Marc Koelich: There is a picture of this Mustang on the Warbirds Resource Group website. It's identified as 44-84857, N7345C, a P-51D-25NT, reportedly transfered to the Salvadoran Air Force in 1973 ! In their book, Dan Hagedorn and John Dienst have 44-84857 down as N7343C, a plane spirited out of the USA to El Salvador in July 1969.


Joe Scheil: This is a neat one. The markings are really distinctive, the anti-glare panel, the dark vertical vin and the fuselage stripe. There is a published photo of it in several magazines as a Minnesota ANG mustang that attended the last Mustang Round Up at Volk Field Wis 18 August - 1 Sept 1950 She had pencil drop tanks like N5448V and looked spectacular. This photo shows her out of service, location unknown and perhaps after ferrying somewhere.

Built 2.12.45 as 44-72844 to NY Port 2.24.45, shipped to ETO 3.13.45. Returned 7.16.45 and overhauled at Olmstead PA. Assigned to TAC, SAC, MINN, TEX, MONT ANG. She was sold surplus from McClellan for $1,307 17.2.58 and became N5076K and N156C with TFA. Sold as N764C to Chamberlain Eng. Corp then eventually back to Cavalier and Lindsay Newspapers as N7406. She is still supposed to be stored with Dave Lindsay at King City, and would be the ultimate in ANG markings if restored to her Mustang Roundup Colors...A Kodachrome of this one would have been great! I wonder what colors she was...


Dick Phillips confirms that this one is 44-84857.


There is no further info on what happened to this one in El Salvador. It has been speculated that it was lost on the trip south ... Maybe Joe could help out with any more info.

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