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There are preserved P-51 Combat vets.... what a load of ...

Posted by Richard Allnutt on Wed Jan 21, 2004 12:15:42 PM

In reply top Is this what you read, Rob? posted by Dan K on Mon Jan 19, 2004 11:46:01 AM

: From the TIGHAR website...
:
: "A flying P-51 Mustang is wonderful and inspiring to behol
: d --- but it is not preserved. It has been returned to ser
: vice in order to demonstrate its power and grace rather th
: an being set aside as a historic property to document exac
: tly how a WWII Mustang was constructed and equipped. We ne
: ed both the flying Mustang and the real wartime Mustang. T
: oday there are literally hundreds of flying Mustangs but t
: here survives not one --- not one --- preserved original e
: xample of a frontline P-51. Even the Smithsonian's Mustang
: (shown above) is a stateside trainer modified and repaint
: ed to represent a combat veteran. The problem runs through
: out the historic aviation community and is rooted in wides
: pread confusion about the meaning of basic terminology. Wh
: olesale rebuilding (often erroneously termed "restoration"
: ) is not preservation. It is, in fact, the antithesis of p
: reservation. "Original" does not mean "just like original.
: " It means the actual material which was present at a part
: icular moment in history."
:
: Now I've never personally been a big fan of TIGHAR, but th
: is quote seems to suggest something a little different (th
: an what Rob paraphrased): that no combat veteran P-51 is c
: urrently displayed in its 100% original form.
:
: So now, WIXers; is THIS statement accurate?

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