We occasionally receive queries from aviation buffs asking why our Panther has the Bureau Number(141136) of a Cougar. We know it is the wrong Bureau Number, but it is the only one we have available. Here is the story:

We have contacted the aircraft's owner, The National Museum of Naval Aviation, about this discrepancy, and, although they are aware of the it, they have asked us to display the aircraft with the Bureau Number 141136 that is currently on the aircraft.  As the borrower of the aircraft, we are required to maintain that Bureau Number on our paint scheme.

We believe the Bureau Number 141136 actually belonged to the Cougar nose cone which is now mounted on our Panther. View these two web pages to see the Panther listed and shown at its previous location, the Griffin Airport in Alabama: http://www.crouze.com/spotting/log.php?mindate=19980718a&maxdate=19980724z&location=  and http://www.webpost.net/tc/TCNSAM/pag_1w1.htm.

When we received the unassembled pieces of this aircraft for restoration, the detached nose cone had the peculiar antennae bulge on the bottom that was common to all Cougars but rare on most all Panthers. We later ground off the bulge to make it appear like a common Panther nose. The Bureau Number was probably scrawled on the nose, which we are guessing came from a different aircraft than the Panther fuselage. That is the reason why our Panther has a Cougar Bureau Number, and we are unable to change it.

If you know anyone who would like to attempt to trace the history of the Griffin Panther back to its correct Bureau Number, the USS Midway Museum's Curatorial Collections Manager would be most interested in their findings.