Aircraft Badly Damaged During A Ground Fire

Like a Phoenix rising from the ashes, the Precious Metal Racing Team hopes to rebuild the highly-modified P-51 that was badly damaged this week during a ground fire.

In a post on the Precious Metal Air Racing Fan Page on Facebook, the team says the plane "does not deserve to be parted out and disappear into the history books as a failed attempt at the World's Fastest Motor Sport. She deserves to rise out of the ashes in true Phoenix fashion and prove her worth!"

As with many things, the team realizes the primary fuel for such a project is cash. The Facebook post is also an appeal for donations.

"Many things have to be repaired: wings, fuselage, engine, systems, cowling and last, but not least, her famous paint scheme. The Precious Metal program is run on countless hours of dedicated volunteers and a shoestring budget. This most recent set back is too much of a financial burden for the program to handle. As we know, a setback is just a setup for a comeback. Which brings us to our proposed solution.

"Here's Team Precious Metal's offer to you, our fans and supporters: We will give you one square inch on Precious Metal for a donation of $50 towards our rebuild. We will fly your picture around the course embedded in our new paint scheme and you can be part of resurrecting one of the most iconic race planes is history.

"Team Precious Metal will be in Reno this year. We will have our pit and sell our team gear. Chances are we'll provide some evening entertainment as well. Come see us there and purchase your squares!"

(Image from file via YouTube)

FMI: https://www.facebook.com/Precious-Metal-Air-Racing-Fan-Page-271055266243368/timeline/