The Moorabbin Air Museum in Victoria, Australia, is to give Curtiss P-40E Kittyhawk 41-13522 A29-53 a complete overhaul using as many original parts as possible.
The aircraft has an unusual history. A29-53 was discovered on a farm at Beeac, Victoria, in 1966, and was donated by its owners to the museum, which was founded in 1962 as the Australian Aircraft Restoration Group. The Kittyhawk underwent many years of restoration and was eventually fitted with P-51 Mustang wings as no P-40 wings were available. Affectionately dubbed ‘Kittystang’, it was displayed in ground running condition for years.
Suffering from corrosion, it was subsequently disassembled with the fuselage put on show in a then new hangar. It’s now being restored, this time with a newly manufactured set of P-40 wings and on completion will remain on display under cover.