A SURVIVOR’S TALE ⟫ The Fighter Collection’s P-40F

RACHEL MORRIS

The Americans christened the P-40F the Warhawk (more fitting and aggressive than the British moniker of Kittyhawk II), and it saw action on many fronts, including the Pacific. It was here, on a quiet former battle ground of World War II, that one of Curtiss’ combat-hardened warriors was to survive through to the 1970s, as a forgotten wreck on the island of Espiritu Santo. Fate, however, was to deal P-40F-15 USAAF serial 41-19841, manufacturing serial no. 19503, a lucky hand. The aircraft was to be acquired by The Fighter Collection and selected for restoration by the Collection’s driving force, Stephen Grey. In Grey’s owns words, “When found, the airframe was in a largely complete but distressed state, most of her systems having been stripped out. Economics and lack of parts…

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Flight Journal (Digital) - 1 Issue, September - October 2022

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