(above) Gleaming in the morning sunshine, Crazy Horse 2 is one of a pair of hard-working
two-seat P-51 Mustang trainers flown by Stallion 51 Corporation. Here, N351DT is seen taxiing in at Bartow
Municipal Airport, Florida during the airport’s open house in December 2014.
For fans of
North American’s famous P-51 Mustang who are within driving distance, or even a
last minute flight away, an event of note is planned for the 2017 Sun ‘n Fun
International Fly-In and Expo at Lakeland, Florida. This year marks 30 years of P-51 pilot
training at the well-known Kissimmee, Florida-based Stallion 51 organization
and they have organized a mid-week Mustang gathering at the six-day Sun ‘n Fun
event to mark the achievement.
During this
year’s Fly-In and Expo, which runs from 4 April to 9 April, Sun ‘n Fun will present
its usual broad array of educational activities and ground displays as well as
its traditional afternoon air show each day.
Word has it that
some 30 P-51s will be in attendance this year with most aircraft arriving at
Lakeland-Linder Regional Airport on Wednesday 5 April. A segment of the Thursday air show is set
aside for P-51 flight ops and as many aircraft as possible will take to the sky
for flypasts, aerobatics and a USAF Heritage Flight display.
Such large-scale
themed warbird events are few and far between these days. Neither are they in any way guaranteed in the
future so take advantage of this opportunity while you can. This one should prove to be memorable indeed.
For more
information about the 2017 Sun ‘n Fun Fly-In and Expo (4-9 April):
For those
interested in Stallion 51 and its flying activities:
(above) Stallion 51 two-ship departure. Crazy
Horse 2 leads N851D Crazy Horse
as the formation roars down the Bartow runway for the short flight back to
Kissimmee Gateway Airport. Such
formation takeoffs are certainly not uncommon whenever the great fighter
aircraft of bygone days gather for public display. With 30 P-51s scheduled to appear, more than
a few scenes like this will likely be witnessed at Sun ‘n Fun.
