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The North American P-51 Mustang
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P-51 Who?   Case # 14
45-11559     N51WB     Closed
Solved by: Jim Church
P-51 Who 14
Case#: 14
Date: Mar 15 1999
By:
Photo: This P-51 crashed in '88
unknown photo date/place
Status: Closed
Serial: 45-11559
Registry: N51WB
P-51 Who? Viewer Responses
Jim Church
04/05/1999 18:52
I would like to solve who's P-51 "case 14," if I may............ Your picture shows the late Bill Clark's P-51D-30-NT, N51WB, "Dolly." The serial for this a/c has been quoted as 44-74690 (but this is questionable, it has also been quoted as 44-11153, as well as 45-11559!), and it had served in the El Salvadorian Air Force. In El Salvadorian service, it carried the serial FAS 409, and upon return to the U.S., it was initially registered as NL34FF. Previous to it going to El Salvador, it wore the U.S. civil registrations N5469V, and N6451D. In March 1998, while en-rout to the Valiant Air Command air show in Florida, Clark was killed in N51WB after he failed to emerge from clouds following take off. His friend, Bob Byrne flying "Rascal" (44-74774) took off with him, but emerged from the clouds alone. After this photo was taken, Clark had "Dolly" rebuilt by LyCon Aviation, here in Michigan, and emerged in a new paint scheme representing, but not completely matching, the mount of 339th Fighter Group ace Colonel Bill Clark (no relation). Colonel Clark's World War Two aircraft was called "Happy IV," but the restoration continued to carry the name "Dolly."
MustangsMustangs
04/08/1999 09:00
Nice work Jim.
Jesse Sparks III
11/21/2001 18:04
Scott Smith was the previous owner ... it was based for sometime in the mid seventies in Orlando. I instantly recognized the unusual markings as he generously took me for a ride in it on my tenth birthday some 20 year ago. Mr. Smith owned a total of five Mustangs (including GeGeII named after his wife Geneva) and several P-40s ...
Brad Eichler
09/26/2012 18:07
Case # 14 in this picture is not "Dolly" Dolly did not have the nose stripes and had the name dolly printed in large script where the nose stripes are in this picture.
Curtis Fowles
09/28/2012 07:25
Bill Clark's P-51 did carry the nose stripes and the name "Dolly" at some point. Photos in the survivors section under 45-11559. This photo is dated 1978.
Brad Eichler
10/23/2012 16:34
Case closed
Robert Grant
04/11/2013 15:41
Found this interesting. My Dads plane Iwo Jima 45 was called "Dolly" named after my then 4 month old sister who looked like a little doll. Capt JJ Grant, #607, flew missions to Japan and back at the end of the war.

Planes of Fame Air Museum at Chino, CA has her flying.

RG

paul d niggli
11/10/2013 18:16
I have a picture of Dolly in flight, left wing dipped, that I took at an air show in Geneseo, NY circa 1985. At that time she had Invasion Stripes on nose, wings, and fuselage under the insignia. K I in front of insignia and S behind. On the tail is a black triangle with a white rectangle in it and a red 3 in the triangle. Dolly in script and underlined is centered under the leading edge of the cockpit.
At the time I took the picture, the pilot startled the crap out of the whole show. He made a pass down the grass runway and stayed low and went out of sight, circled way out of sight and suddenly popped over willow trees at the end of the runway about 400 feet away. He had the "hammer down". I've never seen a plane go so close and as fast as that.
Dane Jasper
12/06/2021 04:16
I'm not clear on the disposition and in particular the connection to today's N451TB, "Kimberly Kaye". That aircraft carries the data plate for serial number 44-11153, but I don't understand how that came to pass. Does anyone have details on the history of this aircraft? If 44-11153 was destroyed, or did "Dolly" have a different serial number? If the latter, what's the history on 44-11153?
Case Closed!
P-51 Mustang

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