The latest survivor census maintained by the enthusiast siteMustangsMustangspegs overall numbers at 311 complete airframes.
Of these, 29 are in long-term storage, 54 are in active restoration hangars, 159 are still airworthy, 66 are on static museum displays, and nine are difficult to categorize with public information.
The list receives weekly serial-number updates from owners, insurers, registrars, and the public.More than 8,000 of the roughly 15,000 P-51s built during World War II were D models.
According to theCommemorative Air Force, there are currently only 150 airworthy Mustangs in museums, in flight, or undergoing restoration worldwide.Barely 1 percent of the 15,586 fighters built between 1941 and 1945 still lift off from the runway.Primary production volume helped: North American Aviation delivered more than 15,000 Mustangs, saturating the post-war surplus market at bargain prices.
When the US Army Air Forces declared thousands redundant after V-J Day, civilians paid as little as US$3,500 per aircraft, towing the fighters to farms or racetracks instead of scrapping them.The War Assets Administration and Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC) handled WWII aircraft storage, sales, and scrapping.
By summer 1945, the RFC had 30 sales depots and 23 sales centers, with 117,210 aircraft transferred as surplus.
Commercial airlines purchased DC-3s and C-54s, while transports and trainers were sold for civilian use or the Allies.
Fighters and bombers were of little use except for Warbird preservation, aviation museums, and aerial firefighting uses.In 2023,Plane & Pilotreported on what was supposedly the last, original, unrestored P-51D in the world that went up for sale along with what was advertised as the largest single supply source of P-51 parts in the world.
The seller claimed they had enough parts to fill 6-8 semi-trucks.
So, how much was the asking price onController.com? The Mustang went up for $4.5 million, and since then, it appears to have sold!According to Controller.coms market-aggregate data, the price of the North American P-51D Mustang Piston Military Aircraft can range from as low as $3,000,000 to $5,000,000.
However, youre more likely to see a call for price listing on virtually every advertisement.
In 2015, a barn-find P-51 went up for auction onGlobalAir.com:The estate of Mr.
Sholz put the starting bid at $150,000, but rumors at the time were swirling that the bid price would likely reach $400,000-800,000, even without the engine.
The cost of the restoration project was already expected to far exceed the purchase price.
According to the online community at GlobalAir.com, a restoration would cost at least $1.5 million!There are still about 150 P-51 Mustangs in the air thanks to global support systems in the US, the British Commonwealth, and South Africa that exchange Merlin parts, pilot knowledge, and mechanics tips.
In acts of preservation, 152 more complete but unflyable airframes preserve the historic planes cultural legacy in private hangars and museums.The flying cadre could be eroded soon due to factors like shrinking pilot pools, fuel policy changes, and aging engines.
The mighty Mustang, one of the fastest piston-powered planes ever made, will need financial, technical, and educational support to survive for future generations.Read the complete article here.Source: Simple Flying