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The North American P-51 Mustang
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P-51 Who?   Case # 202
44-73027     N9146R     Closed
Solved by: Goss, Scheil, Kerr, Pfaendler
P-51 Who 202
Case#: 202
Date: Sep 27 2002
By: Gerald Liang
Photo: via WarbirdAeroPress.com
Status: Closed
Serial: 44-73027
Registry: N9146R
P-51 Who? Viewer Responses
Randy Goss
10/03/2002 12:41
Looks like Roger Wolfe's airplane, as raced at Reno 1971- the first year I attended! 44-73027 N9146R Roger Wolfe Reno 1971 I believe, this a/c was later N51MP
Joseph Scheil
10/04/2002 08:57
44-73027 ex RCAF 9250 from 6.12.50 to 15.10.59. Issued N9146R by Trans Florida Aviation, this Mustang was one of several ex RCAF Aircraft registered at the same time, N9145R, N9148R etc...notably this one went quickly to E.D Weiner Nov 8, 1960. There were 4 more owners until Roger Wolfe of Fallon, Nevada showed up at Reno as Race 12, and where the picture was taken 1971 or 72? Bob Guildford and the Mustang Pilots Club acquired her next, now N5747, and suffered a belly landing in October of 74, and then a more serious c/l and fire in Bakersfield October 1977. With a Phillipine wing and as N51MP, the rebuilt Mustang crashed at Lancaster, CA in October of 1980. The aircraft was destroyed. Bill Speer used an AURI airframe to rebuild "73027" and the airframe went to France as "Temptation". F-AZJM. Sold to Swiss registry as HB-RCW the aircraft again was destroyed September 3, 1998.
Walter Lamb
10/04/2002 10:07
This is a P-51D-30-NA, s/n #44-74458, c/n #122-40998, ex RCAF 9226, now owned by John Marlin as N65206. The photo dates to 1971 at Reno where then owner Roger Wolfe qualified 13th , and placed 5th in the Silver Race at 344.22 mph. Also raced at Mojave that year, placed 13th after dropping out on the 10th lap with mechanical problems. Don't believe it ever raced again.
John Kerr
10/06/2002 08:56
Acft is N9146R, P-51D 44-73027. Registered at time, 1970-1972, to Roger Wolfe of Fallon, Nv.
Eric Pfaendler
10/06/2002 22:37
This is Roger Wolfe's mustang N9146R and the photo is from the 1971 Reno Air Races. Wolfe qualified 13th at 332.203mph and finished 4th in the medallion race at 310.79mph (fill in entry) and 5th in the consolation race at 344.22mph. Aircraft was also raced in 1971 California 1000 and finished 13th with mechanical problems.
44-73027: to RCAF as 9250
N9146R El Paso Airmotive Inc. El Paso, TX 1963
McClellan Haynes Co. Tracey, CA 1966
John M. Percival San Jose, CA 1969
Roger Wolfe Fallon, NV 1971
N5747
N51MP crashed and burned Lancaster, CA 4/10/80
Robert J. Wolfe
07/31/2010 22:14
Just wondering if I'm related in some way as I also like Aviation/Transportation of any shape, 2 or 4 wheels, helicopters, & racing of any kind as well.
Charles Irvin
08/06/2017 04:10
I'm presuming that this is in fact, Roger Wolfe's former P-51...

I ventured into the Freightliner dealer in Sparks, Nevada, yesterday, to pick up some parts, and a somewhat boisterous & colorful older gentleman truck driver (70's) walks in, starts going on about an exhaust pipe for his truck, and throws in a comment about a P&W R-1340 out of the blue! Having spent several years around those when in grade school, I began chatting with him, and he matter-of-factly mentioned having had a P-51 once, and having raced it a few times, and so I began chatting with him, and it turned out to be none other than Mr. Wolfe himself!

It took a while to get the answer out of him as to why he sold the plane. His answer: "I up-graded to a T-33, that got me into nothing but trouble!". I asked him about air racing, and he was a bit bitter about it: he talked about the cost to enter a P-51 into the Air Races, versus what you could win - that age old argument.

We ended up talking for a good 2 hours about all kinds of things (he tends to kind of ramble on from one topic to another, though he's still sharp as a tack). He told me how he was able to buy the plane: seems he had been crop dusting since before he had his license(!), and was making upwards of $1000 per day back then! He said toys were easy to get back then. So, a Mustang was a drop in the bucket. (I think he was about 29-30 when he bought it)

Meanwhile, the guy behind the parts counter is kind of blowing off everything Mr. Wolfe was saying (and Mr. Wolfe could tell, and was having fun with it), not seeming to believe any of it. So, since I had never met him, and wanted to see if he was on the level, I asked him whom he sold the plane to, and he answered "Bob Guilford".

That was a name I hadn't heard in a good 20 years, and it was good enough for me. In the end, the parts guy, I think, realized that this wasn't just some eccentric...

So, I thought I'd tell this story here, where it apparently belongs. If anybody would like to chat with him, he did give me his card, and it's got his email address on it.
Mike Sanches
03/12/2024 02:36
Charles,

I grew up in Fallon. NV and watched Roger Wolfe on more than one occasion dusting crops in that farm community. He even sprayed our alfalfa once or twice. After graduating high school, a good friend of mine ( also a wingnut) worked for Roger as a flagger and loader in his agricultural spraying business. My buddy decided after working for others long enough that it was time to work for himself and he, too, became a crop duster. He eventually settled in Burley, Idaho where he owned and flew two Ag Cats. He worked hard to build a viable business, started a family but was tragically lost when his plane collided with another crop duster whose windshield was obscured with spray and oil.

As kids Roger Wolfe was known to me and my buddy. We were huge fans of his exploits. My buddy's parents were also plane owners and fliers so they also came know Roger. When Roger bought the Mustang in the early seventies I'd sometimes see him buzzing the terrain around our ranch. It was a hell of a thing to watch. Turns out he wasn't just tearing up the sky for fun but also working. It seems he was spraying the local ponds for mosquitos. If you look closely at the picture you can see the wingtip pipe. May be the only time a Mosquito and a Mustang ever tangled.

I really enjoyed your story of meeting Roger and I would like to contact him to ask a few questions about his planes and my friend.


Happy Landings
Case Closed!
P-51 Mustang

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