P51 MUSTANG
This cache is NOT LOCATED at the
ABOVE COORDINATES!
They are for a suitable parking area.
Many things have been said and written about the Mustang - that it
was the best combat plane of World War II, that it was the plane
that marked the transition from piston-engine fighters to jet
fighters, that it was the plane that gave the Allies final
supremacy in the skies. The truth is perhaps slightly obscured by
all these claims.
The North American P-51 Mustang was the product of two highly
advanced technologies: the American aircraft industry, which in 117
days designed a plane body that was extremely advanced in structure
and aerodynamics; and the British engine industry, which, with its
prestigious Rolls-Royce Merlin, provided the ideal complement. The
Mustang would not have become immortal without the British engine,
the same engine that had already made the
Supermarine Spitfire famous. Beyond
this, all is history. A total of 15,686 Mustangs were built.
Mustangs destroyed 4,950 enemy aircraft in combat and 4,131 on the
ground in the course of 213,873 missions in Europe alone. Mustangs
also saw duty during the Korean War, and they served in the air
forces of some 20 other countries. A few Mustangs are still flown
today.
In April, 1940, the visiting British purchasing commission
suggested to North American that they build Curtiss P-40 fighters
on license for the RAF. The president of North American, J. H.
("Dutch") Kindelberger, was not
enthusiastic. He said his company could produce a combat plane that
was better than the P-40, even using the same engine, the V-12
Allison V-1710. The British accepted
Kindelberger's counterproposal, but
they made it a condition that the prototype be ready in no more
than 120 days because the situation in Europe was extremely
serious. Two North American designers, Raymond Rice and Edgar
Schmued, got to work at once, and the
prototype, the NA-73X, was ready three days ahead of schedule,
albeit without an engine and with wheels borrowed from an AT-6
trainer. The first flight took place on October 26, 1940. The plane
had exceptionally clean lines, and its performance was outstanding.
It flew about 25 m.p.h. faster than the
Curtiss P-40.
Meanwhile the U.S. government had approved the RAF order for 320
planes, provided that the USAAC was supplied with two planes for
testing. The first production fighter took to the air on May 1,
1941, and remained at North American for technical evaluation. The
second reached Great Britain in November and was officially
designated the Mustang Mk.l. These
planes, which were considered far superior to any other American
fighter, were put into service in April, 1942, as tactical
reconnaissance planes. About the same time, the British ordered 300
more planes, which differed only in equipment and
armament.Despite its brilliant
performance in flight tests with the USAAC, the plane was initially
ordered in small quantity (50) for photographic reconnaissance
duty. Subsequently, however, an order was placed for 500 planes in
a specially designed dive-bomber version, the A-36A. These aircraft
were delivered between September, 1942, and March, 1943. Another
order was received for 310 P-5lAs, and delivery began in the spring
of 1943.
But the Mustang's greatest successes still lay in the future. The
idea that led to the Mustang's full development came to British and
American technicians almost simultaneously. In Great Britain four
Mustangs were given to Rolls-Royce for testing with the Merlin 61
engine. In the United States two bodies were consigned to North
American for testing with the Merlin that' the Packard company
built on license, the V-1650-3. Thus, in September, 1942, the first
P-51B prototype was born. Only minor changes were made in the
forward part of the fuselage, to accommodate the new engine. But
performance was radically different. Now the plane could reach a
speed of 440 m.p.h. at 30,000 feet, and
an ascent to 20,000 feet required only five minutes and 54 seconds.
This was a remarkable advance over the P-51A's top speed of 390
m.p.h. at 20,000 feet and more than nine
minutes in ascent. The plane went into mass production in the
summer of 1943. It was built at the Inglewood factory as the P-51B
(1,988 aircraft) and in the new Dallas plant as the P-51C (1,750
aircraft). Great Britain received about 1,000 and called them
Mustang Mk.III. The first P-51B went
into service with the 8th Air Force in England on December
1. The following spring
the main production model appeared, the P-51D. The RAF had
experimented with its Mustang Mk.III to
improve visibility, and a structureless
round hood was introduced, the Malcolm (named after its inventor).
North American also tackled the problem. In the P-S1D the rear of
the cockpit fairing was removed and a fin was added to the rudder
to make up for the loss of lateral surface. The cockpit was given a
teardrop-shaped, fully transparent hood. A total of 7,956 Mustangs
were built in this model. It was powered by a 1,695-h.p. engine and
had a top speed of 437 m.p.h. at 25,000
feet. The fastest Mustang, however, was the final version, the
P-51H, which took part in the final operations against the
Japanese: 490 m.p.h. at 25,000 feet. A
total of 555 Hs were built for use in combat.
This is part of a
series of 23 caches dedicated to the American Aircraft of
WWII. Each cache is
dedicated to a particular aircraft model and can be logged as an
individual find. The
series consists of 16 regular caches and 7 mystery
caches. The series will
be divided into 5 sub-series, one for each category of aircraft
(
Fighters,
Bombers,
Seaplanes, and
X-series Prototypes) and a final series consisting of three of
the most recognizable aircraft of WWII.
(
P51 Mustang,
B17 Flying Fortress and
B29 Super Fortress)
This mystery cache is the P51 MUSTANG of the
series. To find it, you
must first find X-SERIES
PROTOTYPES(
GC1D44Z) and
FIGHTERS(
GC1BHV4).
Each log has a code that is to be used to find
this caches’ final location.
P51 MUSTANG
=
N40
FIGHTERS
W074
X-SERIES PROTOTYPES
This series is located along a portion of the
Randolph Trails.
These trails are well maintained and easy to
walk. There is parking
for this cache located at the above
coordinates.
Trail maps are readily available at most of the trail
heads. Randolph’s trail system runs a 16-mile course
traversing five parks, the Clyde Potts Reservoir Watershed and
2,000 acres of pristine open space. The trails link together
schools with neighborhoods and connect to Patriots’ Path at Combs
Hollow and Old
Brookside. Randolph’s
trails should be viewed as a work in progress as the township
continues to pursue easements and funding to expand our trail
network. The township funds 90% of design and construction costs
through state grants and developer contributions. Over $1.5 million
in state grants and developer contributions has been invested in
Randolph’s trails. Open
year round, the trails can be used from dawn to dusk and are closed
at night. During the winter months, there is no snow or ice
removal, providing a wonderful opportunity for cross-country skiers
and snowshoe enthusiasts.