History / Previous Identities:


01/23/45: Del. USAAF
Served with the 9th AF, 354th FG, 356th Fighter Squadron coded AJ R.

1947: Swedish Air Force Fv26087 F16 coded rM, fH, rD, later F8 coded grD
1955: Nicaragua AF GN85
1963: return USA (Will Martin) N616OU (on return ID quoted as 44-63769)
1965: (David Forest) N13410, flew as "Lou IV 413410 E2 C"
1969: sent to El Salvador as FAS 411 with no paperwork
1974: return USA (Dan Martin) assigned 44-13250 by FAA. Aircraft was restored as "Ridge Runner III 472308 WD A", flies regularly.

1982: engine failure and forced landing at Reno.
1984: repairs done, aircraft flying, seen at many airshows.
1997: began a return to the Reno Air Races with a very respectable performance. Qualified at 362 mph and finished 7th in the Gold race at 385 mph. To get into the Gold event, Dan won the Heat 3B qualifier on saturday at 407.094 mph.
1998: qualified at Reno with a speed of over 423 mph! (a remarkable job)
1999: qualified at Reno with a speed of 438 mph! This year the engine ran very good and Dan was able to race strong the whole week. He finished 3rd in the unlimited Gold, out-performing some of the full-time racers! - an outstanding performance. Congratulations Dan.

2000: Ran strong all week, with fastest lap speeds in the 430's. During the gold race on Sunday, the engine blew (busted piston) sending Dan out of the race with a "May Day" for an early landing. He landed safely on the main runway.
2001: races cancelled after 9-11-01 attacks.
2002: Dan raced Brian Adams' "Flying Dutchman", stock p-51
2003: Dan raced Brian Adams' "Flying Dutchman", stock p-51

2004: Dan qualified at 446 mph, but he had more to give later. Qualified in the top 5, Dan did not have to race until Friday's Gold heat race. He finished 6th at 417 mph (cruising). On Saturday, he cut loose and turned a lap or two in the 460's! but then bad happened and the blower case on the merlin gave way and he pulled out and landed safely. The crew had to work all night and put in the stock merlin just to finish the week at 304 mph in Sunday's Gold Final. He was hoping to finish with the race motor pushing him past 460, but the race Gods said not this time and question is: is there a next time?... Good qualifying time kept him in the Gold all week.

2005: Dan is racing again with a vengance. This is as fast as a stock airframe has raced. He qualified in third at 442.9 mph not under full power. The speeds stayed the same for Fri and Sat heats, but on Sunday ... Dan puts the hammer down and passes Dreadnought on the pace lap! He is gunning for Rare Bear who is a few seconds ahead of Ridge Runner. Dan keeps pace and maybe gains a bit of ground on lap 1. Timers in the pits showed lap speeds in the 470's for Ridge Runner. But, the power was too much for the merlin and Dan called a mayday while on the backside of the course and is out. He safely puts her down on runway 14 and is towed back to the pits.

2006: Dan sets his P-51 Ridge Runner aside and climbs in the record-holding P-51 Dago Red. They have engine trouble during qualifying and more trouble when the #2 merlin makes metal on Wed. night. Dan does not get to race in 2006 but looks forward to 2007.
2007: most likely will not race, but will be preparing for the trip to Ohio for the Gathering of Mustangs and Legends!
2009: Return to Reno! Ridge Runner III, Race #20 will race at the hands of long-time owner Dan Martin. Good Luck Dan!
Incredible speeds were put up by Dan this week. I cannot think of a stock canopy P-51 ever reaching these speeds. Ridge Runner III hit speeds in the 480s and finished with an average speed of 477 mph in the Saturday race!!! They finished 4th on Sunday at 457 mph. What a performance! In some years, 477 is fast enough for first place. Ridge Runner was a crowd favorite.

Current paint scheme is a tribute to Maj. Pierce W. McKennon, WWII P-51 Ace.

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