World War II Fighter Plane Makes Its Final Mission : History: Contrary Mary, a P-51 Mustang that flew during the war, arrives to become an Aerospace Museum fixture.

Battling Santa Ana winds instead of German Messerschmitts, a World War II P-51 Mustang fighter arrived at Gillespie Field in El Cajon Wednesday after a more than 2,000-mile flight from Nashville, Tenn.

The P-51 is the latest addition to San Diego’s Aerospace Museum. However, it may be some time before there is space to display it at the museum in Balboa Park. In the meantime, the public will be able to view the plane at Gillespie Field.

Named Contrary Mary by its World War II pilot, the historic fighter plane arrived after brief stops in Texas and Arizona.

The plane was owned by Paul Hunt, 30, and his father, Jimmy Hunt, 55, a Northwest Airline pilot. Paul Hunt piloted the 1,500-horsepower, single-seat plane that landed shortly before 1 p.m., after making several 300 m.p.h. passes over the field to the cheers of onlookers.

Aerospace Museum Executive Director Edwin D. McKellar said the museum wanted to acquire a Mustang because of the important role the planes played during World War II.

“Arguably, the P-51 was the most significant of the planes of World War II,” McKellar said. “Until the Mustang was built, B-17 bombers had to travel to Germany from England without fighter escorts,” and as a result suffered heavy losses at the hands of enemy fighters.

The Hunts said they decided to trade the P-51 to the museum for a T-28, a postwar trainer that also saw action in the early days of he Vietnam War as fighter-bomber. The T-28 is a less coveted plane than the P-51. However, Jimmy Hunt, who had owned the Mustang since 1980, said he felt as if the Contrary Mary was part of the family, and he wanted to give it a home.

“It’s kind of nice to have it in a museum like this,” he said.

According to Jimmy Hunt, the Contrary Mary was flown by U.S Air Force Lt. Col. Roy Caviness of the 78th Fighter Group in Oxford, England, in 1945. It saw postwar duty with the Georgia Air National Guard until 1955, when it was sold to the Nicaraguan government.

“It was part of the air force down there and was (sold) to them by our government to provide airplanes to Third World countries,” Jimmy Hunt said.

The plane eventually wound up with an owner in Maryland, who sold it to the Hunts.

The Contrary Mary is powered by a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine and is capable of speeds exceeding 500 m.p.h.

“At an altitude of 25,000 feet, it can travel 437 m.p.h., and at lower altitudes it has a redline of 505 m.p.h.,” Jimmy Hunt said.

Most P-51 Mustangs have 450-gallon fuel tanks, but during World War II they were also equipped with two 185-gallon auxiliary tanks that were dropped when empty.

“It had something like a 2,000-mile range,” Jimmy Hunt said.

“There are not many left from the 15,000 they originally built in the 1940s,” Jimmy Hunt said.

He said there are about 100 P-51s still flying, and perhaps 125 planes that are mostly Mustangs, but are kept flying with parts from other planes.

“During its day, the P-51 Mustang would be comparable to the present-day F-16 fighter jet.”

The Contrary Mary can be seen at Gillespie Field on Monday, Wednesday and Friday only from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Viewing is free.