The Galloping Ghost airplane
| The Galloping Ghost | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Image of The Galloping Ghost before it crashed | |
| Type | North American P-51D-15-NA Mustang |
| Manufacturer | North American Aviation |
| Serial | 44-15651 |
| Fate | Crashed September 2011 |
The Galloping Ghost was a P-51D Mustang air racer flown by Jimmy Leeward. It was a former military aircraft that had undergone major modifications, including shortening of the wings and horizontal tail, in addition to other modifications to reduce the aircraft's drag. S/n 44-15651 was manufactured in 1944, and had been owned by Aero Trans Corp. DBA in Ocala, Florida. It was destroyed on September 16, 2011, when it crashed into spectators at the Reno Air Races, at the Reno Stead Airport north of Reno, Nevada.
The Galloping Ghost was built by North American Aviation as a P-51D-15-NA, Army Air Force serial number 44-15651, at the NAA's Inglewood, California, plant for military use during World War II. Once the aircraft was delivered, it was transferred to the then-Walnut Ridge Army Air Field in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas. It was later classified as surplus stock and offered to the public for around $3,500. Around that time, Steve Beville and Bruce Raymond were looking to compete in the National Air Races in Cleveland, Ohio, that were to be held in September. Beville was able to secure the aircraft from the WAA on on July 22, 1946, even though P-51 sales at Walnut Ridge Army Air Field had formally ended. Thus, the aircraft was the last to be sold to the public.
Beville and Raymond registered the plane as NX79111 and named it The Galloping Ghost after football star Red Grange. Raymond piloted the aircraft in its first race, the 1946 Thompson Trophy, the first since World War II suspended the annual event after the 1939 running. Raymond took fourth place on the closed-course track, winning $3,000. The following year, Beville piloted the aircraft in the Kendall Trophy race. He broke the record for fastest closed-course speed August 31, 1947, with 384.6 miles per hour, over the previous record of 601.7 km/h (374 mph) (373.9 mph) set by Alvin "Tex" Johnson in the Thompson Trophy race the previous year, winning $2,500. Beville also raced for the 1947 Thompson Trophy, taking fourth. For 1948, Raymond raced in the Sohio (taking fourth), Thompson (second) and Tinnerman (first) Trophies. He won the Tinnerman by less than a second, taking $3,150 and earning a total of $11,850 for all three races. In 1949, Beville raced in the Sohio and Thompson Trophies, taking fourth for both and earning a total of $3,700.
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