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That Swedish Mustang - 44-63864

Posted by Paul Coggan on Fri Feb 15, 2002 04:40:26 AM

To add to Stephen Grey's post I've taken text from my 1987 book MUSTANG SURVIVORS (which is being rewritten for publication this year) as follows:

?44-63864 was built at the Inglewood factory of North American Avaition and delivered to the USAAF in December 1944. A few months later it was shipped to the UK to join the 8th Air Force?s Duxford based 78th Fighter Group. It was assigned as the personal aircraft of Lt. Hubert Davis, who claimed two ?kills? with the 83rd Fighter Squadron. At this time Davis named the aircraft Twilight Tear. At the wars end Twilight Tear was flown to Speke airport, Liverpool apparently to American Assembly Unit Number one. It was noted here wearing two kills in the latter part of 1945.
When the Swedish Government contracted to buy Mustangs from the USAAF, 44-63864 was one of these. It was ferried to Sweden via Scotland. It was officially pressed into service as FvNr26158 on 17 June, 1949. Initially it was based at Uppsala with F16 and coded K. Later the aircraft moved to Ostersund to fly with F4.
Twilight Tear was sold to Henry Wallenburg & Co. on 9 February 1953 and overhauled by Svenska Flygverkstaderna at Malmo before being ferry flown to Israel via Athens and Rome.
On arrival in Israel it is believed that the aircraft wore the code 38. After and long and distinguished service with the IDF the aircraft was retired in 1961. Until March 1978 it is unclear where the aircraft was kept, but it is believed it was one of two airframes stored outside at Herzlia. In March 1978 ex IDF pilot Israel Itzhaki acquired the Mustang and despite several problems decided to restore the aircraft to airworthy status. With limited help from Americans Peter and Angelo Regina, Itzhaki restored the Mustang over the next six years, registering it as 4X-AIM. David Zeuschel of Zeuschel Racing Engines, Sylmar, California, overhauled the Merlin powerplant and assisted with its installation.
The first flight after restoration too place on 5 February 1984 and the Mustang was flown on several short trips afterwards without problem.
In December 1986, Itzhaki decided to sell the aircraft. It left Israel in late December arriving with its new owner on 23 December 1986. The aircraft has since been painted in full Swedish Air Force markings and restored to its former glory as FvNr 26158?

One photograph of IDF38 was posted with the text and if anyone has any more pictures I'd be very interested in hearing from them!

regards

Paul

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