Warbird Stories: P-51 Mustang Val-Halla

JAN 18, 2023

The P-51 Mustang is one of the most recognizable aircraft in military aviation history, and the story of “Val-Halla” illustrates just how far the Mustang’s legacy reaches.

Built in 1945, the aircraft that would become “Val-Halla” first served in the Texas Air Guard and was then sold to the Indonesian Air Force under the Lend-Lease Act, which was in effect from 1941 to 1945. This act created a system where the United States military could lend or lease war supplies to any nation deemed “vital to the defense of the US.” (Source: National Archives)

It was eventually returned to the United States and sold to the War Eagles Museum in Santa Teresa, New Mexico. In the years that followed, the Mustang found itself in the hands of two Apollo astronauts.

In 1995, Maj. Gen. Bill Anders purchased the aircraft, then known as “The Silver Ghost,” for restoration after a recommendation from his Apollo-8 crewmate Frank Borman.

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“Frank found this airframe and said, ‘this airplane is awesome, full restoration, and it’s only got 10 hours since a complete rebuild on the motor,’” said Lt. Col. Greg “B.A.” Anders, Heritage Flight pilot, Air Force veteran and son of Bill Anders.  “Well, what my father next figured out was that it was 10 hours over 10 years … so turning ‘The Silver Ghost’ into ‘Val-Halla’ became a more significant restoration than he anticipated.”

The restoration was led by Pena Olivas and included extensive work on the hoses and a complete re-skinning of the airframe. When it came time to decide on the aircraft’s paint scheme, Bill and his team decided to create a unique tribute to his former squadron, the Black Knights of the 57th Fighter Interceptor Squadron.

Based in Iceland, The Black Knights flew F-89s with the primary mission of serving as Air Defense during the Cold War. Bill Anders was stationed with the squadron in 1958.

Prior to the Black Knights’ and Bill’s arrival in Iceland in the late 1950s, the base in Reykjavik had been outfitted with P-51 Mustangs courtesy of the Nevada Air National Guard based in Reno. So, in 1995, when Bill was restoring what would become “Val-Halla,” he took the paint scheme from his F-89 and reconfigured it for a Mustang.

At the time, Bill and his team didn’t have any pictures of the Mustangs’ paint scheme in Iceland, so they worked diligently to create as accurate a design as possible.

“We were at the Reno Air Races the first year (Bill) was racing, and then this fella came up to us. He said, ‘I’m sure you’ve got a lot of these, but I’ve got six pictures of the Mustangs up there in Iceland,’” Greg Anders said. “We’d never seen any of those pictures, so we were pleased to learn the paint scheme was actually very accurate to the original Icelandic paint scheme. So, kudos to my dad and our artists and understanding what the Air Force standards were.”

The name “Val-Halla” was both a nod to Bill’s wife Valerie and his time serving as the United States Ambassador to Norway.

“As is common with most fighters, naming an aircraft is often a reward and a way to honor the pilot’s bride,” Greg Anders said. “But Valhalla is also the term for Viking Heaven in Norse mythology, so my father created ‘Val-Halla’ to pay homage to both his wife and his deep connection to the region.”

Bill served as Ambassador from 1976-1977, and during that time, Greg and his siblings often heard stories about Valhalla and the many Norse gods as they became immersed in the culture.

“There was never a P-51 ‘Val-Halla’ stationed in Iceland, but that makes our ‘Val-Halla’ unique to (Bill’s) story.”

The aircraft is also recognizable to many Reno Air Races enthusiasts. Bill raced “Val-Halla” in the Unlimited Class Silver race from 1997-1999 with race #68, a nod to his 1968 trip on Apollo 8 around the moon. In 1997, Bill took third in the Unlimited Class Silver Race thanks to his expert bad weather flying skills on that Sunday’s windy conditions. That same year, Bill and “Val-Halla,” alongside fellow founding members of the ACC Civilian Heritage Flight team, participated in the special Nellis AFB Air Show celebrating the United States Air Force’s 50th Anniversary.

To Greg, flying “Val-Halla” also reconnects him to time flying F-15Es during his 23-year tenure with the United States Air Force.

“Mustangs fly very similar to the F-15,” Greg Anders said. “To have flown the F-15 and P-51, and then the A-1 Skyraider and the A-10, that’s something I look back on my resume and think I’ll never be so lucky again. I really appreciate the opportunity to be a part of that.”

This season, Greg and “Val-Halla” traveled to air shows across the country, including the Nampa Air Show in Nampa, Idaho with the F-35 Demo Team and Heritage Flight team member Kevin Eldridge.

“I spent most of the time looking up at Kevin’s left wing with the F-35 on the other side of the P-38, and I’m telling myself ‘my goodness, this is just so awesome.’”

You can read more about “Val-Halla” on The Heritage Flight Museum’s website and catch Greg “B.A.” Anders at air shows across the country next season with the Air Force Heritage Flight Team.