Lockheed P-38 Survivors
Encyclopedia
Lockheed P-38 survivors highlights the history of many well known flying and static displayed P-38 Lightnings in the United States
. A list is also provided of other P-38s on display around the world; including location, model and serial numbers, brief history, nicknames/markings, and conditions.
. The P-38 was quickly declared obsolete in 1946 and the last USAF flight was in 1948.
This was an extremely complicated aircraft to maintain. The P-38 Lightning has been consistently on the civil registry since 1946 since the first aircraft were released from the military. It does remain a demanding aircraft with numerous crash incidents; several of the surviving planes have been rebuilt many times.
A considerable number of late model Lightnings which had been converted by Lockheed to Photo Reconnaissance (F-5) models found a niche with photo mapping companies and until the middle 1960s these aircraft earned their keep through photo mapping assignments around the globe. Additionally, the latest military use of the P-38 was with several South American air forces, the largest of these being which operated the Lockheed Lightning until the early 1960s. There were also a small number of P-38s that were purchased after the war for civilian air racing. It is from these sources that until the early 1980s all the remaining stocks of the P-38 Lightning could be drawn from.
One historic note was that in 1948, representatives of the then-new country of South Korea
attempted to purchase the brand new P-38L Lightnings stored in the Philippines (approximately 100 aircraft). Instead, the USAF persuaded them to accept AT-6
s modified to ground attack role as well as worn out P-51D Mustangs; the brand new P-38s were destroyed.
As with all remaining warbirds, collectors began scouring the world for forgotten aircraft. From the jungle of New Guinea
, the wildness of Alaska
and under the ice of Greenland
are but some of the places previously-unrestorable wrecked airframes are being recovered and being restored for both static display and airworthy exhibition.
On display
Under restoration
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. A list is also provided of other P-38s on display around the world; including location, model and serial numbers, brief history, nicknames/markings, and conditions.
Background
In late 1945 when the last P-38 came off the production line, 9,923 aircraft had been delivered to the USAAFUnited States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
. The P-38 was quickly declared obsolete in 1946 and the last USAF flight was in 1948.
This was an extremely complicated aircraft to maintain. The P-38 Lightning has been consistently on the civil registry since 1946 since the first aircraft were released from the military. It does remain a demanding aircraft with numerous crash incidents; several of the surviving planes have been rebuilt many times.
A considerable number of late model Lightnings which had been converted by Lockheed to Photo Reconnaissance (F-5) models found a niche with photo mapping companies and until the middle 1960s these aircraft earned their keep through photo mapping assignments around the globe. Additionally, the latest military use of the P-38 was with several South American air forces, the largest of these being which operated the Lockheed Lightning until the early 1960s. There were also a small number of P-38s that were purchased after the war for civilian air racing. It is from these sources that until the early 1980s all the remaining stocks of the P-38 Lightning could be drawn from.
One historic note was that in 1948, representatives of the then-new country of South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
attempted to purchase the brand new P-38L Lightnings stored in the Philippines (approximately 100 aircraft). Instead, the USAF persuaded them to accept AT-6
T-6 Texan
The North American Aviation T-6 Texan was a single-engine advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces, United States Navy, Royal Air Force and other air forces of the British Commonwealth during World War II and into the 1950s...
s modified to ground attack role as well as worn out P-51D Mustangs; the brand new P-38s were destroyed.
As with all remaining warbirds, collectors began scouring the world for forgotten aircraft. From the jungle of New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
, the wildness of Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
and under the ice of Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
are but some of the places previously-unrestorable wrecked airframes are being recovered and being restored for both static display and airworthy exhibition.
Individual histories
- Glacier GirlGlacier GirlGlacier Girl is a Lockheed P-38F-1-LO Lightning World War II fighter plane, 41-7630, c/n 222-5757, that was restored to flying condition after being buried beneath the ice of the remote Greenland Ice Sheet for over 50 years.- History :...
(41-7630), this P-38F-1 flown by 1st Lt. Harry L. Smith, Jr., 94th Fighter Squadron, was one of six P-38 fighters of the 1st Fighter Group1st Operations GroupThe 1st Operations Group is the flying component of the 1st Fighter Wing, assigned to the USAF Air Combat Command. The group is stationed at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. The 1st Operations Group is the oldest major air combat unit in the United States Air Force, being a successor organization...
escorting two B-17 bombers on a ferry flight to the United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
as part of Operation BoleroOperation BoleroOperation Bolero was the commonly used reference for the code name of the United States military troop buildup in Great Britain during World War II in preparation for the initial cross-channel invasion plan known as Operation Roundup...
on 15 July 1942. While en route over GreenlandGreenlandGreenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
, bad weather caused the eight aircraft to turn back, the entire flight attempting to land together before they ran out of fuel. Although one P-38 overturned, the flight successfully belly-landed. The crews were rescued within a few days, but the airplanes were abandoned and, over the years, covered by ice. A few attempts to salvage the airplanes were made but were unsuccessful. Eventually, Roy Shoffner—a businessman from Middlesboro, Kentucky—acquired the salvage rights and in 1992, 50 years after the planes landed, a P-38 recovery mission was undertaken. Using photos taken by the original crews while they were awaiting rescue as well as modern seismographic equipment, the salvage workers located the buried squadron and selected the least damaged of the planes. They reached it by boring a hole using hot water through the layer of ice 268 feet thick. The airplane was transported to Middlesboro, where a ten-year restoration began using many parts from late model aircraft. Nicknamed Glacier Girl, the restored P-38F Lightning made its first post-restoration flight on 26 October 2002.
- Maid of Harlech (41-7677) P-38F-1LO ex-49th Squadron, 14th Fighter Group, 8th Air Force, in the summer of 2007 this aircraft was discovered on a beach in Wales, having been buried in the sand for 65 years. A wingtip had come off the aircraft during its belly landing, but the pilot—Second Lt. Robert F. 'Fred' Elliot—escaped unhurt. Elliot was on a gunnery practice mission when a fuel supply error forced him to make an emergency landing. American airmen salvaged the nose guns but were unable to fly the fighter off the beach, abandoning it in place where it became covered by naturally shifting sand. Elliot was shot down less than three months later while flying combat missions over Tunisia. His body and aircraft were never found.
Australia
On display- P-38H Lightning, s/n 42-66841 is on display at the Classic Jets Fighter Museum in South AustraliaSouth AustraliaSouth Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
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United States
Airworthy- P-38F Lightning, s/n 41-7630 is airworthy and owned by the Lewis Vintage Collection LLC in San Antonio, TexasSan Antonio, TexasSan Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
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- P-38J Lightning, s/n 44-23314 is airworthy and owned by Planes of FamePlanes of FamePlanes of Fame Air Museum is an aviation museum located in Chino, California, and Valle, Arizona. The museum has many flying and static aircraft, along with multiple rare examples under restoration.-History:...
in Chino, CaliforniaChino, CaliforniaChino is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. It is located in the western end of the Riverside-San Bernardino Area and it is easily accessible via the Chino Valley and Pomona freeways....
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- P-38L Lightning, s/n 44-26981 is airworthy and owned by the Vintage Fighters LLC in Sun Valley, IdahoSun Valley, IdahoSun Valley is a resort city in Blaine County in the central part of the U.S. state of Idaho, adjacent to the city of Ketchum, lying within the greater Wood River valley. Tourists from around the world enjoy its skiing, hiking, ice skating, trail riding, tennis, and cycling. The population was 1,427...
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- P-38L Lightning, s/n 44-27053 is airworthy and owned by the War Eagles Air Museum in Santa Teresa, New MexicoSanta Teresa, New MexicoSanta Teresa is a census-designated place in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 2,607 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Las Cruces Metropolitan Statistical Area, although geographically it is considerably closer to El Paso, Texas than to Las Cruces.-Geography:Santa...
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- P-38L Lightning, s/n 44-27083 is airworthy and owned by the Tillamook Air MuseumTillamook Air MuseumTillamook Air Museum is an aviation museum located south of Tillamook, Oregon at Tillamook Airport . The museum is housed in a former military blimp hangar, called "Hangar B", which is the largest clear-span wooden structure in the world...
in Tillamook, OregonTillamook, OregonThe city of Tillamook is the county seat of Tillamook County, Oregon, United States. The city is located on the southeast end of Tillamook Bay on the Pacific Ocean. The population was 4,352 at the 2000 census...
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- P-38L Lightning, s/n 44-27183 is airworthy and owned by the Yanks Air MuseumYanks Air MuseumThe Yanks Air Museum is a non-profit 501 organization dedicated to exhibiting, preserving and restoring American aircraft and artifacts.-Chino facility and exhibits:...
in Chino, CaliforniaChino, CaliforniaChino is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. It is located in the western end of the Riverside-San Bernardino Area and it is easily accessible via the Chino Valley and Pomona freeways....
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- P-38L Lightning, s/n 44-27231 is airworthy and owned by the N79123 LLC in Granite Falls, MinnesotaGranite Falls, MinnesotaAs of the census of 2000, there were 3,070 people, 1,344 households, and 806 families residing in the city. The population density was 890.5 people per square mile . There were 1,472 housing units at an average density of 427.0 per square mile...
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- P-38L Lightning, s/n 44-53087 is airworthy and owned by the Experimental Aircraft AssociationExperimental Aircraft AssociationThe Experimental Aircraft Association is an international organization of aviation enthusiasts based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Since its inception it has grown internationally with over 160,000 members and about 1,000 chapters worldwide....
in Oshkosh, WisconsinOshkosh, WisconsinAs of the census of 2000, there were 62,916 people, 24,082 households, and 13,654 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,662.2 people per square mile . There were 25,420 housing units at an average density of 1,075.6 per square mile...
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- P-38L Lightning, s/n 44-53095 is airworthy and owned Commanche Fighters LCC in Houston, TexasHouston, TexasHouston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
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- P-38L Lightning, s/n 44-53097 is airworthy and owned by the Museum of FlightMuseum of FlightThe Museum of Flight is a private non-profit air and space museum at King County International Airport , south of downtown Seattle, Washington. It was established in 1965 and is fully accredited by the American Association of Museums...
in Seattle, WashingtonSeattle, WashingtonSeattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
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- P-38L Lightning, s/n 44-53186 is airworthy and owned by the Evergreen Aviation MuseumEvergreen Aviation MuseumThe Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum is an aviation museum which displays a number of military and civilian aircraft and spacecraft, most notably, the Hughes H-4 Hercules "Spruce Goose". The museum is located in McMinnville, Oregon, across the street from the headquarters of Evergreen...
in McMinnville, OregonMcMinnville, OregonMcMinnville is the county seat and largest city of Yamhill County, Oregon, United States. According to Oregon Geographic Names, it was named by its founder, William T. Newby , an early immigrant on the Oregon Trail, for his hometown of McMinnville, Tennessee...
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- P-38L Lightning, s/n 44-53254 is airworthy and owned by Aircraft Guaranty Title Corp. Trustee in Onalaska, TexasOnalaska, TexasOnalaska is a city in Polk County, Texas, United States. Situated on the banks of Lake Livingston, the population was 1,174 at the 2000 census....
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On display
- P-38G Lightning, s/n 42-13400 is on display at the Elmendorf AFB in AlaskaAlaskaAlaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
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- P-38J Lightning, s/n 42-67638 is on display at the Hill AFB in UtahUtahUtah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
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- P-38J Lightning, s/n 42-67762 is on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy CenterSteven F. Udvar-Hazy CenterThe Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum 's annex at Washington Dulles International Airport in the Chantilly area of Fairfax County, Virginia, United States....
in Silver Hill, Maryland.
- P-38L Lightning, s/n 44-53015 is on display at the McGuire AFB in New JerseyNew JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
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- P-38L Lightning, s/n 44-53232 is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air ForceNational Museum of the United States Air ForceThe National Museum of the United States Air Force is the official museum of the United States Air Force located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base northeast of Dayton, Ohio. The NMUSAF is the world's largest and oldest military aviation museum with more than 360 aircraft and missiles on display...
in Dayton, OhioDayton, OhioDayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
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- P-38L Lightning, s/n 44-53236 is on display at the Richard I. Bong Memorial in Poplar, WisconsinPoplar, WisconsinPoplar is a village in Douglas County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 552 at the 2000 census.U.S. Highway 2 serves as a main arterial route in the community.-Geography:Poplar is located at ....
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Under restoration
- P-38E Lightning, s/n 42-12652 is under restoration by the Flying Heritage CollectionFlying Heritage CollectionThe Flying Heritage Collection is Paul G. Allen's collection of rare military aircraft, which comprises examples from Germany, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States...
in Bellevue, WashingtonBellevue, WashingtonBellevue is a city in the Eastside region of King County, Washington, United States, across Lake Washington from Seattle. Long known as a suburb or satellite city of Seattle, it is now categorized as an edge city or a boomburb. The population was 122,363 at the 2010 census.Downtown Bellevue is...
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- P-38H Lightning, s/n 42-66534 is under restoration to airworthiness by Artemis Aviation Group LCC in Wilmington, DelawareWilmington, DelawareWilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...
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- P-38J Lightning, s/n 42-103988 is under restoration by the Flying Heritage CollectionFlying Heritage CollectionThe Flying Heritage Collection is Paul G. Allen's collection of rare military aircraft, which comprises examples from Germany, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States...
in Bellevue, WashingtonBellevue, WashingtonBellevue is a city in the Eastside region of King County, Washington, United States, across Lake Washington from Seattle. Long known as a suburb or satellite city of Seattle, it is now categorized as an edge city or a boomburb. The population was 122,363 at the 2010 census.Downtown Bellevue is...
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- P-38J Lightning, s/n 42-104088 is under restoration to airworthiness by Vulcan Warbirds Inc. in Seattle, WashingtonSeattle, WashingtonSeattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
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- P-38L Lightning, s/n 44-26761 is under restoration to airworthiness by the Fantasy of FlightFantasy of FlightFantasy of Flight is an aviation-related attraction in Polk City, Florida, USA that takes visitors back to the pioneering days of early flight, World War I, World War II and beyond. The attraction opened in November of 1995, and houses the world's largest private aircraft collection on display...
in Polk City, FloridaPolk City, FloridaPolk City is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. The population was 1,516 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 1,515. It is part of the Lakeland–Winter Haven Metropolitan Statistical Area...
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External links
Related content
- List of P-38 Lightning operators
- Lockheed XP-49Lockheed XP-49|-See also:-Bibliography:* Green, William. War Planes of the Second World War, Volume Four: Fighters. London: MacDonald & Co. Ltd., 1961 . ISBN 0-356-01448-7....
- XP-58 Chain LightningXP-58 Chain Lightning|-See also:-Bibliography:* Francillon, René J. Lockheed Aircraft since 1913. London: Putnam, 1982. ISBN 0-370-30329-6.* Green, William. War Planes of the Second World War, Volume Four: Fighters. London: MacDonald & Co. Ltd., 1961 . ISBN 0-356-01448-7.* Green, William and Gordon Swanborough...
Related content
- List of P-38 Lightning operators
- Lockheed XP-49Lockheed XP-49|-See also:-Bibliography:* Green, William. War Planes of the Second World War, Volume Four: Fighters. London: MacDonald & Co. Ltd., 1961 . ISBN 0-356-01448-7....
- XP-58 Chain LightningXP-58 Chain Lightning|-See also:-Bibliography:* Francillon, René J. Lockheed Aircraft since 1913. London: Putnam, 1982. ISBN 0-370-30329-6.* Green, William. War Planes of the Second World War, Volume Four: Fighters. London: MacDonald & Co. Ltd., 1961 . ISBN 0-356-01448-7.* Green, William and Gordon Swanborough...