Aero-TV: Legacy of a Homebuilt P-38 Replica
Aircraft is a WWII Era Dream Come True
William Presler, owner of Volar Avionics and Restorations, was given the opportunity to showcase his Uncle's homebuilt P-38 on day three of the 2024 EAA Oshkosh Airventure.
The aircraft, built by Jim O’Hara, is a ⅔ scale replica of the Lockheed P-38 Lighting. This is a World War II era single-seat, twin piston-engined fighter developed for the U.S. Army Air Corps. It has a distinct twin boom design and served several combat purposes, including bombing, strafing, photo reconnaissance and long range escort.
The replica received its first EAA recognition in 2009. Paul Poberezny, the EAA founder, wrote that O’Hara was the “epitome of an EAA-er: creativity, innovation, candid-spirit, and realizing a dream.” Poberezny was excited to welcome the aircraft to Airventure, where it was made a centerpiece.
O’Hara’s passion for the P-38 was clear from a young age, though he didn’t learn to fly until his sixties. After earning his instrument rating and purchasing two aircraft, he set out to build his own P-38 with the hope of eventually getting to fly it.
He was able to fly the aircraft for well over 100 hours, making several upgrades and alterations along the way. It was eventually passed down to his nephew, William Presler.
“Like all homebuilts, they’re always a work in progress, aren’t they? You know, it’s all about,” Presler explained, “you don’t quit and don’t die until your dream has a chance to fly.”
Aero-TV is a production of the Internationally syndicated Aero-News Network. Seen worldwide by hundreds of thousands of aviators and aviation adherents, ANN's Aero-TV has produced well over 5000 aviation and feature programs, including over 2500 episodes of our daily aviation news program, AIRBORNE UNLIMITED, currently hosted by Holland Lee. Now in its third decade of operation, parent company Aero-News Network, has the most aggressive and intensive editorial profile of any aviation news organization and has published well over a half-million news and feature stories since its inception -- having pioneered the online 24/7 aviation new-media model that so many have emulated.
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23 сен 2024
