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Posted: 10/25/2013 9:08:16 PM EDT
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Posted: 10/25/2013 9:27:46 PM EDT
[#1]
Mmmm...they ruled the skys in Air Warrior online....
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Posted: 10/25/2013 9:36:18 PM EDT
[#2]
Sex on wings.
Very beautiful plane. |
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Posted: 10/25/2013 9:41:49 PM EDT
[#3]
I fell in love with that design when I was just a kid first looking at WWII airplanes. It has always been my favorite aircraft. Kelly Johnson was a brilliant man, and almost got me to switch my preference to the SR-71 Blackbird, but she must remain a close second.
So damned few of them are still flying. |
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Posted: 10/25/2013 9:43:28 PM EDT
[#4]
That is one plane I have never seen fly in real life. I think in all my years I can only remember seeing one or two as static displays at airshows. The only problem is the props turn in the wrong direction for single engine stability.
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Posted: 10/25/2013 9:50:58 PM EDT
[#5]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
That is one plane I have never seen fly in real life. I think in all my years I can only remember seeing one or two as static displays at airshows. The only problem is the props turn in the wrong direction for single engine stability. Should have seen the Lightings in RAF service after their requests for mods. It would make your head shake. |
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Posted: 10/25/2013 9:55:53 PM EDT
[#6]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Sex on wings. Very beautiful plane. The first few iterations were apparently death traps, the late war models were quite lethal though. Batter engines and boosted hydraulics IIRC. |
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Posted: 10/25/2013 10:02:26 PM EDT
[#7]
My last AF Squadron was the 339th Flight Test Squadron. Historically that unit designation was a continuation of the 339th Fighter Squadron flying the P-38 in the Pacific which was the unit that shot down Adm Yamamoto. We hosted a reunion of the 339th at Robins AFB around 2002. Was able to meet some of the guys who flew the mission to shoot down Yamamoto. To this day there is still some friction as to whom actually shot him down.
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Posted: 10/25/2013 10:05:58 PM EDT
[#8]
There are still some up in Greenland just waiting to be taken home.
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Posted: 10/25/2013 10:18:53 PM EDT
[#9]
This is Lefty Gardner's old P-38, "White Lightning." Lefty used to race her at Reno and would do one of the smoothest aerobatics demos with her as well. This guy was as smooth as Bob Hoover, and was racing Reno in his late 70's, early 80's. Great stick!! Nobody ran the pylons lower than Lefty.
Some years back, Lefty's son was flying the plane and had an inflight fire. He basically ended up putting her down in a field. A fair amount of damage. They were having a tough time financially, getting her put back together, if I recall the story correctly. They ended up selling her to the Red Bull guy and he paid for a first class renovation. Unfortunately, her new home is in England instead of Texas, but it is always good to see birds like this, in this kind of condition. |
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Posted: 10/25/2013 10:30:00 PM EDT
[#10]
My favorite prop plane, bar none
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Posted: 10/25/2013 10:46:51 PM EDT
[#11]
There is so many cool videos on youtube about the P-38 - old training videos, flight operations, gun camera film...etc.
Here is the training film, but you should really browse through the others too 
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Posted: 10/25/2013 10:48:56 PM EDT
[#12]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Sex on wings. Very beautiful plane. Yep! |
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Posted: 10/25/2013 11:05:15 PM EDT
[#13]
Sexy!
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Posted: 10/25/2013 11:25:04 PM EDT
[#14]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
There are still some up in Greenland just waiting to be taken home. Under 1/2 a mile of ice??? |
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Posted: 10/26/2013 3:54:10 AM EDT
[#15]
now that is sexy............
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Posted: 10/26/2013 4:10:46 AM EDT
[#16]
I always wondered how they would have performed with a pair of Merlins like the Mosquito had. |
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Posted: 10/26/2013 4:11:50 AM EDT
[#17]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Under 1/2 a mile of ice??? Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
There are still some up in Greenland just waiting to be taken home. Under 1/2 a mile of ice??? Oh come on, they already got ONE out, it can't be THAT difficult, can it?? |
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Posted: 10/26/2013 4:16:03 AM EDT
[#18]
Great video and a lot of great comments here. Thanks everyone.
I noticed a Fokker DR I, a Sopwith Triplane, a Tiger Moth, two Spitfires including a clipped wing Spitfire. 
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Posted: 10/26/2013 4:23:09 AM EDT
[#19]
Makes my pants a little tight.
Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
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Posted: 10/26/2013 4:25:54 AM EDT
[#20]
Flies like a pregnant yak in WarThunder.
Kharn |
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Posted: 10/26/2013 4:38:01 AM EDT
[#21]
This life-long fan of the P38 thanks you for the video, OP
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Posted: 10/26/2013 4:44:34 AM EDT
[#22]
Big fan of the P-38, my most vivid memory is building the model and like most kids who slept or take their favorite toy everywhere. Well that wasn't a good idea, to take my model with me to the store and leave it on the dash of the car with the sun.
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Posted: 10/26/2013 4:44:46 AM EDT
[#23]
I'll be in my bunk.
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Posted: 10/26/2013 5:31:01 AM EDT
[#24]
Just the best looking lines on any aircraft. One that I absolutely love. Notice avatar.
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Posted: 10/26/2013 9:20:48 AM EDT
[#25]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
My last AF Squadron was the 339th Flight Test Squadron. Historically that unit designation was a continuation of the 339th Fighter Squadron flying the P-38 in the Pacific which was the unit that shot down Adm Yamamoto. We hosted a reunion of the 339th at Robins AFB around 2002. Was able to meet some of the guys who flew the mission to shoot down Yamamoto. To this day there is still some friction as to whom actually shot him down. Quote HistoryQuoted:
My last AF Squadron was the 339th Flight Test Squadron. Historically that unit designation was a continuation of the 339th Fighter Squadron flying the P-38 in the Pacific which was the unit that shot down Adm Yamamoto. We hosted a reunion of the 339th at Robins AFB around 2002. Was able to meet some of the guys who flew the mission to shoot down Yamamoto. To this day there is still some friction as to whom actually shot him down. 
Quoted:
Just the best looking lines on any aircraft. One that I absolutely love. Notice avatar. Hey, man, you too?! 
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Posted: 10/26/2013 9:30:19 AM EDT
[#26]
Truly a thing of beauty.
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Posted: 10/26/2013 9:39:41 AM EDT
[#27]
My grand parents in Italy were straffed by one in Italy in 1945.. They where in church when a twin forked devil straffed the building.
No one was hurt, but the building sported the 20mm impact until the late 80 Later they learned that Germans had an observation post in another church in the region, but the pilots straffed the wrong one |
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Posted: 10/26/2013 9:41:18 AM EDT
[#28]
Kelly Johnson dreamed of beautiful things.
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Posted: 10/26/2013 9:54:49 AM EDT
[#29]
Cool
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Posted: 10/26/2013 9:59:42 AM EDT
[#30]
Beautiful plane
Problem is, that the Germans never called it the Gabelschwanzteufel. |
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Posted: 10/26/2013 10:09:34 AM EDT
[#31]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
This life-long fan of the P38 thanks you for the video, OP Second that. They are beautiful machines. My favorite of all. |
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Posted: 10/26/2013 10:19:32 AM EDT
[#32]
My great uncle flew one in Europe, until he got shot down.
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Posted: 10/26/2013 10:19:53 AM EDT
[#33]
Love the Lightning.
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Posted: 10/26/2013 10:22:03 AM EDT
[#34]
Quote HistoryQuoted: There is so many cool videos on youtube about the P-38 - old training videos, flight operations, gun camera film...etc. Here is the training film, but you should really browse through the others too  http://youtu.be/H6HbmQLcDUI |
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Posted: 10/26/2013 10:22:31 AM EDT
[#35]
She is a sexy beast.
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Posted: 10/26/2013 10:29:18 AM EDT
[#36]
My favorite WWII warbird.
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Posted: 10/26/2013 10:30:25 AM EDT
[#37]
My mom grew up in northeast Nebraska and during WWII there was a training base for 38's near. They used to buzz the town and railway to practice ground attack.
She said they constantly had 38's, 17's and 24's in the air buzzing the town and they would stand outside with their arms spread and rock back and forth, trying to get the pilots to waggle their wings at them. She said they would be ecstatic when they waggled back. My mom says it is one of her best memories as a little girl, but she wondered how many of those boys never came home. Her cousin was a B24 waist gunner and made 18 missions before they got knocked down on #19, only to spend the remainder (14 months) in a Luftstalag. Little known trivia, Americas top ace, Richard Bong jockeyed a P-38 |
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Posted: 10/26/2013 10:47:58 AM EDT
[#38]
I find it sad that the 'Fork Tailed Devil' has become the 'Forked Tail Eunuch' with the removal of it's armament.
Even fake barrels would keep it looking the part. |
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Posted: 10/26/2013 10:57:14 AM EDT
[#39]
A couple pics from the Hazy museum, and some from Oshkosh (2008?).            |
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Posted: 10/26/2013 10:57:28 AM EDT
[#40]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I find it sad that the 'Fork Tailed Devil' has become the 'Forked Tail Eunuch' with the removal of it's armament. Even fake barrels would keep it looking the part. There were quite a few F-4 and F-5 photo recon variants that never had guns. Some of those were real hotrods, with every last wire and bolt of combat equipment stripped out and the throttle stops removed. My grandfather's squadron in the 12th AF / 3rd PRG had a P-38F that they had pulling upwards of 70" of manifold pressure at sea level. They pulled the gun mounts, gun wiring, armor plate, EVERYTHING. It was closer to an air racer with cameras than a warplane, and it kept quite a few pilots alive with the extra speed. |
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Posted: 10/26/2013 10:57:52 AM EDT
[#41]
Quote HistoryQuoted: My last AF Squadron was the 339th Flight Test Squadron. Historically that unit designation was a continuation of the 339th Fighter Squadron flying the P-38 in the Pacific which was the unit that shot down Adm Yamamoto. We hosted a reunion of the 339th at Robins AFB around 2002. Was able to meet some of the guys who flew the mission to shoot down Yamamoto. To this day there is still some friction as to whom actually shot him down. Saw a P38 at the Phoenix Indy race in 74 or 75, he made a screaming diving pass through the little nook in the mountains where the raceway sits, must have been doing 500mph.
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Posted: 10/26/2013 11:02:26 AM EDT
[#42]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Mmmm...they ruled the skys in Air Warrior online.... If so, I'm Jelly.
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Posted: 10/26/2013 11:41:08 AM EDT
[#43]
Quote HistoryQuoted: There were quite a few F-4 and F-5 photo recon variants that never had guns. Some of those were real hotrods, with every last wire and bolt of combat equipment stripped out and the throttle stops removed. My grandfather's squadron in the 12th AF / 3rd PRG had a P-38F that they had pulling upwards of 70" of manifold pressure at sea level. They pulled the gun mounts, gun wiring, armor plate, EVERYTHING. It was closer to an air racer with cameras than a warplane, and it kept quite a few pilots alive with the extra speed. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: I find it sad that the 'Fork Tailed Devil' has become the 'Forked Tail Eunuch' with the removal of it's armament. Even fake barrels would keep it looking the part. There were quite a few F-4 and F-5 photo recon variants that never had guns. Some of those were real hotrods, with every last wire and bolt of combat equipment stripped out and the throttle stops removed. My grandfather's squadron in the 12th AF / 3rd PRG had a P-38F that they had pulling upwards of 70" of manifold pressure at sea level. They pulled the gun mounts, gun wiring, armor plate, EVERYTHING. It was closer to an air racer with cameras than a warplane, and it kept quite a few pilots alive with the extra speed. I'll be damned. Live and learn, eh? Thanks. |
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Posted: 10/26/2013 11:59:00 AM EDT
[#44]
There was also a pathfinder variant of the P38 with the armament removed and a plexiglas nose with a Norden bomb sight and space for a bombardier added. Monogram had a kit which included parts to build one.
Based on the pics I've seen it must have been a pretty small dude crammed into that space though. |
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Posted: 10/26/2013 12:04:46 PM EDT
[#45]
How does a P-38 Lightning compare to a P-61 Black Widow?
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Posted: 10/26/2013 12:08:56 PM EDT
[#46]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
How does a P-38 Lightning compare to a P-61 Black Widow? P38 faster with liquid cooled Allison engines. There was a night-fighter variant of the P38 with radar and an extra crewman behind the pilot but the radar set was small and primitive. P61 bigger and slower with air cooled PW Double Wasps. P61 also had exceptional low speed maneuverability due to spoilers. P61 better armed with 4 20mm cannons and 4 50 cal in a turret (which was usually fixed to fire forward only. |
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Posted: 10/26/2013 1:46:19 PM EDT
[#47]
I have a RC P-38 with a 73" wing span. Its the best sounding RC I have, its also the scariest to fly. Its fully glassed kit with air retracts, its heavy for its wing area. Im not sure it will fly/land on a single engine and I hope I never have to find out. Im sure it will go in one day and it will be a VERY sad day. This is the only picture I can find of it, I know, its pretty small. Thats my beagle Buddy standing next to it. He is 16" and 32 pounds. Ya I know, the bars and star are on the wrong side. Don't give me any shit.  |
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Posted: 10/26/2013 2:19:04 PM EDT
[#48]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
My mom grew up in northeast Nebraska and during WWII there was a training base for 38's near. They used to buzz the town and railway to practice ground attack. She said they constantly had 38's, 17's and 24's in the air buzzing the town and they would stand outside with their arms spread and rock back and forth, trying to get the pilots to waggle their wings at them. She said they would be ecstatic when they waggled back. My mom says it is one of her best memories as a little girl, but she wondered how many of those boys never came home. Her cousin was a B24 waist gunner and made 18 missions before they got knocked down on #19, only to spend the remainder (14 months) in a Luftstalag. Little known trivia, Americas top ace, Richard Bong jockeyed a P-38 He also looped the Golden Gate Bridge and buzzed down a street in San Fran. They say he took some laundry with him as he flew by. |
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Posted: 10/27/2013 5:40:37 AM EDT
[#49]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
He also looped the Golden Gate Bridge and buzzed down a street in San Fran. They say he took some laundry with him as he flew by. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
My mom grew up in northeast Nebraska and during WWII there was a training base for 38's near. They used to buzz the town and railway to practice ground attack. She said they constantly had 38's, 17's and 24's in the air buzzing the town and they would stand outside with their arms spread and rock back and forth, trying to get the pilots to waggle their wings at them. She said they would be ecstatic when they waggled back. My mom says it is one of her best memories as a little girl, but she wondered how many of those boys never came home. Her cousin was a B24 waist gunner and made 18 missions before they got knocked down on #19, only to spend the remainder (14 months) in a Luftstalag. Little known trivia, Americas top ace, Richard Bong jockeyed a P-38 He also looped the Golden Gate Bridge and buzzed down a street in San Fran. They say he took some laundry with him as he flew by. Very well could have been the first American in space if he hadn't died testing a P80. |
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