I've nothing concrete to add, but I'd say yours sounds like a good candidate for the de Hav in the film, given it's Texan provenance. Studio films are notorious for their creative accounting and tricks used to cut costs. Planes and cars are often purchased outright and sold at a discount when production ends, the difference being calculated as a reasonable rental fee on the vehicle, and cheaper than renting from an owner, especially if the thing crashes. Perhaps a rapid change of ownership can be traced that would corroborate with the timeline of the film's production.
It's likely the 1974 modification was done for the film at Art's direction and supervision, but then again I don't know. (why not use one of his?) I'd heard that Scholl was brought in to perform the outside loop after two or three other pilots had failed to get it right. He claims that too slow an approach causes the tail slide we see in the film, and too fast reduces the effectiveness of the control surfaces, and that the right speed is within a narrow range the other pilots couldn't seem to master. It could be that Scholl tells the story that way to build on his legend, as the tale has a great moral and punchline to it. As the legend goes, the producers tried the other pilots first because they didn't want to pay Art's hefty fee. When that failed they asked him in reluctantly, and complained about the cost. He supposedly quipped, "sure, there are cheaper guys, but they are all dead."
While that's a great story, I'd look for further confirmation of it than Scholl's own word, not that I distrust the man, but that he's operating in an arena that is ripe for pulling the leg of the uninformed. I met him as a kid and his type doesn't NEED to lie to aggrandize himself. His flying does the talking. I'd be surprised it he weren't hired well in advance of principal photography and supervised every step of the picture. he and Frank Tallman were partners during these years, I believe. Then again maybe he did just come in as a hired gun....
I'd also heard the guy wires for the wing were said to be fake, added to disguise the look of the plane. The turtleback was also modified. You might look for evidence of these mods as proof... Also presumably some camera mount anchor points were found for the shots of the pilot's helmet as he flies. And there is a scene with the engine off the firewall when the plane is first introduced. No way to tell is this is the same fuselage or not, but there are some shots there that might show a distinctive custom detail.
As for living witnesses, it's a sad fact that production designer Henry Bumstead and director George Roy Hill are "unavailable," as they say in Hollywood, as are Frank Tallman and Scholl as well as the film's great cinematographer Surtees. The second producer Robert Crawford, Jr is still living, I believe but who knows if he could help you or not.
The director was a Yale man and and friend of a friend. His papers are all in Hartford Connecticut but I doubt they would be much help. Studios themselves are notorious for not preserving their records regarding things such as this. The "Ezra Style Streak" I think they called it, may live only in the magic realm of the movies. You will have to solve this through perseverance and dumb luck, I think.
I wish you good luck and good flying.
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