Of the 10,037 planes built, 26 survive today, 22 of which are located in the united states, and 10 of which are airworthy. The aircrafts target, was a german fockewulf fw200 condor patrol bomber. The specs called for a top speed of 360 with a climb rate of six minutes from ground to 20,000 ft. It must be a pursuit warbird capable of interception and attack at high altitude. The real story of lockheed s xp58 chain lightning july 1980. Arthur heiden, who flew the p38 during the spring of 1944, in the company of better known pilots such as jack ilfrey, and ernest fiebelkorn, later instructed on the p38 and p51, and after the war went on to log in excess of 25,000 hrs of flying time. The way in which the p38 differed was in its extremely clean streamlined design. Its crew had never encountered anything quite like. Perhaps the best critique of the eto record of the p38 is that by former 20th fg capt.
List of surviving lockheed p38 lightnings wikipedia. These helped lockheed maintain the performance of the lightning despite a gradual increase in weight since the original aircraft. Ben kelsey set a coast to coast record of 7 hours, 48 minutes in the sleek prototype lightning, but crashed while. Get the latest updates on nasa missions, watch nasa tv live, and learn about our quest to reveal the unknown and benefit all humankind. Developed to a united states army air corps requirement, the p 38 had distinctive twin booms and a central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament. Lockheed p38 lightning, history the lockheed p38 lightning was a world war ii american pistonengined fighter aircraft. Flight characteristics are comparable or even better than classic build model airplanes. The lockheed p38 lightning is a twinengined singleseat fighter and fighter bomber aircraft produced by the usamerican manufacturer lockheed corporation. Lockheed p38 lightning 52 scale rc model airplane printed. Although its operational record was somewhat mixed, in general the p38 was a fast, powerful and capable aircraft that performed well in a wide range of roles. About the lockheed p38 lightning plan this plan is 2.
In 1937, the us army air force expressed a need for a new highaltitude fighter design. To use this mod, you must have purchased the p51d 2 unzip the zip file and copy the p38d lightning folder inside the folder c. Army air corps released specification x608, a daunting requirement that called for speed, range, and climb capabilities impossible to achieve at that time with a singleengine aircraft. Developed for the united states army air corps, the p 38 had distinctive twin booms and a central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament. Lockheed p38 lightning singleseat, twinengine heavy. Developed to a united states army air corps requirement, the p38 had distinctive twin booms and a central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament.
The engines were housed in nacelles similar to those of the p38j and driving broaderchord. The lockheed p38 lightning was one of the most important american fighters of the second world war. Lockheed p38 lightning simple english wikipedia, the. In burbank, california, a lockheed design team led by. This extensive how to manual shows you how to assemble, detail, paint, apply decals and weather this kit in the proper sequence. Several lockheed p38 lightning aircraft from world war 2 on runway. Neither p38 pilots, mechanics, facilities or logistics were prepared to operate efficiently in one of the bitterest european winters on record 194344, he noted. Air force, the lead service for the aircraft, officially announced the name of the f35. Lockheed p38j lightning archives this day in aviation.
Allied propaganda claimed it had been nicknamed the forktailed devil german. It was the first fighter with sufficient range to make ferry flights across the atlantic. At the start of world war ii, the lockheed p38 lightning was the fastest american fighter aircraft available. Lockheed p38l lightning national museum of the united. In addition to the u2, the a12, and the sr71, they included the p38 lightning, the constellation, the pv2 neptune, the f80 shooting star, the f94 starfire, the f104 starfighter, the b37 ventura, the c hercules, the c140 jetstar. This is an easy scratch build project, and a great flying model. The pilot in a new american fighter, the p38 lightning, peeled down from the skies over iceland on august14, 1942. The p38 lightning is a world war ii fighter aircraft made by lockheed. Combat flying in the p 38 lightning with the lone eagle charles lindbergh in the pacific. First, it was given more powerful engines allison v171049 53s capable of providing 1,325 hp.
Did we get something wrong with these details about this plan especially the datafile. Upon its official introduction in 1940, the p 38 was capable of climbing to. In september 1945, the p38 f5g6lo with serial number 4453254 was dismissed from the air force and registered as civil aircraft n25y by the lilee products co. Lockheed p38 lightning specifications technical data. In 1937 the army air corps aac put out the bid to the aircraft industry to submit their ideasdesigns for a new aircraft. Lockheed p38 lightning and driveable by the cockpit p51d mod for dcs world 1 caution. Mcguire joined the united states army air corps cadet program in july 1941. The p38f saw two significant changes made to the lightning. I have made a small clip about the lockheed p38 lightning, a military aircraft which was used by the us airforce during the second world war. The lockheed p38 lighting is an american twoengine fighter used by the united states army air forces and other allied air forces during world war ii.
This prototype 42558 combined a p38g10lo airframe with more powerful 1425 hp v17107577 v1710f15 engines, rated at over 1875 hp war emergency power. P38 lightning developmentthe p38 was originally conceived as an advanced, highperformance twinengine interceptor. Lockheed martin f35 lightning ii development wikipedia. The lockheed p38 lightning is a singleplace, midwing, twinengine fighter. During its time, the lockheed p38 lightning was considered the most sophisticated aircraft lockheed had ever built. See more ideas about lockheed p 38 lightning, lightning and aircraft.
The p38 was a complex aircraft and there were serious problems that prevented it from being the effective high altitude long range fighter that the usaaf needed to defeat the luftwaffe in the run up to dday. Lightning ii, in honor of lockheeds world war iiera twinpropeller lockheed p38 lightning for the united states army air forces and the cold warera jet, the english electric lightning for the royal air force. The lockheed p38 lightning was originally designed as a bomberinterceptor and was never intended to be a fighter. Weight was kept to a minimum and it was far more advanced and faster than its u.
It has been downloaded 761 times by fellow modelers from around the world. Developed for the united states army air corps, the p38 had distinctive twin booms and a central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament. Its drag was so low that the thicker lower air often not always, some pilots did survive compressibility dives in p38s did not have enough effect for the pilot to regain control in time. It was the only usaaf fighter to be in production prior to the start of the war and still in production on vjday, august 15, 1945. Monogram 14 scale p38 lockheed lightning plastic model kit 6848 new sealed. Lockheed p38 lightning 3view lockheed p 38 lightning. Ww2 aircraft military aircraft lockheed p 38 lightning air force bomber aviation world air fighter aircraft painting military pictures ww2 planes deviantart is the worlds largest online social community for artists and art enthusiasts, allowing people to connect through the creation and sharing of art. First conceived in 1937 by lockheed chief engineer hall l. The lockheed company answered the call with their first military airplane, the xp. Tame lightning, flying exhibitions in the p 38 lightning.
Part ii of lockheed xp58 story, could it have been the best heavy fighter of wwii. He quickly found himself flying a lockheed p 38 lightning against the japanese in the south pacific, scoring his first three victories in august, 1943. The first photos are examples of a completed model, andor a real airplane, not being sold. True to its name, the p38 was akin to a force of nature. The lockheed p38 lightning is a world war iiera american pistonengined fighter aircraft. Lockheed p 38 lightning, history the lockheed p 38 lightning was a world war ii american pistonengined fighter aircraft. It is an unusual configuration, with the cockpit, weapons and nose landing gear in a central nacelle, and engines, turbochargers, cooling system and main landing gear in outer booms. Model builders lockheed p38l lightning lockheed p38l lightning plan 6781 type model rc scale military. Mcguire chose to name his aircraft after his wife, marilynn, whom he called pudgy.
Hibbard and his then assistant, clarence kelly johnson, the twinboomed p 38 was the most innovative plane of its day, combining speed with unheardof advances. Because of its firepower its speed and the reliability of its twin engines, this versatile advanced design proved one of americas most durable and valuable investments in 1933. Lockheed p38m lightning last revised june, 1999 early in 1943, at least two unidentified p38fs were modified in the field by the fifth air force as singleseat night fighters by fitting an scr540 radar with yagi antennae on the nose on both sides of the central nacelle, and above and below the wings. Lockheed p38 lightning specifications howstuffworks.
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