| Youngest P-38 Pilot, Take Three Reprinted from January 1995 edition of "Lighting Strikes"
William P. ""Bill" Lear, Jr., chairman of Lear, Inc., read with interest our May 1994 issue about the contest between Stan Ordway and Lincoln Jones as to who was the youngest P-38 pilot. Ordway had soloed his P-38 at the age of 18 years, 293 days while Jones soloed for the first time at age 18 years, 317 days. Lear is throwing his hat into the ring for youngest P-38 pilot. "I believe that I can truly claim the record for being the youngest pilot to fly the P-38. On May 20, 1946, at age 17 years, 321 days, I purchased P-38L-F5G (sin 44-53026 with only 18 hrs, 20 min. airtime) from War Assets Administration (W AA) at Kingman, AZ, for the grand sum of $1,250 -- plus some small amount for two new 165-gallon drop tanks. The price included filling all internal tanks (422 gallons). On that day, I flew my newly acquired Lightning from Kingman to Compton, CA, where I made my first landing on a 3,000-foot dirt strip. My check-out consisted of a WAA mechanic getting in the cockpit, starting both engines, getting out, strapping me in and telling me to wait until everything was in the green before pushing her up to 54". Bill tells us he was also the youngest pilot to have ever flown the Bendix Race in 1946 (18) and again in 1947 (19).
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