VH-BVM(1)    CAC CA17 Mustang 20            (c/n  1330)

                             
                            
                                   The above photo is from the Howard Morris collection (via Greg Weit), whilst that immediately
                                   below is my own taken outside the Illawarra Flying Club's (Faucett's) hangar at Bankstown in May
                                   1954.   The Mustang was an early Australian built example, serialed A68-5 and was a contestant
                                   in the 1954 Redex Round Australia Rally.    It was owned at the time by James Whiteman, and the
                                   inscription on the rear fuselage reads 'Capitol Motor Cycles - 21 Campbell St  -  Sydney'.  It is
                                   possible that Howard's shot above was taken somewhat later, wherein the rego has been repainted
                                   from the original orange (on a dark red fuselage - making it almost impossible to discern in my shot
                                   below) to black.   Noted warbird historian Geoff Goodall reports the following fate of this machine:
                                       "In 1960 the aircraft was sold to Ron Flockhart of the United Dominions Trust of London,
                                        and it made an Australia-UK speed record attempt in 1961. This attempt was abandoned
                                        in Athens due to bad weather.   The aircraft languished there for several months and then
                                        was basically destroyed by a cockpit fire.  It lay derelict in the open for about a decade and
                                        then was broken up."
                                    for exact details, dates, etc. go to:
                                                          http://www.warbirdregistry.org/p51registry/ca17-a685.html
                              
                                 Immediately below is a shot taken on the same day by Jim Dyson.  Reproduced here courtesy the
                                 David  Molesworth Collection.  Following that is a photofrom the John Hopton collection, taken
                                 somewhat later in 1960, also at Bankstown, at least the rego is more legible!.   Finally at the foot
                                 of the page is an image from the Geoff Goodall collection of the Mustang as G-AKRD at Banks-
                                 town just prior to leaving for the UK in the failed attempt.