Steve Morley: I'm certain that this is G-HAEC as imported to the UK in the early 1980's by Ray Hanna and The Old Flying Machine Company at Duxford.


Max Woodhead: Case 75 photo is of CA-18 A68-192 taken in the mid late 80's when she wore the code letters CV-H, operated by the Old Flying Machine Company from Duxford. She was re-painted for the film Memphis Belle as 'Ding Hao!'. She is now from your survivors database a BBD clone still in the UK but I have not seen this Mustang in this scheme.


Martin Kyburz: This is Commonwealth Corp. CA-18 Mk. 22 (Australian-production) A68-192, to VH-FCB (1958), to PI-C-651 (in the Phillippines), crashed on landing 1973 and rebuilt using parts of 44-72917 (ex 170th FS IL ANG sent to Korea, trfd. to ROKAF, returned after war and given to Phillippine AF #410). It became VR-HIU (Honkong, 1981), then sold to the UK and registered G-HAEC (Old Machine Flying Company) with camouflage and code CV-H (as seen in the photograph), then adopting various paint-schemes, some for movie-appearances, for example 'Missie Wong from Hongkong' for 'Empire of the Sun' and AJ-A 'Ding Hao' for 'Memphis Belle'. Today it is owned by Rob Davies and appears as Col. John D. Landers' 'Big Beautiful Doll, WZ-I, fake-serial 44-72218, in the colours of 78th FG.


Jim Church: Case # 75 shows the UK based Old Flying Machine Company's G-HAEC, a former Australian Mustang, built by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation as a CA-18, s/n A68-192. It had been rebuilt for Ray and Mark Hanna by the Honk Kong Aeronautical Engineering Company (hence the reg. of G-HAEC, the company's initials), and included parts of US built P-51D s/n 44-72917, which had been registered in the Philippines as PI-C651. Now painted in 78th F.G. markings as the famous 'Big Beautiful Doll' of group commander J.D. Landers, it is owned by Rob Davies, and it continues to fly in the UK with the same registration.