Warbird Information Exchange

P-51 Folks:

Good Day!

Found this bare metal scheme P-51 with poss S. of the border connections. Does it look like a Cavalier sample to you?? Maybe someone may give more details. Photo AEC. D.Perez & D.Roman.

Defiantly looks like a Cavalier rudder extension and canopy

TM:

Morning!

Tks! I think we are heading in the right direction. Maybe some other angles may show up. I have another pic of poss the same aircraft but I have to do some digging!

p.s That hangar looks S. of the border type structure!!

Gentlemen:

The Mystery Metal Scheme P-51 Mustang is the Cavalier Mustang II N9857P that is registered useing the false military serial number of "44-84962". It is one of two EX AURI (Indonesian Air Force) Mustang II's that were restored to flying condition by Fighter Rebuilders, Inc., Chino, California. After restoration, the aircraft was almost immediately put into long term storage. I hope that this information will be of some service to you.

Sincerely,

John L. Dienst

dienst.john@gmail.com

P--51 Folks

Tks John for info & data!

p.s Still pursuing the ultimate pic of the TF-51 FAS 400 (II)!!

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45-47=-2

Lee Schaller still owns this P51, but it hasn't seen the light of day in decades. He was a friend of my fathers. When I was very small, I got to sit in this mustang, my guess, sometime around 1988 or so. To this day its the only p51 that I've ever had the opportunity to sit in. At the time, it shared a hanger with a beautiful Staggerwing Beech (that also hasn't seen the light of day in decades, but I did get to see it briefly last year.), a Stearman, and something else that was cool, but I can't remember what it was. The P51 is now in an adjacent hangar by itself, but the Staggerwing and Stearman are both still in the hangar along with a bare metal T28. He also has a DC3 that sits out in the open at Schellville.

Will

SR71Fan:

Good day!

Tks for the info & data on this Cavalier P-51.

p.s Any chance to obtain some pics as it is in Dec 2013?? Tks

I'm assuming you are talking to me. No, its locked away and no one at the airport has seen the hanger opened in from what I can tell, more than a decade. I got lucky to see into the hanger it used to be in on a random day when someone was working on the owners Champ. It was the first (and only) time I've seen the hanger open in the nearly 8 years I've lived here. Apparently the owner does't visit Schellville very often.

Will

SR71Fan:

Good day!

Tks for the info & data.

Plz send the GPS coordinates to personally volunteer for a hand wash with Dove soap. I know how to do the tires & canopy also! A P-51 not in a barn but in a hangar next door!! Maybe we'll get to see it in 2014 soon! P-51s has some good aluminum!! Tks

Hi John

Can you tell me why you say this machine is using the false serial 44-84962? Is this not its real ID?

Thanks
Martin

What is the other twin engine taildragger sitting on the ramp at Sonoma Valley Airport-0Q3

There is a DC3 and a Lockheed PV2 Harpoon at Schellville.

Will

The 'DC-3' is in fact a rare DST. You can still see the outline of the sleeper windows above the main cabin windows.

The Harpoon is now part of the Castle Air Museum collection.

FWIW, this aircraft was rebuilt by "Field Services", and not Cavalier Aircraft Corporation. It was one of the Peace Pony II (a State Department military aid program for Indonesia) aircraft and was given a 72-15XX serial number by the USAF prior to export.

Cavalier had shut its doors by the time the Peace Pony II contract came about, so Field Services was formed to build the aircraft and perform the field maintenance in Indonesia. It bought some of the remaining ex-Cavalier airframe and parts inventory, used part of one of the ex-Cavalier facilities in Sarasota, and hired many former Cavalier employees to perform the jobs.

I don't have my spreadsheet in front of me right now, so I don't remember exactly what the serial is.

It was brought back as part of the Stephen Johnson-imported batch of ex Indonesian Mustangs.

For those who are wondering, my Cavalier book is still in the works...just typical life getting in the way of the project! No timeline on when it will be done, unfortunately. As usual, it is 80% complete with 80% still to go, and I do not have an editor or publisher I'm working with anymore.

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