Mustang at Mount Hope
Report and photos by Gord McNulty , CAHS Vice President
A fully restored P-51 Mustang in No. 424 (City of Hamilton) Squadron colours visits the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum (CWHM) in Mount Hope, Ontario.
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From 1950 to 1956, the classic North American Aviation P-51D Mustang stood out in the colours of 424 (City of Hamilton) Squadron operating from RCAF Station Hamilton at Mount Hope.
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The beautifully polished P-51D in No. 424 Squadron (City of Hamilton) markings, including the Tiger emblem, in the CWHM hangar on 22 August 2021 (Gord McNulty)
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Hannu Halminen fires up the impressive P-51D Mustang in 424 Squadron markings
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The fighters are well remembered for the distinctive Tiger emblem on the fuselage that saluted the colourful history of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and their predecessor, the Hamilton Tigers.
It was exciting to see that legacy brought to life again when Hannu Halminen of Orono, Ontario, visited the CWHM on 22 August with his beautifully restored, highly polished Mustang in No. 424 Squadron colours. |
Dave Rohrer, CWHM CEO, and Brig-Gen (Ret’d) Johnny Johnson at the dedication of the Johnson Dome.
The Mustang provided an ideal setting for a special event, as the CWHM honored Brigadier-General (Ret’d) A.B.C. "Johnny" Johnson by celebrating his 98th birthday and renaming the museum’s dome as the Johnson Dome.
It was a fitting tribute to Johnson, who enjoyed an illustrious career. He joined the RCAF during the Second World War at age 18 and flew Mustangs as a fighter reconnaissance pilot in Europe. After service at RCAF Overseas Headquarter in England, he returned to Canada. He flew in the Arctic on survey and mapping work, as well as search and rescue operations, and went on to serve with none other than 424 Squadron at Mount Hope.
Johnson rose to become Chief of Staff of Air Defence Command at North Bay and then high-ranking appointments in NORAD before retiring in 1978 after 37 years in the regular Canadian Forces.
It was a fitting tribute to Johnson, who enjoyed an illustrious career. He joined the RCAF during the Second World War at age 18 and flew Mustangs as a fighter reconnaissance pilot in Europe. After service at RCAF Overseas Headquarter in England, he returned to Canada. He flew in the Arctic on survey and mapping work, as well as search and rescue operations, and went on to serve with none other than 424 Squadron at Mount Hope.
Johnson rose to become Chief of Staff of Air Defence Command at North Bay and then high-ranking appointments in NORAD before retiring in 1978 after 37 years in the regular Canadian Forces.
Beautifully restored P-51D Mustang NL951HB in No. 424 (City of Hamilton) Squadron markings, at CWHM on 22 August 2021 (Gord McNulty)
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Halminen’s Mustang wears the livery of RCAF 9253, coded BA•S, and certainly ranks as one of the most attractive P-51s in North America. Registered NL951HB, it came out of a long-term restoration at Glenn Wegman’s Fighter Enterprises, Inc. in Florida last year. It made its first post-restoration flight on 26 September 2020, but had previously had a widely-travelled history after its original delivery to the USAAF.
This particular Mustang had been passed on to the Swedish Air Force in 1945. Ten years later, it was sold to Nicaragua and eventually salvaged in the U.S. in 1963. Then it was sold again, to the Bolivian air force, which flew it from 1966 to 1995. It was subsequently repatriated in the U.S. The restoration was started in 2002 and completed in 2020. |