P-38 Hardstand

by John Stanaway

Hitting the Nylon from a P-38

One of the ceaseless arguments I have had with various folks about the P‑38 is the matter of taking to the parachute from the central P‑38 cockpit.  One WWII SBD Dauntless gunner veteran shook his head in resolute deference when I turned hoarse trying to convince him that I had interviewed more than one pilot who had bailed out successfully from a P‑38 cockpit.  The 20th Fighter Group records at least forty-two P‑38 pilots in the caterpillar club; guys who had successfully parachuted from altitudes of a few hundred feet to nearly 30,000. 

The general feeling was that the broad horizontal stabilizer behind the cockpit would strike the pilot on his way out and either break his legs or perhaps slice him in two.  These same people who hold that belief simply wave off the question of what happens to the evacuee of a more conventional fighter who must encounter either the rear fuselage or the horizontal stabilizer of his own type.  That peril was a real consideration for pilots abandoning the P‑40, P‑47 or P‑51 types (the P‑39 pilot had another worry when he had to lean forward to clear the automobile type door of the old Airacobra).

One 55th Fighter Group veteran confided to me that when the time came there was no problem psychologically leaving a doomed airplane.  In the case of the P‑38, the pilot wanted to reduce speed to just above stalling and either nose up the fighter, which would tend to pitch the pilot over the horizontal stabilizer, or to nose it down, which tended to pitch him under the stabilizer.  The real danger was striking the mass balances which protruded above and below the elevator.  Mustang pilots faced the danger of bouncing off the rear fuselage and slamming into the horizontal stabilizer.  In any event, the noble Mustang dropped like a rock around the stalling point, so it was a devil to slow enough to get out.  Talk about a difficult airplane from which to bail out!

One of the 55th pilots who swore about the flaws of the P‑38 was General Ed Giller, and he maintained that the ’38 was more difficult to abandon in flight.  Some pilots claimed that if everything else failed there was always the option of turning the P‑38 on its back and simply falling out.  Giller said that nobody in the 55th even considered that route of escape.  Like everything else about the P‑38 in Europe, the subject of bailing out was a matter of controversy, but the truth is that it was not all that difficult to get out of a stricken Lightning. (Both illustrations are from the P-38 Flight Training video.

P-38 National Association News

DONATIONS

We thank all of those who have showed that extra measure of support for the P‑38 Association by sending in these generous donations during the past month:

LIVE P-38 DEMONSTRATION

If you missed the posting on our blog, check out the Planes of Fame website about the upcoming event (April 4). some of our members, including "Fox &Ox" (Jack olson and Thomas Oxford) and will be participating and they are scheduled to have a P‑38 in the air.

new board members elected

On March 17, we elected (or re-elected) our new slate of Directors and Officers. Ron Smith, who has served admirably well during the past three years, stepped down and Bob Alvis was elected as our new President. If you'd like to see the full slate, you can check them out here.

museum upgrade

If you haven't stopped by the Museum lately, you really should. The complete transformation that has taken place under the aegis of Howard Ramshorn is truly incredible. Howie and Lowell Stacy have organized, beautified and just generally improved in every aspect the totality of the Museum. We now have beautiful displays and a proper docents area and gift shop (thanks also to Bob Alvis). When our Honorary Chairman, Dick Willsie, and his wife Marilyn stopped by after a recent Board meeting, they were completely amazed at the improvements. Enough said. Come.

archie jackson exhibit moving right along

Bob Alvis just returned from yet another trip to the Planes of Fame in Valle, AZ, where he is continuing work on our special exhibit at their Museum. The exhibit will have two purposes, the main one of which is to honor one of our Life Members, the late Archie "Gil" Jackson, who was such a tremendous support to the P‑38 Association. The other purpose of the exhibit is to let visitors to the Museum know about our organization, so a part of the exhibit will be dedicated exclusively to that. The photo on the left shows the bare bones of the exhibit, which will be completed by the June Membership meeting and unveiled and dedicated at that event. Archie's family is also planning to attend the ceremony. (As usual, you can click on the photo to enlarge.)

GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING UPDATE

We now have a page on our website dedicated to the upcoming General Membership Meeting in AZ this summer. This is where you can find all the latest agenda and information updates. It's shaping up to be a great time, with the dedication of the new P‑38 exhibit at the Planes of Fame Museum in Valle, the developing P-38 History Panel and possible P-38 flight (ride along) possibilities. Check it out here.