Maj. Squadron: P-51D Mustang Traditional Cache

I needed a theme for this series of geocaches and being a fan of WW2 era aircraft I decided to settle on the names of some of my favorite fighters and bombers to hold the title of the geocaches in this series.

Every cache in the "Maj. Squadron" series is a stand alone, traditional geocache with the exception of the final cache: "Maj. Squadron: B-17G Flying Fortress". The coordinates of that cache are unpublished and in order to find that 7th and final geocache you will have to first find the other 6 geocaches in the series as each cache container holds part of the coordinates for the final cache.

There is a decent amount of quality swag located within the final, appropriate container (an ammo can). The First To Find will have his/her choice of goodies to choose from but as an intended FTF prize I have provided an 1882 S Morgan Silver Dollar in about XF condition.

There is traditional geocache and hiking items such as compasses, LED flashlights, carabiners, hydration pack bite valves and other miscellaneous bits to rummage through in all the caches in this series.

About this cache: Lucky you - this container was up on the summit but got rejected because of proximity to an end multi-cache. I hiked 6 miles to bring this baby down to you for an easier grab ;-] It is located in an area I was brought to on a FTF mission but that cache turned out to be muggled before it was ever found. This is an easy area to get to and as such often sees heavy traffic and teenage activity because of the nearby creek and pools. Please replace as found. The container is a little smaller than an ammo can but it is larger than the "small" containers in this series.

The geocaches in the series:

"Maj. Squadron: P-51D Mustang"GC2NFER

"Maj. Squadron - P-38L Lightning" GC2NFDR

"Maj. Squadron - P-47D Thunderbolt" GC2NFFJ

"Maj. Squadron - F6F-5 Hellcat"GC2NFCA

"Maj. Squadron - F4U-4 Corsair"GC2NFBV

"Maj. Squadron - P40E Warhawk" GC2NFCJ

"Maj. Squadron - B-17G Flying Fortress" (Final Cache) GC2NF45

Have fun.

S! Maj.

The P-51D Mustang:

The Mustang was among the best and most well-known fighters used by the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II. Possessing excellent range and maneuverability, the P-51 operated primarily as a long-range escort fighter and also as a ground attack fighter-bomber. The Mustang served in nearly every combat zone during WWII, and later fought in the Korean War.

In the summer of 1941, the USAAF received two Mustangs under the designation XP-51. Although flight tests of the new fighter showed promise, the USAAF did not immediately order the Mustang.
In March 1942 the USAAF accepted the first production P-51A fighters. Although excellent at lower levels, the P-51A's Allison engines severely limited performance at high altitude. In the fall of 1942, Mustangs in the United States and Great Britain were experimentally fitted with British Merlin engines. One in the United States flew a remarkable 441 mph at 29,800 feet -- about 100 mph faster than the P-51A at that altitude. Mass production of the Merlin-powered P-51B and P-51C soon followed (nearly identical, North American produced the "B" in Inglewood, Calif., and the "C" in Dallas, Texas).

The P-51D incorporated several improvements, and it became the most numerous variant with nearly 8,000 being built. The most obvious change was a new "bubble-top" canopy that greatly improved the pilot's vision. The P-51D also received the new K-14 gunsight, an increase from four to six .50-cal machine guns, and a simplified ammunition feed system that considerably reduced gun jams.

The P-51D arrived in quantity in Europe in the spring of 1944, becoming the USAAF's primary long range escort fighter. The versatile Mustang also served as a fighter-bomber and reconnaissance aircraft. Few Luftwaffe aircraft could match the P-51D -- by the end of the war, Mustangs had destroyed 4,950 enemy aircraft in the air, more than any other USAAF fighter in Europe.

TECHNICAL NOTES:

Armament: Six .50-cal. machine guns and 10 5-in. rockets or 2,000 lbs. of bombs.

Engine: Packard-built Rolls-Royce Merlin V-1650 of 1,695 hp.

Maximum speed: 437 mph.

Cruising speed: 275 mph.

Range: 1,000 miles.

Ceiling: 41,900 ft.

Span: 37 ft.

Length: 32 ft. 3 in.

Height: 13 ft. 8 in.

Weight: 12,100 lbs. maximum.