N56SF

GlennE.Chatfield

Hi Admin,

Here's an interesting dilema: N56SF, top profile is the original and that bird crashed and was destroyed in 2001. The second profile the photo says has recently arrived from France and yet the profile shows the same c/n as the one which crashed!

Glenn

L-5jockey

Rebuilt from wreck and exported...

FAA's definition of destroyed can range from damaged, damaged beyond repair, or crispy-critter burnt out.

Many warbirds were/are rebuilt from parts of destroyed frames or from composite (sometimes for 3 or 4 frames).

Some composite frames are built up from spare parts and "borrow" a data-plate identity from, yet another frame.

http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=56SF

Apparently N56SF was salvaged, rebuilt and exported.

If you really like headaches,

try keeping track of original identities of some (most?) P-51 mustangs that have been restored,..crashed,..rebuilt and rebuilt again, several times... over the years.

Call them Franken-frames (frankenstein).

John

GlennE.Chatfield

I didn't realize N56SF had been rebuilt! And in France, yet.

I know what you mean about the P-51s. I have numerous, numerous photos of various P-51s in my collection. The fun was trying to get all the original s/n and finding out all the permutations some of the frames have gone through! Warbird Registry, Mustangs-Mustangs, etc were very valuable.