The WWII service record of this P-51 was uneventful but post-war it was modified for long-distance flights and renamed 'Excaliber III'. It set many distance records including a 10.5 hour flight from Norway across the North Pole to Alaska. It is now on display at the NASM Udvar-Hazy Center.

After wins in the Bendix Trophy air races of 1946 and 1947 for Paul Mantz in this Mustang while named "Stormy Petrel", Charles F Blair flew 3,478 miles non-stop from New York to London on 31.1.51 in the renamed "Excalibur III" at an average speed of 446mph in 7hr 48m, a record for a piston-engined aircraft. Four months later he flew 3,260 miles across the North Pole from Bardufoss, Norway to Fairbanks, AK. For many years a large scale model of the aircraft was displayed at Heathrow Airport