Hello P-38 Fans:

Welcome to 2009.  Hope yours is starting out on a good foot.

Well, after missing last month due to the holidays, we promised you some great stuff in January, and we think we've delivered. 

I should also let you know that as time goes by, we're getting more content than can easily be covered each month in the newsletter. I think this is probably a good thing...but, if you've sent us a photo or article and it hasn't appeared yet, please be patient.  We're peddling as fast as we can and will hopefully get it all covered soon!

Kelly

IN THIS EDITION

• New P-38 Documentary

• P-38s on the Web

• Scatterbrain Kid Airworthy?

• P-38 Construction Photos

• Lefty Gardner

• Red Bull P-38 Still Here

• Tangerine Update

• One for the Ladies

• P-38 Blog

• Another Tatt?

• Finally Home

• Bong Center Renamed

• Website Focus

• P-38 Hardstand by John Stanaway

• P-38 Association News

• Hot Product of the Month

• New Members

• Newsletter Archives

SPECIAL NOTICE:

Due to the fierceness of today's spam filters, we are making this newsletter available from our website in the future, rather than fighting all the filters by trying to deliver it through email. We will send you a note each month when the current issue is available, and you can then visit it at our site. 

This would also enable us to include videos, etc., which we cannot do now.

Questions?  Feedback? Let us know what you think.  If we don't receive any compelling reason, this new policy will begin with next month's issue.  Thanks.

If you're not receiving a copy of this newsletter, you can begin by signing up here.

New P-38 Documentary

Filmmaker Josh Baxter has just completed a new documentary called "Injury Slight...Please Advise" about the WWII survival story of Col. Charles O'Sullivan, who crash landed his plane in the jungles of New Guinea in 1943, and wound up in a headhunter's village!  We will be having a review of the film next month, but I wanted to give you a chance to visit Josh's excellent website about the film now. It includes this trailer of the movie and is well worth a visit!

P-38 Photos on the Web

23-Skidoo (Courtesy of Kevin Baquet)

Bill Ross' P-38 (Courtesy of Pat Carry)

Scatterbrain Kid to Fly Again?

Scatterbrain Kid II has been registered by Vulcan Warbirds (Paul Allen's company) and will be located in their beautiful Flying Heritage Collection in Everett, WA.  We have heard (from someone who would definitely know) that it's pretty much of a train wreck and will take a lot of TLC to get flyable again.  However, if anyone has the bucks to do it, that would be FHC who restores their warbirds to pristine condition. Perhaps they'll do something about that paint scheme?

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One for the Ladies

We received a nice email from one of our subscribers, Thomas Voehringer, who sent us a photo of these P-38 earrings that he picked up at a garage sale in Burbank (I'll bet from a former Lockheed employee!). This was, of course, in the pre-pierced earrings days. You can enlarge them by clicking the photo.

Another P-38 Tatt

Here is one from our membership publication, Lightning Strikes, awhile back.  I’ve also included the original 38 (Seattle Slugger) which was the inspiration. (Enlarge by selecting pics.)

P-38 Construction Photos

For those of you who just can't get enough information about the P-38, we've just added some classic photos to our website which show the P-38 in all phases of production. The accompanying text is as originally written, so some is a bit "vague" due to security concerns at the time.

Lefty Gardner's Passing

In case you missed the announcement in our blog, or haven't heard since, "Lefty" Gardner, owner of the P-38 he named White Lightnin', folded his wings on Christmas eve.  You can read the whole story here.  We have sent our condolences to his son, Ladd, and the entire Gardner family.

Red Bull P-38 Still Here!

We've heard various stories as to exactly WHY she's still here, but she is.  And we're happy about that, of course. We'll keep you posted.

Tangerine Update

We've heard from Christian Gurling, Museum Curator at Tillamook Air Museum, that they have plans to dust off Tangerine and get her in the air again, also.  Fingers crossed!  Seems like the public is clamoring to see these 38s in the air and not just on display gathering dust in a museum.  He was nice enough to send us a beautiful shot of Tangerine, which you can view here and promised to keep us posted on her status.
 

P-38 Blog

We're finding more and more P-38 sites joining the "blogosphere" -- including this one at WWII Vehicles.

Finally Home

Although we will be having a complete write-up on the Ray Packer story in an upcoming issue of the "Lightning Strikes" membership publication, I thought you all would enjoy reading this incredible saga.
 

Bong Museum Renamed

The Richard Bong Heritage Center, named of course after America's top WWII ace (in his P-38 Marge)   in a gesture of support for all military vets, has been renamed the Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center. Located in Superior, WI, they have a real P‑38 - if you're in the area and would like to see one up close.

And if you're ever in Iowa City, stop by the Alexis Park Inn and ask to stay in their "P-38 Lightning" suite. 
 

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Website Focus

Visit us on the web. Here's a sample of one of our current website sections:

	We've just added this new section to our website. If you shop at eBay anyway, shopping through this link will help out the P‑38 Association, sponsors of this newsletter. (Our focus, of course, is P‑38 items, but selecting the "View All" link at the bottom will take you to the regular eBay website.) RETURN TO TOP

P-38 Hardstand
By John Stanaway

The service history of the P-38 is rather obscure in the postwar period. One story of its use was experienced by a Navy veteran who used a late model P-38L or F5, modified for low altitude experimental work. This is Pat Hall’s story in his own words:

My son Dave, who wrote you, hadn't heard the full story of the "Navy" P-38 I flew in. It had nothing to do with my fulltime duties at the U.S. Naval Air Missile Test Center, Point Mugu or my much later duties aboard the USS ESSEX.

I was an aerial photographer for the Navy, working at Point Mugu, the Navy's missile testing base. The photo lab there had an abundance of photogs so when someone needed a small light weight aerial photographer, I got the call. {I was only 5''6" and 125 pounds) I flew down to NOTS Inyokern (the Naval Ordnance Testing Center) at China Lake, where they wanted to see if it was feasible for a photographer to operate in a jump seat behind the pilot of a P-38. I was given a K-20 camera, which was the manual version of the electrical-powered K-25.

We then spent some time introducing me to the modified cockpit, which was a little scary, a tiny jump-seat installed behind the pilot. I do not know what model of the plane this was, but I am sure it was not one of the extended cockpit models, the L series? (I don't even know if it was a NAVY P-38--I assumed it was--or an AIR FORCE P-38 borrowed from them) It looked to me like a standard P-38 where the metal workers had cut away some of the cockpit outline behind the pilot, enlarging the area back there, taken out all the equipment (batteries? radio? etc.?) and installed a tiny jump seat.

My instructions were these: That I was I was to have no oxygen since I wouldn't need it because the flight would be at very low levels. That the mission was only to determine if there was enough room for one to make oblique photos at low altitudes aiming forward at about 10 and 2 o'clock when the plane would bank at speeds.

I was introduced to the pilot. I don't remember his name but do recall that he was blond. He was in typical flight suit with no designators that I noticed. I assumed he was Navy. He told me that while I would wear a seat-pack chute there was probably no way I could ever use it if something happened because I could not get out of the cockpit and if either one of us could, we would probably be too low for the chute to open anyway, and asked if I agreed to this. I said did and squeezed into the area in the back of the pilot and sat on the jump seat. Then the pilot got in and we took off, certainly an experience in itself.

We made several passes at buildings on the edges of NOTS and then areas of landscape near the base. The flight probably lasted 20 minutes tops. We flew mostly at altitudes of about 750-1,000 feet. I made as many pictures as possible, but it was extremely difficult to aim, shoot, and then cock the camera due to the limit of space. We then landed and I had to be "pulled" out of the cockpit sideways. I turned the camera over to the base photo lab and never saw the pictures myself. I spent three more days at NOTS during which I was on stand-by for anything else they might need me for. Nothing developed and I flew back to Mugu.

(It was not unusual for things like this to happen as this was an experimental time for the services and for the missile program especially. At Mugu we trucked our Regulus missile up to Edwards AFB often to launch it for remote control flights. At other launches I flew from Oxnard AFB in an Air Force F-94 to try to photograph a very high speed missile which our Navy T-33's could not keep up with.)

Charles "Pat" Hall
Cheyenne, Wyoming

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P‑38 National Association News

SECOND ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

At the last membership meeting, it was moved and unanimously approved that we hold our second annual membership meeting again this year at the Planes of Fame Valle, AZ, location in June.  We will be posting updated info as more details are nailed down, but for the moment mark your calendars for June 26-27.  There is no charge for the meeting, so your only expense will be getting there and booking the hotel.  We are planning to make the same arrangements as last year with the Holiday Inn in Williams, AZ, but will let you know for sure when we know.

And plan a visit to the Grand Canyon while you are there...it's right on the way.  As a matter of fact, the museum is on the ONLY road in and out of the Grand Canyon, so you can't miss it!

The current plans are to bring in 23-Skidoo, the P-38 from Chino, but a lot depends on the expense involved, so will keep you posted.  (Hint: you may have a chance to squish yourself into the P-38 for a ride along, but we won't know for sure for another few weeks.  So, stay tuned!)

Holiday Party a Big Success

The party hosted by Ron & Marilyn Smith was a HUGE success this year. I think we had more people there than at any time in the near past -- don't know how they squeezed us all in, but they did.  Fortunately, the Smith's have a big, beautiful home with lots of rooms for wandering in and out of.  There will be photos in the March issue of Lightning Strikes, so keep an eye peeled.

archie exhibit

The P-38 Association has plans for a "Project Satellite" program, where we will be placing exhibits in various aviation museums around the country.  Our first such exhibit will be at the Planes of Fame Valle, AZ, location and will be dedicated to Association Life Member, the late Archie Jackson.  It's our intention to have each Satellite exhibit dedicated to one of our Life Members, and Archie's exhibit is the first.  So, you've got another good reason to come to the Membership meeting!

DUES RENEWAL

Just a reminder to those of you who haven't paid your annual dues yet that once our Membership Chairman,  Steve Blake, sends you the renewal reminder you should get your dues in right away so as not to miss any issues of Lightning Strikes.  They just seem to be getting better and better with each issue, don't they?  If you haven't handled that yet, you can renew from this page of our website.

donations

The donations have been pouring in like crazy the last few weeks, and we just wanted to take a quick minute to thank all of those who have showed that extra measure of support for the P-38 Association by sending in these generous donations in the months of December 08 and January 09.  So, thanks to:

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2009 P‑38 CALENDAR

$16.00
(REGULARLY $17.00)

THIS MONTHLY SPECIAL
IS OVER

Purchase at regular price here