The Cavalier Mustang was a post-
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
civilian-modified version of the
North American P-51 Mustang aircraft. Although originally intended as a high speed personal aircraft, the Cavalier was also exported for use as a fighter and close air support aircraft to third-world air forces.
Development
![Cavalier 2000 AN1269728](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/Cavalier_2000_AN1269728.jpg)
In 1957, newspaper publisher David Lindsay (1922–2009) founded
Trans Florida Aviation Inc. His intention was to transform surplus military P-51s into executive business aircraft. These aircraft were initially called the Trans-Florida Executive Mustang, soon renamed the Trans Florida Aviation Cavalier Mustang. The first of the Executive Mustangs was built in 1958 and for the next few years, only a handful of airframes were built and sold.
To construct the Executive Mustang, Trans Florida purchased military surplus P-51s. The airframes were completely disassembled, the military equipment stripped out, and then rebuilt with a second seat, new avionics, plush leather interiors, luggage bays, and civilian paint schemes. By 1961, the tip-tank equiped aircraft were renamed Cavalier 2000, referring to the range. Five different Cavalier models were eventually offered: the Cavalier 750, 1200, 1500, 2000, and 2500, differing in fuel capacity, with the name indicating the approximate range of the aircraft in sm. Over the course of the next decade, nearly 20 of these aircraft would be constructed. Several FAA approved modifications to the Cavalier design would be made during that time, including canopy frame mounted cockpit fresh air vents, wingtip fuel tanks, fuselage baggage door, 60 gallon ammo/gun bay fuel tanks, autopilot and a taller vertical stabilizer.
Between 1964 and 1965, Trans Florida completed an IRAN inspection of over 30 F-51Ds of the
Dominican Air Force
The Air Force of the Dominican Republic ( es, Fuerza Aérea de República Dominicana), is one of the three branches of the Armed Forces of the Dominican Republic, together with the Army and the Navy.
History
At the end of the United States ...
(FAD) in Sarasota.
In 1967 the company was renamed ''Cavalier Aircraft Corporation''.
Military Cavaliers
Cavalier F-51D
![Cavalier Mustang](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/22/Cavalier_Mustang.jpg)
In 1967, a decade after creating their first civilian P-51 conversion, Trans Florida was contracted by the
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD or DOD) is an executive branch department of the federal government charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government directly related to national secu ...
to create military specification F-51Ds for export. These military aircraft incorporated most of the improved features of the civilian Cavaliers but were optimized as
ground attack fighters. These aircraft were called Cavalier F-51D Mustangs; nine single control (F-51D) and two dual-control (TF-51D) aircraft were built. The aircraft were given new 67-XXXXX and 68-XXXXX serial numbers. Nine (including the two TF-51s) were given to
Bolivia
, image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg
, flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center
, flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...
, under a program called Peace Condor and two, with tip tanks, were sold to the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
for use as
chase aircraft, one of which is preserved at the
Air Force Armament Museum at
Eglin Air Force Base
Eglin Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in the western Florida Panhandle, located about southwest of Valparaiso in Okaloosa County.
The host unit at Eglin is the 96th Test Wing (formerly the 96th Air Base Wing). The ...
, Florida.
Cavalier Mustang II
In 1967, Cavalier developed an outgrowth of the F-51D designed for
close air support
In military tactics, close air support (CAS) is defined as air action such as air strikes by fixed or rotary-winged aircraft against hostile targets near friendly forces and require detailed integration of each air mission with fire and moveme ...
and
counter-insurgency
Counterinsurgency (COIN) is "the totality of actions aimed at defeating irregular forces". The Oxford English Dictionary defines counterinsurgency as any "military or political action taken against the activities of guerrillas or revolutionar ...
operations, calling this aircraft the Cavalier Mustang II. The Mustang II had improved avionics, structural improvements to the wing to allow more external weapons carriage on four additional hardpoints, and an improved
Rolls-Royce Merlin
The Rolls-Royce Merlin is a British liquid-cooled V-12 piston aero engine of 27-litres (1,650 cu in) capacity. Rolls-Royce designed the engine and first ran it in 1933 as a private venture. Initially known as the PV-12, it was later ...
V-1650-724A engine.
Two batches of Mustang IIs were constructed: the first group was built for
El Salvador
El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south b ...
in 1968 and the second group was constructed for export to
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
in 1972 and 1973. The five Mustang IIs (including one TF-51D) built for El Salvador featured wingtip fuel tanks to increase combat range. Five Mustang IIs and one TF-51D were built for Indonesia in 1972, but they did not have tip tanks due to a
U.S. State Department
The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other nati ...
restriction on their combat radius.
Cavalier Turbo Mustang III/ Enforcer
![Piper Enforcer (museum)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/Piper_Enforcer_%28museum%29.jpg)
In 1968, Cavalier mated a
Rolls-Royce Dart 510 turboprop to a Mustang II airframe. This privately funded prototype was also intended for the same CAS/COIN mission that the Mustang II was built for. The Turbo Mustang III had radically increased performance, along with an associated increase in payload and decrease in cost of maintenance due to the turbine engine. Despite numerous sales presentations to the
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
, neither the U.S. military nor any foreign operators purchased the Turbo Mustang III. Seeking a company with mass production capability, the Turbo Mustang project, now called "The Enforcer," was sold by Lindsay to
Piper Aircraft
Piper Aircraft, Inc. is a manufacturer of general aviation aircraft, located at the Vero Beach Regional Airport in Vero Beach, Florida, United States and owned since 2009 by the Government of Brunei. Throughout much of the mid-to-late 20th centur ...
in 1971.
Cavalier Aircraft Corp. was closed in 1971 so the founder/owner, David Lindsay, could help develop the
Piper PA-48 Enforcer
The Piper PA-48 Enforcer is an American turboprop-powered light close air support aircraft built by Piper Aircraft, Piper in the 1970s. It is a development of the World War II-era North American P-51 Mustang fighter. The Enforcer concept was ...
. Lindsay set up a new company, Field Services Inc., to complete a USAF Cavalier Mustang II contract, called "Peace Pony", for Indonesia. Many of the civil Mustang conversions, as well as many re-imported former military Cavaliers, have been restored into P-51Ds and fly on the U.S. and European air show circuits today.
[Lowe 2009, p. 178.]
Accidents and incidents
Specifications (Cavalier F-51D)
See also
References
Notes
Bibliography
* Darling, Kev.'' P-51 Mustang (Combat Legend)''. Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife, 2002. .
* Johnsen, Frederick A. ''North American P-51 Mustang''. North Branch, Minnesota: Specialty Press Publishers and Wholesalers, 1996. .
* Lowe, Malcolm V. ''North American P-51 Mustang'' (Crowood Aviation Series). Ramsbury, Wiltshire, UK: Crowood Press, 2009.
* O'Leary, Michael. ''Mustangs: North American Aviation's P-51: Past, Present & Future, Warbirds International, Summer 2007''.
* Wagner, Mark and Michael O'Leary. ''P-51 Mustang: From the RAF to the Mighty Eighth'' (Osprey Colour Classics). Oxford, UK: Osprey, 1997. .
External links
Cavalier Mustang HistoryCavalier P-51 Architect Lindsay dies at 86
{{North American P-51 Mustang family
1960s United States attack aircraft
Mustang
The mustang is a free-roaming horse of the Western United States, descended from horses brought to the Americas by the Spanish. Mustangs are often referred to as wild horses, but because they are descended from once-domesticated animals, they ...
Single-engined tractor aircraft
Low-wing aircraft
North American P-51 Mustang
Aircraft first flown in 1958