Indonesian P-51s

[Starduster77]

[quote="aseanaero"]Some additional photos



To bad this is not in color because that would make a interesting model plane subject.
Hope you post more if you have,other aircraft also.
Thank you for sharing.

[aseanaero]

Here you go ...

This I didn't know , source is probably Marc Koelich

Another mystery, probably the most intriguing of all, is the origin of some 20 or so additional Mustangs purchased for the AURI after 1958.

The aircraft were probably acquired from the US civilian market, but this could not be entirely confirmed so far on the basis of known serial numbers and histories of single aircraft. It is reported that the Indonesians approached some Central American nations for P-51Ds, possibly Guatemala and Nicaragua - the later known to have many Mustangs but only a few pilots for them

website is http://s188567700.online.de/CMS/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=150&Itemid=1

Last edited by aseanaero on Sun Jan 10, 2010 10:46 am, edited 1 time in total.

[Stoney]

Art Stagg made the deal that got Steve Johnson at least 10 and maybe 12 P-51s, he sold them for $150K as a kit, to bad he died in a plane crash.

[aseanaero]

Art Stagg made the deal that got Steve Johnson at least 10 and maybe 12 P-51s

Plus most of the stocks of spares I believe and some of the spares were recovered from damaged mustangs according to long retired ex air force personnel, that's what could have happened to the 'phantom mustang'

[Randy Haskin]

FWIW, these last two photos are from the article I wrote for Warbird Digest #9 (in 2006) called "Peace Ponies", about the two US MAP programs for Indonesian Mustangs in the late 60s and early 1970s.

They were taken by Cavalier mechanic Jack Wallis during Peace Pony I circa 1971. I have numerous other shots of these airplanes being worked on and modified that I'll publish in my Cavalier Mustangs book....someday.

[Neal Nurmi]

Randy -- I do wish you'd get that book done...

And I sure would like to see people give sources of photos like that. For one thing it would help people with an interest in the material find information. For another it is an enormous amount of work to put together (for example) a magazine article and it is nice to get some credit when people make use of that effort!

[aseanaero]

FWIW, these last two photos are from the article I wrote for Warbird Digest #9 (in 2006) called "Peace Ponies",

Well looks like a copy found it's way down here or the Indos found a copy on the net to cut and paste.

It was amusing to read the Indonesian forum last night , they were complaining that the knowledge base on their Mustangs is either from the Dutch or Americans

[Lynn Allen]

Hi Dave,

Judging by the artwork it could very well be the P-51 that is now in the RNZAF Museum. I took this photo shortly after it arrived in NZ.



cheers, Marcus

Marcus, could you try again with your picture....

Lynn

[aseanaero]

I found this on www.uswarplanes.net regarding the New Zealand Mustang ex Indonesia

P-51D-30-NA, s/n: 44-74827, was converted in 1972 to a Cavalier F-51D Mustang II for the Indonesian Air Force who ordered a total of six such aircraft. Assigned new USAF s/n: 72-1541 and Indonesian s/n: F367, it was swapped after retirement with an RNZAF DH115 Vampire for museum display. The F-51D is now displayed as RNZAF NZ2410.
RNZAF Museum, Christchurch, New Zealand, 2005.

[aseanaero]

I pass this Mustang each day on the way to work at Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in Jakarta.

What I like about this monument is it's fully armed which is unusual for most displays.

[Django]

There's still a Mustang on inventory that was damaged in a landing accident and put in storage at either Kalijati or Bandung air bases, the air force said if I could find it I could buy it. In 2 years of visiting various airbases and asking around and getting some leads I haven't found it yet. I've come to the conclusion that what was left of it probably went to the USA with Steve Johnsons bulk shipment of aircraft and parts in the early 80's and it wasn't struck off.

Hope that is not the case and you do find it!

[gale_dono]

I pass this Mustang each day on the way to work at Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in Jakarta.

What I like about this monument is it's fully armed which is unusual for most displays.

Where are those rocket racks from? They look a bit like the ones the Swiss added to theirs, but not quite the same. Indigenous mod?

[aseanaero]

Where are those rocket racks from? They look a bit like the ones the Swiss added to theirs, but not quite the same. Indigenous mod?

I doubt they're locally manufactured but possibly adapted to the Mustang from some of the other aircraft in the inventory at that time. What did the A-26 or B-25 rocket racks look like ?

[Randy Haskin]

The info I have is that the rocket launchers were made in Indonesia...that's from one of the Cavalier pilots who trained the AURI pilots in Peace Pony.

[aseanaero]

The info I have is that the rocket launchers were made in Indonesia...that's from one of the Cavalier pilots who trained the AURI pilots in Peace Pony

Well he'd know.

Very hard to get historical aircraft info here from official channels and the ones that know because they were there are passing on.