Used to see this Lightning in west Houston back in the mid-eighties. It was a racer named White Lightning and belonged to Lefty Gardner. Been crashed once too, if memory serves. Deadsticked into a plowed field I believe.
@@sseeplane6950 Yep. At least Redbull had the means to keep the airplane flying. Would be nice to see it in the U.S. again. The last time I saw it as White Lightnin was at the Phoenix 500 air races in 1994.
I think the Yamamoto family desendants have pix of the "Fork-Tailed Devil" hanging on their walls. Was it the only multi-engine plane with counter-rotating props? Both warbirds are absolutely pristine and spotless.
The Lightning in it's prototype iteration had problems with stability as a gun platform. She was regarded a squirrely and always hunting for a stable flight line. Turns out the way the props rotated. Originally the port engine rotated counter clockwise (looking toward the nose) and starboard engine rotated clockwise, resulting in poor airflow around the fuselage. They reversed the engines and the problem was solved.
Very good video, really enjoyed it.. However these are Vintage WWII Birds and they should stay vintage... Why does "Red Bull" have to put there name on it... Really takes away from the beauty of the plane. I can see them doing it on there modern planes, but not on Classic WWII Birds!
I thought it was beautiful, like it just came off the assembly line. Why such hypercritical comments, do you think that videos should be produced according to your peculiar wishes?
I remember there was a functional reason behind this. It's possible that a P-38 was so fast that they wanted to be able to see it better (e.g., approaching). The polished finish makes them sparkle in flight. You figure a small plane (a fighter plane) travelling at a high rate of speed, the visibility helped reduce the risk of mid-air collisions.
