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The North American P-51 Mustang
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P-51 Mustang Survivors
44-74543 N5500S "Geraldine"
Warbirds-3 LLC / Bob Bull, FL
P-51 Survivor 44-74543 N5500S
Status: Flying
NAA Type: P-51D-30NA
Serial #: 44-74543
Adopted:
44-63655
Registry: N5500S
.. past:   N4543
  P-51 Mustangs Survivors  
History: 44-74543 N5500S "Geraldine"
S/N 44-63655 C/N 122-31381
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1966: FAN Nicaragua, rep. GN 84
1963: Sep 02, import, Maco Sales, Palos Park IL
- Between 1963 and 1965 Will Martin / MACO Sales purchased 21 P-51Ds from the government of Nicaragua
- most were sold in small batches
- Martin prepped the P-51s capable of flying for the long ferry flight to the USA from Nicaragua
- engine failure, forced landing during ferry flight
- aircraft abandoned
1965: Aug 17, N6153U, de-registration, Letter to FAA from Glenn Martin / Maco Corp stating 44-636555 has been scrapped
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S/N 44-74543 C/N 122-41083
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1950: Dec 06, RCAF 9252, SOC Dec 17 1959
1957: Feb 25, James Defuria / Fred Ritts / Intercontinental Airways, ferried to Canastota NY - open storage
1958: Ferry flight from Canada to Cuba, confiscated in Syracuse NY by the US Government
- later flown to Canastota NY, stored / abandoned
1961: Jun 28, sale, Ray O. Denman, Brewerton NY, sold as scrap (not flyable) - no logs, aircraft remained in Canastota NY
1965: Jun 30, N4543, sale
1965: rep. sale cancelled by Ray Denman
1974: dismantled / trucked, Brewerton NY as gate guard at car dealership
- moved to Fulton County Airport, Johnston NY by Waterman F Brown
- stored in shed
1984: Nov 08, N6153U, transfer, Wings and Wheels Inc / Will Martin, Palos Park IL
- Will Martin received hulk from Waterman Brown
1985: Jan 21, N6153U, 44-63655, re-registered, Maco Corp, Palos Park IL
1985: Jan 21, N5500S, 44-63655, reg, Wings and Wheels Inc / Will Martin, Palos Park IL
1990: used in rebuild with hulk and other parts 44-74543, Chicago IL
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1998: Jul 01, N5500S, sale, AMPHIB Inc / Chuck Greenhill, Wheeling IL, from Maco Sales / Will Martin
1998: Aug 24, N5500S, reg, AMPHIB Inc / Chuck Greenhill
1998: restoration at Square 1 Aviation, Chino CA. Restoration to WWII configuration with everything working - gunsight, armament, WWII radios, etc.
2001: 10th August, 1st flight since restoration, Tim McCarter pilot
2002: mid Feb. - rolled out of the paint shop as E2 B "Geraldine"
2011: Aug 01, N5500S, EAA Airventure KOSH
2014: for sale
2015: Aug 01, N5500S, EAA Airventure KOSH
2023: May 22, N5500S, Warbirds-3 LLC / Bob Bull, Kalispell MT
2024: Dec 12, N5500S, active/flying, 17FL

The Last of the Wild Horses

P-51 Survivors book featuring images from Dick Phillips and John Dienst, with Mark Phillips. To order, goto The Last of the Wild Horses. You can order online. Price is $100 for pages and pages of P-51 Survivor history and photos. Over 2,500 photos! The late Dick Phillips shared hundreds of his P-51 images with us at MustangsMustangs over the last 25 years. If you can, help support his life-long passion. I recently ordered my copy.

Thank you!
Curtis Fowles, MustangsMustangs

51 Images of   44-74543   N5500S   "Geraldine" on file
Images of   44-74543
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Image Credits:
  James P. Church    
  Dick Phillips   Warbird Images  
  Jim Buckel   Ron's Archive  
  Curtis Fowles   MustangsMustangs  
  Bill Scheuerman    
  John Terrell    
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