1945, only to be shipped back to the US in July of that year. It was used for various second line roles until 1958, when it was sold as surplus to an unknown buyer. Edward G. Fisher Jr. bought the aircraft in 1963, and to Gary R. Levitz in 1974. Levitz modified the aircraft as a race plane and fitted it with a tall tail from a P-51H, naming it Precious Metal, and sold it to Don Whittington in 1976. Whittington briefly flew the aircraft as Miss Florida II before renaming it back to Precious Metal. The aircraft was placed in storage in 1984, and in 1988 its tail section was used to build the Griffon-powered Precious Metal. It was taken out of storage and fitted with a stock tail following the crash of its Griffon-powered counterpart. In 1990, the aircraft ditched into the sea near Galveston, Texas, due to fuel starvation and bad weather. The aircraft was subsequently salvaged and sold to Ron Buccarelli, and as of 2018 is under restoration. Precious Metal II (N8082U) Precious Metal II is a replica of a P-51A that was constructed by Gerald S. Beck in 2001. The aircraft first used the name Precious Metal II for the movie Thunder Over Reno in 2006. In 2007 it was revealed that Beck had gathered parts and planned to build more P-51 replicas. However, these plans were never realized as on July 27 of that year, Precious Metal II collided with P-51D Stang on landing after performing a simulated air race during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. Beck was killed when Precious Metal II flipped over and impacted the ground inverted, while Stang pilot Casey Odegaard survived. Ownership of the Precious Metal II wreck was subsequently transferred to Beck's wife, Cynthia. In 2010, she began to restore the aircraft in her husband's memory. See also References North American P-51 Mustang Racing aircraft Individual aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1988 Aircraft with contra-rotating propellers Low-wing aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft