The Piper PA-48 Enforcer; Mustang on Steroids 

It's interesting to note the fact that "old technology" can sometimes become the solution to a modern problem. This has been the case in many fields, from the military to HVAC. A good reminder that we should never throw away something just because the idea isn't modern.

The prototype that was "Lost during testing": My father owned a security agency in Vero Beach at that time. One day he was at one of his contracts (Holiday Inn) when we saw a plane fly at great speed out to sea and crash into the ocean... it was that prototype.

Propeller driven aircraft. It's a bit like fashion. If you wait long enough it will come back into vogue.

In the mid 1980s I went through a military acquisition program with an officer who had been assigned to the PA-48 evaluation program. He considered the airplane to be something of a cruel joke. The Mustang was very long in the tooth by then and Piper was having great difficultly keeping them in a serviceable state. I think your analysis of the problem and the ultimate "low cost" solution is correct.

I was an inspector in experimental . I worked on the PA- 48 Enforcer at The Piper Aircraft Corporation in Lakeland Florida ..❤️‍🔥

It was so bizarre hearing the turboprop sound coming out the mustang when you expected to hear the Merlin.

The OV-10 Bronco is the plane they should have brought back. It has so much more potential than the new lot of light attack aircraft. More range, more payload , more armor, more survivability due to having 2 engines and STOL capability. Plus it can actually evacuate personnel or land with supplies.

The old Corsairs and Thunderbolts with their big double wasps would've been a better choice for COIN for the time...

The Piper was marginal in its handling according to one its pilots I talked to. Yes it could get airborne and dispense the loads but just barely and Piper was betting they could fix the instabilities once they had a contract and could do the full development needed. Nice idea on paper but the wing was optimized for its original role, not heavy hauling/low altitude close in maneuvering. Every time this bird gets discussed there’s always an omission of the Sky Raider. That was a proven COIN truck, rugged and reliable as an airframe. On paper, a turboprop version would be more viable than the Mustang. Back to point, the Enforcer was a stillborn boondoggle looking for a taxpayer lifeline. Pedigree and romance have nothing to do with bombs/rounds on target and PK.

I was walking through the annex for the NMUSAF in Dayton, OH some years back, and stumbled upon the PA-48. I immediately recognized the lines of a P-51, but...WTH? A turboprop? I had never heard of this plane before. Fantastic!

0:57 The *most macho personal transport* of all time! I like how they integrated the landing-lights into the wing-tip tanks.

0:41 is that Einstein's personal aircraft? (Great story, thanks for making it)

The original Mustang was vulnerable to ground fire, but the Piper PA-48 Enforcer looks and sounds like it's better suited for close air ground support. In Vietnam they used the Bronco OV-10, it always looked pretty good too.

I still have the Air Classics magazine with the article about the PA-48 Inforcer, it did fairly well in war games with multi branch military exercises. The stated reason for the rejection of the aircraft was that the military lacked any infrastructure for training in conventional gear aircraft anymore, i.e. Tail Wheel and thats still the case today. Also if you look at the losses in Korea between the F4U Corsair, which has an air cooled engine and the P-51 with its liquid cooled engine both used for the ground attack role, the losses were almost identical

How can something so beautiful be so deadly? Well, there's my ex wife so...

One of these came through Carswell AFB near Fort Worth, Texas once in the Early 80s. It arrived on day shift and was put in a hangar right next to base ops. A friend said to go look in that hangar. A bunch of us had never been in that hangar before....it was always unused as far as we knew. So we drove over there in our bread vans and went inside. What's THAT??? One of our sergeants recognized it as a Piper Enforcer.

I can honestly say that I DO remember this aircraft back in the 80's ..🤔I was reading a random Magazine at my university and never heard of it again 😳👏👏👏

Didn't know that either the original Mustang served that long (1957) for the USAF, nor that it's development into new variants carried on til 1984. Very good series about obscure aircraft, subbed!

I've informally been studying military aircraft for decades, and yet again you've brought to my attention something of which I was completely unaware. Hmm...

It doesn't surprise me. The later variants of Supermarine Spitfire like the Mk XXII/XXIII were still in service as interceptors with some countries in the late 1960's. The Russians still sell a lot of refurbished MiG 21's and were still using them themselves in the mid to late 1990's. A good design is a good design, and the biggest thing going for the Mustang to have survived that long as a viable light attack aircraft option is the fact it was heavily battle tested in World War Two, and they knew all it's capabilities and weaknesses. It was designed as a high altitude air superiority and escort fighter for B-17 and B-24 bomber squadrons and it was the first allied fighter that could escort the bomber formations all the way to Berlin and back in mid 1943. Before that the late model Messerschmitt Bf-109-G and Focke-Wulf Fw 190-D interceptors would just hang back and wait for the Supermarine Spitfire IX's or the P-47-D Thunderbolt escorts to turn back for home then it would be a "Turkey Shoot" as they would call it. Rats in a barrel, suicide missions. Tail gunners life expectancy average was 2 missions apparently.

It does bear a resemblance to modern planes like the A-29, but the internal differences are pretty stark. First, the Enforcer was actually over-engined, and one serious problem not mentioned here is that the engine torque twisted the P-51 airframe. It would’ve been fine with 2/3 that engine. The Enforcer was basically a dumb bomb truck. Modern versions like the A-29 are appealing because they can serve so many roles, including surveillance and training in addition to smart munition delivery. The A-29 is basically a modern fighter cockpit in a light turboprop. Sure, you could retrofit a P-51 with modern tech, but why? Better to start with a clean sheet.

Wow! how did I not know about this variant? Thanks!

As always, content worth watching. And as usual I learned something.

A prop driven plane is like having a Sherman, it's completely outdated, but invaluable if the opposing forces have little to counter it.

And all that without saying the word Tucano once.

Haven't heard of that one. Thanks Mang

I grew up in VRB /Piper Aircraft. Saw MANY Aircraft Developed by Piper Engineering. My Dad was a Piper Electrical Engineer 1969-1999 and did some work on the PA 48 Enforcer. It was amazing to see it fly over my school. You usually didn't hear it until it was on top of you. They used a P 80 Shooting Star as a Chase plane. Those were some exciting times 1970/71 at Piper Aircraft VRB.

There was also (North American) Rockwell's YAT-28E which had Mustang wings and tail surfaces. Only two built, then offered for sale in Trade-A-Plane for $10,000 each in the mid 1970s.

Super Vid 👍, knew of the Cavalier but was shocked to see the PA 48! Many thanx. Be safe 🦊

Really enjoyed this one. One of your best so far. Going from strength to strength with these vids. 👍🏻

Another fantastic video👍 Great stuff🍺

I do like your channel so I have subscribed. Keep them coming!

You are doing some great videos, thanks.

I like the OV-10; but the OV-1 Mohawk was something 👍

Turbo Mustang 3. That brings back memories. As a teenager I wrote the intro to a "The Final Countdown"" type story about one of these getting transported through time to WW2 to wreak havoc among the Germans. Just as with the original I however ran out of steam right after introducing that interesting premise. The imitative things we do when we are young!

Another great one Ed

Nicely researched and very informative. A story well told. The PA-48 seems to have been indeed an aircraft that missed its window.

Very interesting video thank you for sharing.

I Didn't know any of this story, very interesting and thanks for posting

Super video! thank you

The Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona has one of the two existing PA-48’s. It is a beautifully preserved example.

Cavalier was sited on the Sarasota/Bradenton airport in the '60s. I got a few hours of Cessna 150 basic training at that airport.

Secretly I wish that propeller driven fighters will some day succeed the jet fighters... They have some charm to them. As a child I already was a huge fan of the Spitfire and the Dutch Fokker G1

It was really beautiful bird! I like it. Thanks

I remember a friend calling this the 85% Mustang.

I picked up an airplane from Piper for delivery back in the ‘70’s and saw this aircraft in the Piper factory. It was to compete as a Tank Buster. The A10 won out in the contract. I always thought that the Q400 engine would be awesome in the Mustang.

Thanks! I remember reading about the Enforcer in aviation magazines, but didn't realize it lingered until the '80s. Still it took the Mighty A-10 to finally kill the Mustang.

Good production. New sub !

Interesting video, thanks.

Thank You!

Great video. Great channel. ☀️😎🇺🇸☀️

0:57 Converting a P-51 Mustang into a civilian transport is like raising the Howard 500 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_500 to *'mad-lad'.* I approve!

An early Mustang variant was the A-36A aircraft fitted with bomb racks, dive brakes, and heavier-duty wing. This was fitted with the Allison engine and was effective at ground attack & dive bombing.

Hi Ed. I can see you're starting to get noticed , about time too ! I think you'll crack 10k this week ! The one l didn't know about was the civilianized Mustang . Slightly more expensive running costs than a Piper Cub !! Thanks Ed.

Both the British and American military brass have had a NIH (Not Invented Here) mentality, but best leave politicians out of this as they’re worse than useless unless they see an opportunity for financial aid (for their campaign, obviously?). Even when presented with a craft/idea that’s already working, has the kinks sorted out and is reasonably inexpensive as well as filling a niche that was important to the guys on the ground it still is rarely chosen as the brass don’t get the kudos. From personal experience (British Royal Marine Commando, Officer/SC 1978-2008), I can tell you that a subsonic CAS that can loiter and be accurate at dealing with “Terry” outside the FOB/area we were patrolling is worth it’s weight in Unobtanium and of all the aircraft we expected to see was our mates from the USMC flying the “Brrrrrrrt”. A great plane when flown by professional airmen, but an absolute terror when flown by National Guardsmen that couldn’t be arsed PIDing our marking ID’s and the A10 rounds went straight through our Viking vehicles with all that implied to the couple of lads inside. I’m not blaming the trigger happy dentist playing “top gun” in his imagination as his training would be pretty good, but an American Marine aviator that is helping British Royal Marines seems to have that extra edge/care/professionalism that we appreciated every time (conversely if we knew it was NG we’d move away from our vehicles/position until they’d flown off!) I suppose that the powers that be never expected there would ever be another need for any aircraft to provide CAS but isn’t that usually the case? Those at the top of the command chain/commission/procurement chain would be so far removed from frontline fighting that they had little to no idea about what the ground-pounders needed then or in the future. Add to that the length of time it takes to design, test, and fix issues with a new aircraft and it can lead to a useless aircraft when it’s finally sent to the front.

You knew the Air Force brass wouldn’t have it. Look at how many times they have tried to get rid of the beloved A10 so you know this bird had no hope of success.

Great video. You are the next Mark Felton :)

An upgraded version of the Hawker Typhoon would have been an interesting alternative in this role

I am trying to imagine training a generation of pilots that know very little about the use of their feet, to fly a 2,400hp taildragger...

Ditto the Short Tucano used by the UK RAF.... which is a licensed built Brazilian Embraer 312 Tucano Garrett turboprop power... 🙂

Mustang was actually originally built for the RAF army-co-operation squadrons in WWII

I believed A piper platform was tested along side the A29. But the American airforce will most likely not use either plane in service. Just look at the effort to get the A-10 into airforce service. I believe the Army should be allowed to operate propeller driven COIN aircraft. Rumor has it The airforce is still upset that in 1967 an army Mohawk shot down a MiG -17 over the A Shau Valley. Captain Ken Lee realized when the MiG carelessly maneuver in front of his Mohawk. Fired the 38 air to ground rockets and his machine guns hitting the MiG which turned away in flames. No credit was give to Lee. But rumors abound that Robin Olds and Chappie James upon hearing the story talk to now Major Lee and had drinks with him at a Royal Thai airforce base.

They have one at Pima Air & Space, right down the road.

I have seen this machine in person. I think I drooled some. A good system for a good price. Not an A10, but there is a close air support gap now in my opinion

Funny now they're building crop dusters up like this.

I'm really interested to see where these new turboprop close air support aircraft go there seems to be alot in testing right now

In talking to RAF Eagle Squadron Pilots, the North American Aviation P51 Mustang presented to the RAF was equipped with the Allison V-1710 engine, which had very limited high-altitude performance. it was assigned initially as a Tactical Reconnaissance and Ground Attack Aircraft. When reassigned Eagle Squadron Pilots returned to the States, they passed the word along to North American "Put Rolls Royce Merlin's in it", things changed. "..Replacing the Allison with a Rolls Royce Merlin resulted in the P-51B/C (Mustang Mk III) model and transformed the aircraft's performance at altitudes above 15,000 ft (4,600 m) (without sacrificing range),allowing it to compete with the Luftwaffe's fighters. The definitive version, the P51D, was powered by the Packard V-1650-7, a license built version of the two-speed two stage Supercharged Rolls Royce Merlin 66.." Source: Wikipedia

Nice bit of research, but I will add that the design has come full circle. The early P-51s called NA-73 Mustang Mk I British) and the A-36 Apache (USAAF), both ground attack / dive bombers with Allison engine and was successful at low altitudes but was easy meat for anti aircraft fire. Never the less these two designs were withdrawn from active service but 1943. Personally I have a things for the ultimate ground attack fighter, the P-63 King cobra.

The story is they remembered how effective prop aircraft were in Vietnam. The reason for them instead of drones is there is no need for a real time computer link and all the computing, communications and electronics that go with them. A that's essential is a human brain there and not at some disrant control panel.

Wow, I’d buy it just based on the 3:53 shot. Dangerous looking.

beautiful plane!

The biggest issue you'd face with these type of planes is their tail-wheel landing gear configuration. Planes in that config have a lot of drawbacks to their operations and maintenance. Mainly, their engines are more difficult to service and inspect due to being so high up in the air, and their weapon pylons are more difficult to load/reload due to being at an angle from the ground. These can be worked around, but it costs time and additional equipment to effectively do so.

For excellent air support in a slick little package at a great price, you really can't beat these kind of aircraft. Especially if you're a cash-strapped nation that needs local air-superiority fighters and lots of them with little upkeep or replacement costs.

Just reading about the pa 48 in the latest Aeroplane mag, I wonder if Ed's done a vid on it? 👍👍

Oh yeah, that little known plane, barely a blip in history, A-10 Thunderbolt II...

4:43 look at that huge exhaust can.

Both too late and too early. A beautiful bird.

As someone who was born and raised in Lycoming County, whose father worked in the Lycoming Factory and the Piper Factory back and forth at different times when this program was underway, and who had other ancestors working in the Lycoming Factory, I was just ecstatic to hear the narrator pronounce the county and engine name CORRECTLY!!! Almost nobody gets that right.

I flew these aircraft and they are fantastic.

To think that originally the USAF had absolutely no interest in the P51 design, until Britain asked for help producing a longer range fighter escort (a role that neither the Spitfire or Hurricane had been designed to do). NAA offered their design, and after the RAF had the Merlin engine installed and called it "Mustang", everyone saw what a formidable aircraft it truly was. Now it is a legend.

Another problem would have crept up had this plane gone into production. When they put the turbo prop into it, they found the original Hamilton Standard prop would be insufficient to handle the torque and power . In fact they set the exhaust to help counter the engine torque stress on the airframe. They wound up taking an Aeroproducts solid steel prop from a Skyraider and cutting it down. This gave them exactly what they needed but these props were no longer in production with no plans of starting the line back up even if they could find all the tooling.

Choosing the F/P-51 Mustang as a propeller plane retain in service was a major blunder. By the end of WW2 the writing was on the wall that jets were the future, especially for fighter/interceptor role. Propeller planes would soon be relegated to the ground attack role. The P-47 would have been much better choice with it's air cooled radial engine, which was less susceptible to damage than a water cooled engine in the Mustang. The P-47 had 2.5x the bomb capacity, 2500lb versus 1000lbs, 1.84x the ammunition load out capacity, spread over 8 M2 .50 guns versus 6 in the P-51. The only advantage the P-51 had was 15mph higher speed and 630 mile greater range.

this is pretty minor mistake.. but the p-51 was developed as a recon/fighter-bomber first and really only became a high altitude dog fighter with the p-51d. there is some odd history there though, as the p-47 initially was envisioned as the long range, high altitude dog fighter. The two planes ended up filling each other's role better than what was planned for either of them.

As they say history is doomed to repeat itself! USAF interest in using the P/F-51 in the ground attack roll was stupid. The use of this aircraft in the Korean war proved to be a disaster. The water cooled nature of this aircraft made them extremely vulnerable to light and medium ground fire. The USAF lamented the fact they had discarded the P-47, which had proven to be so successful in the ground attack roll in WW2. Even in comparison the US Navy was using the F4U and AD1 to great success in the ground attack roles. Air cooled aircraft were excellent in this role, so attempting to repeat the same mistake again is genuinely stupid.

It may not have been the best aircraft for the job, but it is DEFINITELY BEAUTIFUL...👍

Great!

The P51D was a tail dragger and today we want nose wheels and ejection seats.

It is my understanding that: the P51 was developed for the RAF as a ground attack aeroplane, hence the existence of the successful Mustang dive bombers, used in the Mediterranean until they wore out. The long range escort role was an eventual consequence of the changeover to Packard Merlin engines.

Having recovered from seeing a Mustang with a Dart more or less on the front, I'm suddenly curious about the engineering it would take to synchronize something like a .50 calibre minigun to fire through the prop arc.

Maybe a stupid question but is it known how the 30mm gun pot would have been positioned? If its would be mounted central and firing through the prop, i would be curious how well a gattling type cannon can be prop syncronised. And if they move sideways out of the prop area i would be curious about the weight balance, if they are not going for two gunpots. Anyway thanks for the video :)

I wonder if there is a model of this . . another informative video :)

*TWO GAU-8S ON A TURBOPROP?? OH MY GOD...*

the initial plans for the us CAS aircraft are sooooo SU 25 frogfooty:)

2400Hp only got it to 403MPH, aerodynamically it sliced through the air with all the grace of an Outhouse. With 20 million in 1960s dollars I would have bodged together a remake of the P 47

Finally, the late Mustang's nose looks like the Fw 190D's.

Had they hung on to all the P-47 Thunderbolts... now THERE was a ground attack monster.

The Mustang was already adapted to the ground attack role, as in the A36 Apache

Missing here is the A1 skyraider A naval aircraft that proved an able CAS bird in several conflicts

Just bring back the Bronco. After some upgrades, including better engines. I've read it was a tad under powered, but still a great airplane.

Interesting. I had no idea.