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P-51 Mustang Survivors
44-73343 N551JV "Live Bait"
Charles Somers, Sacramento CA
P-51 Survivor 44-73343 N551JV
Status: Flying
NAA Type: P-51D-25NA
Serial #: 44-73343
Registry: N551JV
.. past:   N5482V
  P-51 Mustangs Survivors  
History: 44-73343 N551JV "Live Bait"
1958: McClellan AFB surplus auction - bare metal
1963: N5482V, Ben Hall, Seattle WA
1964: Sep, N5482V, Reno Air Races at Sky Ranch - #2 "Seattle Miss" - Qualified 5th @ 344 - Gold 4th @ 344 - Ben Hall
1966: Sep, N5482V, Reno Air Races - Race #2 "Esther's Mink" - Qualified 3rd @ 378 - Gold 2nd @ 372 - Ben Hall
1967: Sep, N5482V, Reno Air Races - Race #2 "Traveler" - Qualified 5th @ 366 - Gold 5th @ 359 - Mike Loening
1968: Sep, N5482V, Reno Air Races - Race #2 "Chance III" - Qualified 2nd @ 362 - Gold 6th DNF mayday lap 5 - Mike Loening
1969: Sep, N5482V, Reno Air Races - Race #2 "Boise Bitch" - Qualified 3rd @ 374 - Consolation 4th @ 314 - Mike Loening
1969: N5482V, Chance Enterprises Inc, Half Moon Bay CA
1969: N5482V, Michael Loening, Boise ID, Race #2 "Miss Salmon River"
1970: Sep, N5482V, Reno Air Races - Race #2 "Miss Salmon River" - Qualified 4th @ 375 - Gold 2nd @ 376 - Mike Loening
1971: Sep, N5482V, Reno Air Races - Race #2 "Miss Salmon River" - Qualified 6th @ 400 - Gold 7th DNF
- mayday lap 2 - hot landing / ground loop into the desert - Mike Loening
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1983: N5482V, Bruce Morehouse, San Antonio TX
2005: N5482V, Larry Thompson, restoration
2008: at Midwest Restorations Inc
2010: Apr 30, N551JV, sold, Jon Vesely, Scottsdate AZ, very near to completion
2010: July, First Flight by Vlado Lenoch. Congrats to owner Jon Vesely, Mike Vadeboncoeur of Midwest Aero Restorations and Vlado Lenoch.
2017: Apr 20, N551JV, sale, Lewis Fighter Fleet LLC, San Antonio TX
2020: Jun 11, N551JV, sale, Charles Somers, Hillsboro OR

The Last of the Wild Horses

P-51 Survivors book featuring images from Dick Phillips and John Dienst, with Mark Phillips. To order, goto The Last of the Wild Horses. You can order online. Price is $100 for pages and pages of P-51 Survivor history and photos. Over 2,500 photos! The late Dick Phillips shared hundreds of his P-51 images with us at MustangsMustangs over the last 25 years. If you can, help support his life-long passion. I recently ordered my copy.

Thank you!
Curtis Fowles, MustangsMustangs

20 Images of   44-73343   N551JV   "Live Bait" on file
Images of   44-73343
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Image Credits:
  Jay Sherlock Collection   Jay Sherlock Collection  
  Emil Strasser   courtesy Warbird Aero Press  
  Mike Shakocius    
  Gerald Liang   courtesy Warbird Aero Press  
  Ron Olson   Ron's Archive  
  Mike Vadeboncoeur   Midwest Aero Restorations Ltd  
  Ron Baak   Ron Baak  
  Roger Syratt    
  David Leininger    
  Vlado Lenoch    
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