NorthAmerican TF-51D 44-63473 taxying at Bremgarten on December 23. It will fly soon.JUST A YEAR after it arrived at Meier Motors workshops at Bremgarten, south-west Germany, as a rebuild project, North American TF-51D 44-63473/ N551TF made its first taxi run on December 23, 2011, with Elmar Meier at the controls.

The aircraft was acquired from Courtesy Aircraft at Rockford, Illinois, USA, in December 2010 for the Air Fighter Academy (AFA) at Heringsdorf on the island of Usedom in the Baltic.

It was intended for use as a trainer for the AFA’s P-51D, D-FBBD (Big Beautiful Doll), which was destroyed at the end of the Flying Legends show at Duxford on July 10 last year. The TF is expected to appear at shows during 2012. Meanwhile, the AFA’s Hispano Buchón, D-FMVS, which also flew during the 2011 Flying Legends show in the hands of Charlie Brown, has been put up for sale.