Curtis Fowles - MustangsMustangs	March 06, 2004 at 21:34:50
Can you identify these men and time frame of the photo? The P-51 reg is N6__4_? Good luck.

john steinmetz	March 08, 2004 at 14:50:18
the n number is probably 6340T which might have been dick kessle's or? look up the onwer of 6340t around 1965 - 1970 and that will be the answer

Norm Shea	March 11, 2004 at 20:10:44
Could this be N651D (44-73857) in an early paint scheme before the stars were put on the wings. I can't quite pick out the antena bump in the black and white photo that you can see on photo in the Survivors list (44-73857 was unfortunately lost so is in the Misc section).

Dick Phillips	March 18, 2004 at 11:03:28
There are several "near miss" guesses in the above answers, but I'm 99.9% certain this is N6303T, 44-63481, when owned by Dick Kestle. It is white over gray, with black stripe. I've no idea who the people are. None of them are Dick Kestle, but I'd bet it was taken at Sarasota, since there is a Canadair Northstar airliner in the background.

Randy Haskin	March 21, 2004 at 03:58:13
Dick's info would seem to make sense. I have it that N6303T received some minor Cavalier conversion work (although not a full-on Executive Mustang or Cavalier rework) at Sarasota in 1967. '67 is also when Cavalier purchased a batch of Northstars surplus to use their motors for building up engines for Cavalier Mustang IIs.

Randy Haskin

March 21, 2004 at 03:59:28

Dick's info would seem to make sense. I have it that N6303T received some minor Cavalier conversion work (although not a full-on Executive Mustang or Cavalier rework) at Sarasota in 1967. This seems to be prior to the rework, since there is not a plenum box for the Cavalier cockpit air system visible in the photo. '67 is also when Cavalier purchased a batch of Northstars surplus to use their motors for building up engines for Cavalier Mustang IIs.

T J Johansen	May 10, 2004 at 02:57:57
Any chance this could be N6341T when owned by Bill Sullivan of Kentucky? T J Johansen Oslo, NORWAY

Marc Koelich

May 12, 2004 at 20:07:30

Hi T J , N6341T was on my 'suspects' list, and ownership by William Sullivan would be the proper time frame, but I don't have a clue on the paint scheme at that time, or if this Mustang ever passed through Sarasota. By the way, I've seen N6341T associated with 44-74474 and with 44-74774, which one is the 'proper' one? Another possible suspect was N6347T, 44-73458, ex-RCAF. This Mustang did eventually end up with FAS, but the registration was changed to N554T in 1963, which would make it too early, unless of course N554T was not used. As for N6341T, I have no clue regarding the paint scheme at the time. Cheers Marc

T J Johansen	May 27, 2004 at 13:51:51
Hi Mark, I have a feeling that it isn't N554T, as the photos I have seen of it shows it as being white with a confederate star/bar flag. N6341T was white over bronze like in the photo at the time of Sullivans ownership, but I don't know about the Sarasota connection. As far as the correct s/n, maybe Dick Phillips have the answer! T J Johansen Oslo, NORWAY

Dick Phillips	June 07, 2004 at 19:55:13
As for the serial mixup on N6341T, the correct number is 44-74474. There was a typo error in the paperwork way back at some point, and the wrong number of 44-74774 was perpetuated for some time.

Curtis Fowles	July 28, 2004 at 21:13:42
Hello gang! I do not know the exact identity, but if you look behind the right arm of the man in the white shirt, it certainly looks the left side of a "4" which would be the third number in the registration. Dick has it as N6303T, but I don't see parts of the "3". I know it is very tough to conclude anything, so please send us some info. Thanks to all for what we already have. Curtis

Howard Austin

July 31, 2004 at 12:27:52

The photo was made at Cavalier in Sarasota in the late 60s. The man in the white shirt is Gerry Tyler, plant manager at Cavalier. The aircraft is Gerry's personal Mustang, forget the number, which he sold to Georgio Billi (sp?), an Italian business man. That could be Georgia in the dark suit. No idea who the Air Force types are, we checked out a few occasionally to ferry aircraft to Latin America. Howard Austin

Marc Koelich	August 07, 2004 at 05:09:55
First of all, many thanks for all your replies. Could this be the ill-fated I-BILL, 44-74694? The name of the new owner would explain the registration. If not mistaken, I-BILL was N6851D while still at Sarasota. The Air Force guys might well be Salvadoran pilots, either training or visiting in preparation of the arrival of their cavalier MkII Mustangs. Anyway, this photo comes from El Salvador.

Dick Phillips

December 20, 2004 at 08:11:51

Well, there have been several ideas thrown out on this one, but I'm sticking with the fact that it is N6303T. Howard Austin had some good information there about it possibly being N6851D, which did indeed become I-BILL, but the photos I have of 6851D do not match up as well on the trim lines of the paint scheme as 6303T does. The photo might well have come from Dominica, and those guys in flight suits might well be FAD pilots, but they might have been looking at Dick Kestles N6303T, when the photo was taken. One thing that leads me to believe it is not N6851D is the black item at the back of the cockpit, behind the back seat. See the photo of 6851D. I can see what could look like a "4" behind Gerry Tyler, but I think it is his arm. If you draw a line along the top of the N6, you will see that what looks like a "4" extends too high to be a number. I'm sending photoss of N6303T and N6851D to Curtis to post with this note. I have no idea how to post photos with these notes. Dick Phillips

Curtis Fowles	February 12, 2005 at 10:48:42
Thanks everyone for their work, great posts!