Curtiss Kittyhawk P40N VH-PFO – Pacific Survivor

In our series on current operational Warbirds in Australia we look at another P40, P-40N-5-CU C/N 28748 USAAC tail No 42-104986 of the 49th Fighter Group, 8th Fighter Squadron. This Warbird was produced from a 1942 contract by Curtiss aircraft at Buffalo, New York in mid-1943 and upon delivery to the United States Army Air Corps it was disassembled and shipped overseas and reassembled in Australia and flown north to PNG. At this time the aircrafts tail was painted with a white tail section with a black checker board pattern of the 49th Fighter Group. The aircraft was painted olive drab with grey undersurfaces as with most aircraft of this group.

The aircraft led a fairly uneventful operational career in PNG until flown by 1st Lt. Nelson D. Flack, Jr., (O-736172 of Hatboro, PA, USA) on the February 14, 1944 at Siniap, Ramu Valley. Flack was involved in a dogfight with a Ki 61 Tony, shooting the Japanese aircraft down. The P40 had however been damaged in the dogfight and due to coolant loss, crash landed in a field about 60 miles from its base at Gusap. What followed was a great tale of survival as Flack made it back to base after considerable help from US and Australian Forces. A great description of the rescue can be found on the Pacific Wrecks website.

As for 42-104986, the P40 wreckage lay where it crashed, it had suffered considerable damage from the landing and ensuing fire. In 2004 the wreck was visited by Robert Greinert then based in Sydney NSW who with the late Murry Griffith of Precision Aerospace recovered parts of the wreck.  The parts removed included the engine and one wing which were sent to Australia to Precision Aerospace at Wangaratta Airport. Later more of the aircraft including much of the tail was also recovered and joined the rest of the components in Australia.

Initially the aircrafts ownership passed to well-known Warbird pilot Gus Larard based in Hong Kong in 2004. Restoration commenced and advanced well, utilizing the specialist skills of Precision Aerospace in P40 restoration with a new wing and fuselage being constructed. Gus Larard later sold the project to Warbird identity Doug Hamilton of Whorouly, VIC in 2011 and the restoration continued at the Wangaratta facility. Following Murray Griffiths passing when it appeared that restoration facility may close down, Doug Hamilton purchased the hangar and started Precision Aeromotive which completed the P40’s restoration.

After a lengthy restoration the P40 finally took to the air again on 3rd of March 2016, Civil registered as VH-PFO with Doug Hamilton at the controls, after the flight he told a local Newspaper

“I have a lot of different feelings about flying the plane today,” Mr Hamilton told the Wangaratta Chronicle after giving the crowd of onlookers a thumbs up upon his safe landing.

“This is the next phase of its life – we had the restoration phase and flying is the next phase”.

“The thing about it is that I don’t really own it, I’ll just be a part of its history.”

Since the aircrafts first flight it has appeared at Airshows far and wide including its much anticipated appearance at Warbirds Downunder 2018 at Temora where it flew alongside Ross Pay’s P40E VH-KTY and put on a beautiful display for the appreciative crowd. The aircraft wears the original paint scheme it was finished in on the day it crashed and looks very distinctive in the checker board pattern tail – quite different from the usual 49th group finish.

During the restoration the aircraft was completed with the addition of a second seat with controls and is able to carry out paid customer flights operated out of its Wangaratta base, Classic Air Adventures.

Precision Aeromotive continues to restore and rebuild many Warbirds out of its Wangaratta premises and is a world leader in P40 restoration with several more P40s for customers soon to be completed.

© John Parker 2019