David B. Lindsay Jr.
Lindsay was known to some as “Mr. Mustang.” In 1957, he purchased his first P-51D from a Royal Canadian Air Force disposal sale for approximately $2,000. Soon after, he founded Trans-Florida Aviation, later Cavalier Aircraft Corporation, to build custom “Executive Mustangs,” called Cavaliers. He was directly responsible for saving a large portion of the surviving North American P-51 Mustang fleet as well as engines and parts. His company held the P-51 FAA type certificate and developed eight STCs for the Mustang: tip tanks, tall vertical stabilizer, baggage door, and ammo and gun bay fuel tanks, to name a few.
Throughout the 1960s, David bought Mustang airframe and engine parts at sales and auctions whenever he could find them, often by the rail carload. In 1966, David’s company was made the sole franchised distributor for Rolls-Royce Merlin engines, spare parts, and allied equipment in the Western Hemisphere by Rolls-Royce.
David served in the U.S. Army Reserve from 1942 to 1949 as a field artillery officer and served in the Pacific theater of operations during World War II. He passed away in 2009.