North American Aviation Inc.'s N.A. TF-51D Mustang

North American Aviation Inc. is the owner and operator of this beautifully restored North American TF-51D Mustang "Tempus Fugit" (S/N 44-63865), which is available for airshows, flybys and film.

The P-51 Mustang is almost universally regarded as the best fighter to emerge from World War II. Talk to Bob Hoover, Chuck Yeager, Bud Anderson or any of a hundred other military test pilots, and they’ll tell you the airplane was nothing less than a stroke of genius when it was introduced in 1942. Today, Mustangs are the most common type of warbird operating on the civil scene in the USA and may be viewed at virtually every airshow in the country.

The TF-51 and P-51D may look similar, but, in fact, the TF version incorporates a number of upgrades and improvements to adapt the original, single-seat Mustang to two seats and dual controls. One of the primary mods involves removing the standard 85-gallon auxiliary tank aft of the pilot’s seat and installing a second seat, seat belts and shoulder harnesses in the rear position. This left the airplane with 180 gallons in the wings, plenty for flights of two hours or less.

While the missing fuselage tank allows provisions for carrying a passenger, aft occupants had best be short, especially if they’re wearing a helmet. The standard, sharply tapered canopy presents a problem with headroom in the rear. Tall passengers have to scrunch down in the seat or bend forward slightly to fit into the rear pit. Owners of stock P-51s are sometimes reluctant to replace the canopy with a more squared-off, oblong version for fear of ruining the
airplane’s lines. Another factor that sometimes influences the decision to stay with the stock canopy is cost. The TF-51 canopy costs about $50,000.

The minimum aft control installation demands stick, rudder pedals, throttle, prop and mixture, not to mention a full set of flight instruments and enough engine instruments to monitor manifold pressure, rpm, oil pressure, oil temperature and cylinder head temperature. Plumb all of that to the engine and appropriate controls, and you essentially have a total rebuild of the main fuselage.

P-51D 44-63865 was delivered to the USAAF on December 8, 1944 and left the US for England on February 27, 1945. There is slight possibility that 44-63865 joined the 9th Air Force and received squadron codes. However, 44-63865's hours were very low when transferred to Sweden so combat is unlikely. 44-63865 was operated by the Royal Swedish Air Force as Fv26018 and then became GN90 with the Nicaraguan Air Force. In 1963 it was purchased by Will Martin and was put on the US civil register as N6163U. The aircraft was purchased in 1968 by Jack Kistler who had the registration changed to N51JK. In 1998 Jack Kistler passed away and the aircraft was purchased by Bob Baun.

The owner decided to build 44-63865 as a TF instead of a stock D model Mustang. Square One started the conversion in July 2004 and it was completed by Tony Corbo and his restoration team in June 2006. After Matt Jackson completed the initial test flight, the aircraft was debuted at EAA Air Venture in its primer paint on its way to Sky Harbour Aircraft Refinishing in Goderich, Ontario, Canada. "Tempus Fugit" is in the markings of Colonel William Daniels, Commanding Officer of the 31st Fighter Group.

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