MustangsMustangs
The North American P-51 Mustang
MustangsMustangs
P-51 Mustang Survivors
44-73656 N51VL "Moonbeam McSwine"
Moonbeam Historical Aircraft LLC, Waukegan, IL
P-51 Survivor 44-73656 N51VL
Status: Flying
NAA Type: P-51D-25NA
Serial #: 44-73656
Adopted:
44-12473
Registry: N51VL
.. past:   N5073K
  N32FF
  N2151D
  F-AZXS
  P-51 Mustangs Survivors  
History: 44-73656 N51VL "Moonbeam McSwine"
1944: October, Manufactured at Inglewood, Ca
1945: Mar 29, Accepted by USAAF, via Newark NJ shipping dock to USAAF depot in Great Britain. Not assigned
1945: July, returned to USAAF depot, Newark NJ
1947: Mar 31, to TX ANG, 182nd FS, Brooks AFB, San Antonio
1950: Nov 16, to 136th FG, CONAC, Langley AFB, VA
1950: Dec 26, reassigned to TAC
1951: May 03, to CO ANG, 120th FS, Buckley Field, Denver CO
1953: Mar 31, to MN ANG, 109th FS, St. Paul MN
1956: Dec 10, storage at McClellan AFB, Sacramento CA
1958: Aug 17, N5073K, Delta A&E Parts Inc, NC, sold surplus at McClellan for $1,307.50
1958: November, N5073K, Michael Coutches, Hayward CA
1958: December, N5073K, Trans Florida Aviation, Sarasota FL
1963: Stanley N5073K, Dunbar Studios, Charlotte NC
1963: N5073K, Howard Olsen, Midland TX, racer #1
1963: reworked by Cavalier Aircraft in Florida
1964: Sep, N5073K, Harold's Club Transcontinental Trophy Dash - St. Petersburg FL to Reno NV - 8th DNF
1968: N5073K, Lefty Gardner, Galveston TX
1968: Apr 03, N5073K, Duncan Aeromotive Inc, Galveston TX
1968: Salvadorena FAS 406 (El Salvador Air Force)
1974: Oct, N32FF, Jack Flaherty, Monterey CA, adopted 44-12473
1975: N32FF, Gordon Plaskett, King City CA, Restored as "Moonbeam McSwine"
1975: N2151D, Gordon Plaskett, King City CA
1975: won Grand Champion Warbird, Fresno CA
1981: Mar, N2151D, Chris Williams, Ellensburg WA
1988: Apr, N2151D, Vlado Lenoch, LaGrange IL
1997: September, Reno - finished 5th in Bronze at 362 mph
1999: September, Reno - finished 1st in Bronze at 369 mph
2000: September, Reno - qualified 27th at 298 mph

Seen regularly at shows around the USA - Flies in the USAF Heritage Flights
Thanks to Vlado Lenoch for providing aircraft history

2013: N2151D, sale, Fred Akary, Avignon-Caumont France
2013: F-AZXS, reg, Fred Akary, Avignon-Caumont France
2018: Apr 25, N51VL, sale, Warbird Heritage Foundation, to be based in USA
2018: May 17, N51VL, reg, Moonbeam Historic Military Aircraft LLC, to be based in USA
2023: Nov 22, N51VL, active/flying

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

32 Images of   44-73656   N51VL   "Moonbeam McSwine" on file
Images of   44-73656
P-51
P-51
P-51
P-51
P-51
P-51
P-51
P-51
P-51
P-51
P-51
P-51
P-51
P-51
P-51
P-51
P-51
P-51
P-51
P-51
P-51
P-51
P-51
P-51
P-51
P-51
P-51
P-51
P-51
P-51
P-51
P-51
Image Credits:
  Mark Kallio    
  Curtis Fowles   MustangsMustangs  
  via Vlado Lenoch    
  James P. Church    
  USAF    
  Derek Heley   Derek Heley  
  Ron Baak   Ron Baak  
  Harald Ludwig    
Need to use any of over 9000 P-51 Survivor images at MustangsMustangs?   Please read our Image Use Guidelines.