Cavalier F-51D In 1967, a decade after creating their first civilian P-51 conversion, Trans Florida was contracted by the
United States Department of Defense 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 and serial numbers. Nine (including the two TF-51s) were given to
Bolivia, under a program called Peace Condor and two, with tip tanks, were sold to the
United States Army for use as
chase aircraft, one of which is preserved at the
Air Force Armament Museum at
Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.
Cavalier Mustang II In 1967, Cavalier developed an outgrowth of the F-51D designed for
close air support and
counter-insurgency 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 V-1650-724A engine. Two batches of Mustang IIs were constructed: the first group was built for
El Salvador in 1968 and the second group was constructed for export to
Indonesia 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 restriction on their combat radius.
Cavalier Turbo Mustang III/ Enforcer 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, 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 in 1971. Cavalier Aircraft Corp. was closed in 1971 so the founder/owner, David Lindsay, could help develop the
Piper PA-48 Enforcer. 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. ==Accidents and incidents==