@ Truckee, CA
June 2024
Vicky Benzing gains altitude in her lovely P-51D Mustang “Plum Crazy” after a takeoff during the 2024 Truckee Tahoe Airshow. This aircraft has a storied history, purchased in 1964 by Al Paulson for his friend Clay Lacy to race in the inaugural Reno Air Races (hence the #64). The name is a reference to the distinctive purple livery, a consequence of Paulson being shipped 1,500 gallons of purple paint by mistake instead of the 50 ordered. Clay Lacy raced this Mustang at Reno from 1964 to 1972, winning the National Championship in 1970. Vicky acquired “Plum Crazy” in 2019 and put it thru a four-year restoration effort before racing her in Reno once last time in 2023. More than 8100 of the D-model were produced, contributing to the total of 15,000 Mustangs built for the war. After World War II, the P-51 Mustang served in the air forces of over 55 countries.