Help With P-51 Mustang

[Stearmen]

I am in hopes that one of you can find a larger photo of the P-51 in the first phot. It is a modified Cavalier P-51 mustang with 106mm recoilless rifles on the wing tips! It was being tested by the Marine Corp at China Lake test range in the 70s. The second photo is not much better. The last two photos show the first plane and another Cavalier with wing tanks, and used as chase planes for the AH-56 "Cheyenne" helicopter during the late 60s, early 70s before the program was canceled. Striking airplanes in their Army paint scheme, and among the last P-51s to operate with the military. The last was a more stock P-51D 44-72990, N6322T, which operated with the Army at Edwards until 1978. The P-51 had come full circle, starting and ending under the management of the U.S. Army!

 

[Dixon Cannon]

I'm doing a Google image search for that particular shot. Google images allows you to search for a specific image and will display all the sizes available across the web. I'll let you know ASAP my results.

-dixon cannon

P.S. Largest I can find via Google image search is 400x300, about the size you have. The image only appeared on two sites at the same size. - dc

 

[Stearmen]

I'm doing a Google image search for that particular shot. Google images allows you to search for a specific image and will display all the sizes available across the web. I'll let you know ASAP my results.

-dixon cannon

P.S. Largest I can find via Google image search is 400x300, about the size you have. The image only appeared on two sites at the same size. - dc

Must be one of those forgotten foot notes of history! You would think the Marines would have some decent size photos, or China Lake!

 

[Treetopflyer]

The only other pics of the P-51 Cavalier that I have seen are of the Soccer War P-51s.

 

[nick123]

Here's some smaller B&Ws:

 

[nick123]

 

[Stearmen]

Mustang II

Thanks Nick! Unfortunately I have those. Some where out there are some larger photos of the 106mm project. The in flight photo of the Cavalier belongs to and is flown by Ed Lindsay, David Lindsay's sun. It was the demonstration model for the COIN Mustangs II that went to many countries south of the boarder.

 

[MPicciotto]

Do to bandwidth issues most photographs on the internet are low resolution and/or small compared to the originals they came from. I'd suggest trying to contact the site owners. I would not be at all surprised if they have on digital file high resolution and large like 8x10 or larger actual size digital copies of those photos. Much better then you can lift from their page. I know from personal experience I had what was to me as a photo buff a small picture, only a few megabytes, and I had to resize it and cut the resolution way down so that it would load on our webpage in something less then a lunar cycle. Can't hurt to ask.

Matt

 

[Stearmen]

Do to bandwidth issues most photographs on the internet are low resolution and/or small compared to the originals they came from. I'd suggest trying to contact the site owners. I would not be at all surprised if they have on digital file high resolution and large like 8x10 or larger actual size digital copies of those photos. Much better then you can lift from their page. I know from personal experience I had what was to me as a photo buff a small picture, only a few megabytes, and I had to resize it and cut the resolution way down so that it would load on our webpage in something less then a lunar cycle. Can't hurt to ask.

Matt

Unfortunately they are at China Lake and you have to get permission to search their archives in person, no emails. There was a guy writing a book on the Cavalier Mustangs, from 1957 to the cancellation of the Piper Enforcer program. I can not find any thing new on it, would definitely buy that book! While small in the P-51 story, Ed Lindsay was instrumental in the survival of most of the Mustangs that fly today. Most, if not all, have at least one part from him, if not many, and he saved the jigs from being destroyed by North American!

 

[Stearmen]

I found one more photo. This is what happens to a fabric covered rudder after you fire a 106mm Recoilless Rifle! Interesting, the P-51 is still in Army markings even though the Marines were doing the test work at the Navy China Lake test facilities. The Marines have always been known for getting hand me downs, but this takes it to a whole new laval.