Chris Prevost's Curtiss P-40N-5 Warhawk

Chris Prevost and the Vintage Aircraft Company are operators of this beautifully restored combat veteran Curtiss P-40N-5 Warhawk (S/N 42-105306), which is available for airshows, flybys and film.

The Curtiss P-40 was a development of the radial engined P-36/Hawk 75. The prototype XP-40 was a converted P-36A with the R-1830 replaced with an Allison V-1710-19 liquid cooled V-12. First flown in October 1938, the P-40 was evaluated at Wright Field in May 1939 resulting in an order for 524 aircraft.

Early P-40s were equipped with 2x .50 and 4x .30 caliber machine guns with the .50s mounted above the engine. With the P-40D the engine mounted guns were removed and later P-40s standardized on 6x .50 caliber machine guns mounted in the wings.

Although the P-40 was best known for using the Allison V-1710, the P-40F and P-40L were powered by the Packard V-1650-1 Merlin. The V-1650-1 had a single stage supercharger so it did not have the altitude performance of the P-51 fitted the later V-1650 with a two stage supercharger.

Over 13,700 P-40s had been built by the time production ended in December 1944. Although the P-40 did not have the best performance of its contemporaries, it did have a reputation as a rugged aircraft and it was available when needed.

The Curtiss P-40 was a formidable fighter and ground attack aircraft in the right hands. Employed in theatres from China to New Guinea to the Aleutians to North Africa, P-40 variants had many names including the Tomahawk, Kittyhawk and Warhawk. The Kittyhawk was the name given by British Commonwealth air forces to the P-40E model and subsequent variants.

Though not a first rate high altitude dogfighter, the Warhawk with its long range, bomb load and armour, became a formidable low-level fighter-bomber.

The P-40 is most famous as the aircraft of General Claire Chennault's American Volunteer Group - the Flying Tigers. Their P-40Bs defended China against the Japanese. P-40s also serviced in the Pacific, Middle East and Europe and defended North America in the Aleutians. The P-40 was operated by England, France, China, Russia, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, and Turkey as well as the United States.

This P-40N-5 Warhawk was one of several fighters flown by Capt. Ray Melikian with the 7th Fighter Squadron, 49th Fighter Group and it is in the brawny P-40 that he is credited with three Japanese kills, two Zeros and a Betty Bomber. It was later flown by Lt. Marion Hawke, who was flying the P-40 when it was involved in an unfortunate collision  with a sturdier P-47D during an attempted landing at Iron Range Repair Depot in Queensland, Australia.

The fighter was recovered in 1973 and Fighter Trainers Ltd started restoration work on the fuselage in the mid 1990s. In 2000 the project was offered for 'Sale by Tender' in Classic Wings magazine where Chris narrowly won the by a margin of $1,000. It was packed up in a 20 ft container and shipped to Sonoma, CA (Schellville) were a 7 year restoration began shortly after. On January 24, 2009 Chris took his P-40N-5 up for a 24 minute test flight.

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