VINTAGE FLYING MACHINES
FLYING MUSEUM
P-40 Warhawk
VFM’s P-40N-1-C was built by Curtiss in Buffalo, New York in mid-1943 as USAAF Serial Number 42-104827 as the P-40N-1-CU. Disassembled and shipped overseas to
Australia as part of a shipment of 400 P-40N-1s under lend lease.
During July 1943, assigned to the Royal Australia Air Force (RAAF) as Kittyhawk serialnumber A29-414. Reassembled by 2 Air Depot (2 AD). On March 8, 1943 assigned to No. 78 Squadron with code HU-Z. Nicknamed "Come In Suckers" on the lower cowling, with the nose art of a woman painted during January or February 1944. On April 11, 1944 it returned to squadron after an engine change by 11 Repair & Salvage Unit (11 RSU).
On April 25, 1944 took off piloted by F/Sgt James D. Harvey on a mission. While landing at Tadji Airfield, the left undercarriage collapsed, causing the P-40 to stand on its nose, flip over and burst into flames. Harvey managed to escape uninjured. The crash was witnessed by Arch Simpson, who was airborne in the landing pattern waiting to land. Afterwards, the aircraft was pushed off the side of the runway. On June 26, 1944 it was converted to components and stricken off charge and abandoned. the fighter was classified as a total loss and pushed to the edge of the airfield, where it eked out a more or less unscathed existence for an incredible 57 years before being salvaged and exported to Australia, where it was then restored in New Zealand. 65 years after the fateful landing, the P-40 Warhawk took off for its maiden flight.
VFM recently painted the aircraft to represent John D. Lander’s first fighter, “Skeeter”. Landers first assignment was with the 49 th Fighter Group based in Darwin, Australia. He would later be transferred to the 8 th Air Force in Europe. When the war ended he 14.5 aerial victories.
