron RAAF.] Built for the USAAF as 42-104977, this aircraft served with the 49th FG, named 'Punkins'. On 13Sep1943 it was shot down by a Zero at Tsili Tsili, near Finschafen, New Guinea. The wreck was recovered in 2004 and rebuilt at Wangaratta and Mareeba. This aircraft has since been Sold overseas. The aircraft was purchased by John Davis III, and is now USA Registered as N587VD. It was sighted at Front Range Airport near Denver Colorado in early 2016. (Ref: Flightpath Magazine.)Camera
Canon EOS 40D | Canon EF 100-400 f4.5-5.6 L IS USM-
Aircraft
- Reg: VH-MIK photos
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Aircraft:
Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk
- Airline: Private
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Serial #:
42-104977
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Photo Location
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Bundaberg - YBUD
- Australia
Comments
As VH-MIK, this aircraft had the right main wheel strut collapse on landing at Mareeba QLD in Aug 2009. During repair at Precision Aerospace at Wangaratta VIC, the aircraft was converted to a TP-40N (with full dual controls in the rear cockpit). In 2014 the aircraft was shipped to Colorado USA (Registered as N587VD), and later re-registered as N977WH. In 2018 the plane was purchased by Thom Richard of Warbird Adventures, based at Kissimmee Florida, and now wears US Fourteenth Air Force livery, including the ‘Flying Tigers’ sharkmouth, and the name ‘American Dream’ on the nose and Code 55 on the tail. The aircraft now represents the machine flown by Lt Thorvaldson when it was shot down in New Guinea on 13Sep1943. Ref: Flypast Magazine Nov 2021 Edition.