Warbird Information Exchange

That is awesome.

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Manager

No, not really.

The Turbo Mustang III, N6167U, was rebuilt into the PE-1 Enforcer, N201PE, in 1971. This aircraft still exists and is in non flyable storage with the Lindsay family.

Turbo Mustang:


....which became the....

PE-1:


At the same time another 2-seat "TF-51" configuration Enforcer, the PE-2 (N202PE) was constructed. It was made from a standard Mustang fuselage and parts. This aircraft crashed in 1971.

PE-2:


In the 80s, the two PA-48 aircraft were built -- N481PE and N482PE. These are the "new-build" airplanes not created from Mustang airframes. N481PE is currently at the USAF Museum and N482PE is at the Flight Test Museum at Edwards.

N481PE (painted) and N482PE (bare metal):


EDIT: This thread is better with pictures!

as i recall it was in a little better shape when i saw it. now the big question is why let it sit around and rot when they could give it to me and I could fly it to air shows. Heck I'll even doll it up as an air force plane even though I'm a navy guy!

_________________
EVERYTHING that CAN fly should be ALLOWED to FLY!
IWO JIMA'S best narative..."GOD ISN'T HERE"
http://www.amazon.com/God-Isnt-Here-Ame ... 0976154706


P: Noise coming from under instrument panel. Sounds like a midget pounding on something with a hammer.

S: Took hammer away from midget.

they stick it on a pole! like the olives in your martini there!

_________________
EVERYTHING that CAN fly should be ALLOWED to FLY!
IWO JIMA'S best narative..."GOD ISN'T HERE"
http://www.amazon.com/God-Isnt-Here-Ame ... 0976154706


P: Noise coming from under instrument panel. Sounds like a midget pounding on something with a hammer.

S: Took hammer away from midget.

From what I remember the Aircraft performed ok for taking a chinook Engine and putting it into a mustang airframe.I think the A-10 put them out of buisness though.

I think we actaully agree on something. While we don't see eye to eye on static aircraft, we do seem to agree about aircraft on poles. Even more so when they are rare.

_________________
Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Manager

The biggest problem with any of the surviving Enforcer aircraft flying in civilian hands is the cost.

The gearbox that hung on the front of that T55 (Chinook engine) was custom built and had a 30 hour TBO.

So, the cost of flying it around would be phenomenally prohibitive, having that custom gearbox rebuilt after every month's worth of airshows during the summer.



Well, sort of. Although the aircraft did well in what it was designed for (counterinsurgency, not "CAS" or "tank busting"), it really wasn't ever a legitimate competitor to the A-10.

Given that the USAF is today looking at the Raytheon T-6B and Embraer Super Tucano to fill the same role, I think it would have been interesting if they'd pursued this idea 25 years ago. I think that a matured and fully developed Enforcer would have been just as effective -- if not more -- that the T-6 and Tucano.

If they only knew back then, someday this aircraft will have no pistons and burn Kero..



NACA AND USAF MUSEUM PHOTO.

Gentlemen,

The two colour photos appearing in the Mustangs/Mustangs web page, listed previously on this thread, show the turbo Mustang at MacDill AFB on 6 May 1969. I took about 12 slides of the aircraft during the air show and sent two slides to Aeroplane Monthly, I believe?: one slide was an original and the other a copy slide. Flight International did not print colour pictures back in that era?

Once the slide film was used, I began taking photos in black and white. I still have both colour slides and black and white negatives. I left the USAF 5 June 1969.

Norman Malayney