More info
Ok so I feel that I should chime in because the P-51 (VH-BOB) is local to me and I can add a bit more of a heads up.
Firstly the paying passenger was on a flight given to him for his birthday. He said he would do it all over again, had complete confidence in the pilot and hoped to be the first passenger back in the rear seat when it returns to the air. Good attitude.
They called it a $1M (Aus dollar) damage bill. We are not far off the US dollar at the moment so consider that almost one for one. Would it have been a cheaper damage bill if landed on the bitumen? Possibly however the P-51 has got a radiator and some steel components under the guts so the chances of sparks combined with potential fuel leaks from damage is higher on the bitumen which could ultimately result in a write-off. Should be said that the radiator under the belly doesn't make the P-51 quite as suitable to a belly landing as most.
The pilot on this occasion was not the owner (who also regularly pilots VH-BOB) however I understand that the owner (Bob Eastgate) was on site when the landing occured and the pilot and Bob made a collective decision over the radio as to the landing options. They circled for 45mins burning off as much fuel as possible before landing.
I saw Bob interviewed after the event and he was remarkably calm about the whole event - he has owned the aircraft for more than 30 years after retrieving it from a hangar in outback New South Wales (Australia) and fully restoring it in the 1970's. It's an Australian CAC (Commonwealth Air Corporation) built example from WWII.
To have that much love and time wound up in such a special piece of metal and then to take such an event on the chin so well .....thats impressive!
or did they charge him extra for the extra time? 
