Watch the Only RAF P-51 Mustang Mark 3 Come Back to Flight Through Restoration

East Idaho News / YouTube

A Rare Fighter with a Remarkable Past

In a quiet Idaho workshop, Pacific Fighters is bringing a unique World War II aircraft back to life. The project centers on a P-51C Mustang once flown by the Royal Air Force. Known as FB 206, it is the only surviving RAF Mustang Mark 3 with full combat history. During the war it served in a Polish squadron whose pilots escaped occupied Europe to continue the fight in Britain. Built in Texas as one of the first production C-models, the airplane was originally intended for the U.S. Eighth Air Force. For reasons still unclear, it was handed to the RAF, where British roundels were painted directly over the American stars—an unusual overlap rarely seen between Allied nations.

The aircraft crashed in 1944 and arrived at Pacific Fighters as little more than wreckage. Restorer John Muszala explains that every rivet and bracket is being recreated to match the exact methods used by North American Aviation. Even the smallest fittings are replaced or rebuilt to factory standards. The team treats the work like an archaeological dig, documenting original stencils, metal stamps, and even handwritten notes left by wartime workers so they can be duplicated when the airframe is complete.

East Idaho News / YouTube

Craftsmanship and Historical Detail

Pacific Fighters specializes in World War II fighter restorations from several countries, and each project reveals traces of the people who built and flew these machines. Removing old panels often uncovers names, sketches, or messages hidden for decades. Authentic materials and hand-driven rivets ensure the finished aircraft is as close as possible to its wartime condition.

For the crew, the restoration is both mechanical and deeply personal. Sitting in a Mustang cockpit, they say, connects them to the young pilots who once faced combat alone at high speed. By preserving FB 206 and the stories embedded in its frame, the team keeps alive the history of those who built, maintained, and flew this rare RAF Mustang, ensuring future generations can witness it fly once more.

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