The iconic P-51D Mustang ‘Moonbeam McSwine’ is set to become the latest addition to the flyaspitfire.com fleet, with its arrival at Biggin Hill expected in early 2025. Currently packed in a shipping container and departing from New York, the aircraft is due to reach the UK in approximately three weeks. Once on-site, The Spitfire Company’s engineering team will carefully unload, inspect, and reassemble the Mustang, preparing it for passenger flights in the upcoming season.
‘Moonbeam McSwine’ has a rich and storied history dating back to its manufacture in October 1944 at the Inglewood plant in Los Angeles, California. Accepted by the USAF in March 1945, the Mustang was shipped to England for service with the 8th Air Force before returning to the United States later that year. Between 1947 and 1953, it served with multiple fighter squadrons, including the 182nd, 136th, 120th, and 109th, before being placed in storage at McClellan Air Force Base in December 1956. In August 1958, it was sold as surplus for just $1,307.50 and later restored in 1963 by Cavalier Aircraft in Texas.
(Source: US National Archives)
The aircraft went on to serve with the El Salvador Air Force, where it flew combat missions during the 1968–1974 conflict with Honduras. It was subsequently restored in 1975 in its distinctive ‘Moonbeam McSwine’ livery and, in 1981, acquired by renowned warbird pilot Vlado Lenoch, who flew it as part of the USAF Heritage Flight Program and at the Reno Air Races in 1997, 1999, and 2000. In December 2012, the Mustang was sold to Frederic Akary and relocated to France before returning to the United States in 2018 to join the Warbird Heritage Foundation in Illinois.
Now, with its acquisition by Warbird Experiences Ltd / The Spitfire Company in November 2024, ‘Moonbeam McSwine’ is set to take to the skies once again, offering a rare opportunity for aviation enthusiasts to experience the thrill of flying in one of history’s most celebrated fighter aircraft. Further updates will be provided once the aircraft arrives and is reassembled at Biggin Hill. For more information, visit www.flyaspitfire.com
An interesting article on the aircraft but no mention of the triple ace, Capt. William T. Whisner. Let’s not forget what makes history. The men who flew the aircraft.
Sadly, not one single mention of 352nd FG Ace William T. Whisner in this article. The actual pilot who flew this beautiful bird in combat in WWII.
Also Vlado bought Moonbeam in 1988 not 1981