Martin (Swiss Mustangs)

December 29, 2002 at 04:45:11

This is P-51D-30-NA 44-74850 that served with the 165th FS KY ANG, coded '50' and also was at times assigned to the 176th FS WI ANG; in 1963 it became N6726C (James Hodges; in 1966 N2116 of John Sliker, ownership changing to John Silberman in 1969 and Westernair in 1971; during October it was registered CF-USA 10.72 to Don Plumb, changing soon to C-FUSA; th a/c crashed on 16th October 1975 at Big Spring, TX, killing pilot/owner Don Plumb

Dick Phillips	December 31, 2002 at 00:00:04
There were two different N2116 mustangs, 44-744850 and 44-73990. My guess is that this is the first one, 44-74850. It was N6726C, then N2116 #1, then became CF-USA. It crashed near Big Spring, TX in October 1975, killing its owner, Don Plumb. If it was the other N2116, it would now be N51TH. (this message sent email to C.Fowles, 12/28/02 4:48pm)

Curtis Fowles	December 31, 2002 at 00:13:47
Interestingly, Tom Goez refers to this P-51 as 44-73390, N51TH in his email when he sent in the pic. Tom's email: "I have a color photo of Leonard Tanner's N2116 that I took in 1966 at Love Field, Augusta, Georgia." Help: if this shot was taken in '66, would'nt it have to be 44-74850? Thanks.

Dick Phillips

February 12, 2003 at 23:23:49

After letting this one simmer for a few weeks, I guess I'll have to alter my first answer a bit. If the photographer is right, in that he shot the photo in 1966 and insists that Len Tanner was the owner, then we have a problem. Len Tanner bought 44-73990 on 19 Jan 65 and it was registered as N51LT until it was sold to John Silberman in April 1973, at which time he reregistered it as N2116 #2. Jack Sliker sold 44-74850, N2116 #1 to John Silberman in 1966 and sold it to Westernaire in Albuquerque in 1969. Westernaire sold N2116 #1 to Don Plumb in 1972, and it dropped the US reg of N2116 and took up CF-USA. This allowed Silberman to apply N2116 to 44-73990 when he bought it in 1973. So, if the photo was taken in 1966, it is 44-74850. If it was flown by Len Tanner in 1966, it was still 44-74850, but owned in that year by Silberman. Now, is everybody fully confused?