I feel like that sentiment could be said to our modern jets if enough time passes, and the creation of vehicles that can regularly fly in space or in an atmosphere. But yes WW2 props and even super props are Beautiful.
@@Mr.Thermistor7228 even harder to fathom when you realize it was the only front-line fighter aircraft to serve throughout the entirety of WW2, introduced to the USAAF in 1941 and retired in 1949. Honduras used them until 1965.
@@dougthompson1598 I keep reading that about the P38 but looking at dates it appears that the P47 was serving through the entire war, so was the P40 come to think of it. And the Wildcat for the Navy, it served through the entire war, anyone who would try to omit it based simply on the General Motors version having a different nomenclature is wrong, that doesn't mean anything it's still a Wildcat.
@@dukecraig2402 The P-47 entered service in Nov '42, but I think you're correct about the -40. I suppose it would be that the -38 was the only fighter in continuous production, not service. My mistake.
Wish my uncle was still around to see this. He build an R/C model of the P-38 in the Pudgy V scheme. Had around an 9ft wing span in full detail. He passed away a year ago. I wish he could've seen these fly.
Yeah isn't that a conundrum? Egotistically, we all want to see them fly, but they're so precious and so rare and so historic. We just want to preserve them thank God for these endeavors and the people that spend the money and the time to keep them going.
Me and my had the privilege to be close friends with Col. Charles Macdonald who fly the P38 in the pacific in WW2. His aircraft was the Putt Putt Maru. A wonderful man as he would joke with me because I flew jet fighters. He said that if it didn't have a prop it wasn't an aircraft. I will never forget my brother in arms and a fellow fighter pilot
Back in the 80’s, a formation of three P-38’s flew over my house in CT many times each summer. I was told they were part of the Confederate Air Force. By far, one of the coolest airplanes ever built! What a joy it was to see and hear them.
These have always been my favorite plane. When I was a kid I must have had 20+ models of the planes tacked to my roof. Sleek, eligant and highly lethal.
One of my relatives flew one of these in ww2. He flew 81 missions over germany and never lost a man. Was originally a motorcycle highway patrolman in oregon. Trained for this aircraft in tulare, ca...last name of Oldham.
I was active duty at Mcguire AFB from 1981 until 2011 and remember when Major McGuires P 38 was put on the pedestal at the main entrance road circle from the main gate. It was affectionately known as pudgy circle. I will always be proud to have passed her every day for 30 years.
Yeah Man! I was there too and saw it fly in and beat up the base before the refurb. It flew in all Camo color. Rumor was trade for $$$ and an old C130….??? Who knows???
Well done. I appreciate the cockpit views and thanks so much for posting this video. Glad you are able to keep this old warbird flying. My father-in-law has some time in these during WWII flying photo reconnaissance.
@@wokewokerman5280 The photo reconnaissance version was unarmed, the camera, which was large, went up in the nose where the guns normally went and there wasn't room for both. They also had some kind of strange set up for one of the variant's where a man would ride laying down in a pod with a plexiglass nose on it that mounted where a drop tank would, I don't know how I'd feel about riding around in one of them knowing that if the pilot screwed up and flipped the wrong switch you'd know how a drop tank felt on the way down, that'd be a pretty unnerving feeling flying in one of those things.
@@dukecraig2402 I have never heard of a manned drop tank-style pod. I do know they made a droop-snoot version, the P-38J, where a man and bombsight were in the plexiglass nose section in place of the weapons. These were pathfinders and when the bombardier spotted the target, incendiary bombs would be dropped so the fires would mark the target for the bombers that followed.
@@pauld6967 P38 Pathfinder's weren't used in the Pathfinder role for heavy bombers, they had their own Pathfinder's. P38 Pathfinder's were used for other P38's that were set up for bombing missions, there was a nickname for P38 bombing missions but I can't remember what it is, only 1 P38 would have the ability to aim the bombs, that would be the Pathfinder, they would use either a Norden bombsight for when optical sighting was possible or a version of the H2X radar bomb aiming system when it wasn't possible to optically aim the bombs due to cloud overcast or other factors. The heavy bombers either had a lead bomber (which unlike with the P38's was not called the Pathfinder) using the Norden bombsight or their version of what they called a Pathfinder that used the H2X radar system, once they got to the IP if it was determined that cloud overcast or too much smoke from the RAF bombing the same target the night before made optical sighting of the target impossible then their radar equipped Pathfinder would take over from the lead bomber and move into the lead position and all the other bombers would bomb on it's cue, just as they would if the lead bomber was optically bombing. Using P38's as Pathfinder's for B17's or B24's was impractical for several reasons, the biggest being the difference in aircraft, their speeds and turning radiuses were completely different, the crews didn't train with each other meaning that a P38 pilot couldn't just jump up in front of a formation of heavy bombers and lead them, without having done a lot of training with them they wouldn't know how fast to fly, how fast the heavy bombers could fly in a turn or how big the turn radius needed to be. P38 Pathfinder's flew lead for P38's in formation that were all configured for a bombing mission, once again I can't remember the name for when they did that, but it was the unarmed photo reconnaissance P38's with their glass noses that were used in the Pathfinder role for them, the rest were regular armed P38's carrying two 2,000 lb bombs, all of them would release on the Pathfinder's cue which also carried bombs. B17 Pathfinder's were the radar equipped bombers that could take over from the lead bomber if it couldn't optically sight the target, otherwise it was just another bomber that dropped it's bombs by cuing off the lead bomber. Another difference is it was the RAF's Pathfinder's that lit up targets with flares, not US Pathfinder's be they the P38 or B17/B24 Pathfinder's, the British were bombing at night and needed to light up the target for the formation to see where to drop their bombs because they couldn't cue off a lead in the dark, their Pathfinder's did an even different job from US Pathfinder's that irregardless of whether they were P38 or B17/B24 Pathfinder's dropped actual bombs, dropping flares in daylight bombing is pointless sincerely everyone cue's off of the lead, and wouldn't see flares 20,000 ft below them on the ground in the daylight.
@@dukecraig2402 I respectfully disagree. I believe P-38Js were used with light bombers like the A-20 Havocs. I do entirely agree that they weren't used with the big boys, the Liberators and the Flying Fortresses.
When my Dad was in the South Pacific during WW 2, he would tell of how they could tell by the distinctive sound of the P38's counter rotating props were coming back from their missions. And if he was able to, he would watch them land with a couple of his buddies.
Always one of my favorite warplanes, (I even built a P-38 guillows kit over 40 years ago).I had to put my ear buds in so I could better hear the muscle music sang by all of those horses under the cowling. Please keep her safe and keep her flying. Thanks for sharing. 👍
I fell in love with the P-38 when I was a kid, watching Lefty Gardner races his P-38 "White Lightnin'" at the Reno Air Races. Back then we were allowed to be on the racecourse and watch the planes race by 30 ft about our heads. In 1982 Gardner's left-wing tip was damaged by hitting sage brush. He flew LOW.
I remember my father telling me he saw these in the air, and how magnificent they looked, when he was in Townsville during the war. And thank you America for being there.
Fun! I too like to imagine these warbird scenarios. And if you got the P-38 hopefully you got the J or L model with all the bugs worked out ( compressibility issue worked out, dive brakes and aileron boost). And more importantly, you flew in the Pacific not in the European theater. She was great but she didn't do good at altitude in Europe
The P 38 lightning is one of the most Beautifullest airplanes I’ve ever seen. It looks so graceful when it’s in the air the P 51 mustang is also another beautiful airplane. Both of these airplanes look beautiful when they’re solid silver they’re so beautiful they don’t even need to be painted. Just put the insignias on them in a little trim and they look great, I love these two planes. Thanks for this video. I love it.👍🏼👍🏼💖💖💖😀😎
C P what was your dad's name. Me and my wife were good friends with Col. MacDonald. He was Tommy Mcquire's commanding officer. Col. MacDonald was the commander of the 475th. I am sure that your dad knew him. Meet the surviving members of the 475th at Col. Mac's funeral. Wonderful group of people who are definitely American heroes. I am a retired jet jockey .
There was a lot of things that they could have improved on the P38 that they'd learned about during it's service but a lot of them they didn't feel were worth the retooling and lost production time over since it was already performing well and it's pilots just learned how to fly it around those issues, I could just imagine what the last variant's would have been like had they done them. Greg's Airplane's and Automobiles channel did a good video on the subject of it's shortcomings and how some of them they just didn't address because of how successful it had already become despite them, it's titled something like "P38 Problems? Yes, Some Solutions? Maybe", I'm sure paraphrasing on that a little, it's an excellent video.
Agreed. In some respects it was the best airplane because it was there for the entire War. If we didn't have it, then we didn't have a 400mph plane to fight the Germans in 1941. In some respects it was the worst because it was the most expensive. That really mattered. You could get pretty much two P-51 Mustangs for the price of one P-38. Historians don't talk much about that. Where this warbird really excelled was in the Pacific flying in and out of the islands on long journeys. Plenty of drop tanks and two engines to get you home.
The general electric made turbos on that are so massive that it's practically jet engine powered! 🤯. Long ago I helped recover a p38 up near Mount Whitney at the 13,000 ft level. That was a hard recovery because it was so high up.
Love it love it love it!!..I'm a Brit but the lightning is very very special to me ,wonderful to see another back in the air,well done and take good care of her👍....Yamamoto is probably spitting.
Think of the cars and tractors that the general public had available to them in the 1930's, then look at this thing. A P-38 must have looked like something from another world to most folks back in the day.
The guy at 3:25 says EXACTLY what I think anytime I see a vid of a P38 taking off...it sounds like turboprops! For a plane that was so lethal in its time, it sounds so deceivingly smooth and subtle (unlike the P51 for example). Which in a way, makes it even more menacing.
What you mean the P 51 was in your face rowdy? I guess it did have 12 short exhaust stack straight pipes, but I'd think the big barking radials to be more so that way.
I could listen to these for hours. I often think about the maintenance people during the war years. What if they had access to all the parts that they needed. Dreams are made of that stuff.
I worked at a metal fab shop some years ago and they had a 700 ton hydraulic press there with a tag on it that said "property of the United States Navy" the story was, it used to be on an aircraft carrier during the second world War and was used to make replacement parts for the aircraft right on the ship. I don't know if there was any truth to it or not... but that was the story.
@@joetuktyyuktuk8635My dad told me one time that when he was in Korea. Watching the F-86s leave for a mission. One of the other squadrons aircraft took off with one of their squadrons tail sections. I’m sure they were just borrowing it. ( until the paint shop showed up!)
This is , & has always been my favorite fighter plane from WW ll they are just pure music listening to those twin engines ! Thanks for sharing , & the video.
Painted like Thomas McQuire's P-38 . My son was at McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey and they have a P-38 painted like his plane as a permanent display and memorial there.
A beautiful sight to behold and reminds me of my early days building models. I think my old bedroom still has a P38 hanging by fishing line - in formation with a Beaufighter, an SE5A and a Trojan, both being chased by an ME262 and a BF109 from memory. At the time, the only thing better than my model building expertise was my deep knoweldge of air combat history. Cheers - Dave 🙂
Are you sure those engines had oil in them? No smoke at all! Very impressive. Someone is doing an excellent job of maintaining this fine aircraft - I hope it stays flying for the next 80 years and beyond!😄
Love the sound of those engines, miss the P 51 that flew over Southern Indiana, over Deams lake ,OOOOOOOH what a sound 👌 so many stories to tell ,been flying since I was 7 now73
WOW, what a beautiful icon! As a child, we lived in the flight path of Lunken Airport. In the 60s I'd sit in our back yard and watch the "square airplanes" fly over with amazement as if they were UFOs.
@@UncaDave "Sunken", LOL, I love it!! When the Ohio River is high it does flood that area bad! They don't have airshows as much as they did in the past, I miss them. But they still have the War Birds at least once a year. I first saw stealth aircrafts at Sunken.
Man, it dose my heart good to see these old warplanes restored and maintained in good flying condition. Keep em in the air. Thanks for sharing! 🇺🇸⚔️🍕🍺👍👍
@@jeffreywolff4961 Oh yea, all those guages and pressures and speeds and everything else you have to keep track of in the middle of someone trying to kill you, not for the faint of heart. Although it was developed too late in the war to see service the A1 Skyraider for all intents and purposes is basically a WW2 airplane, I was watching a documentary about a mission that 2 Navy Skyraider pilots flew in Vietnam, one of them was talking about the aircraft and everything involved with flying it, at one point he mentioned that a full ¼th of their time of being trained on the Skyraider was just learning how to run the engine, think about that, then think about the fact that with a P38 you've got 2 of them to keep track of when it comes to boost levels, carburetor air temperature, and all the other things along with turbo RPM's, those guy's had their hands full just flying the thing much less dealing with an enemy in a 3 dimensional environment, no wonder it took so long to train the pilots.
Knowing all they were responsible for to keep the planes in the air is truly remarkable. I didn't realize the Skyraider entered the War so late. That is an incredible aircraft as well. The pilots had to be flight engineers as well as attacking and avoiding enemy fire. Truly incredible feats of coordination and situational awareness.
@@jeffreywolff4961 Yea the A1 wasn't quite in production yet when the war ended, I believe it was close, like had the war lasted a few more months they'd have seen action but they just missed the opportunity, I'm not sure if there was a strictly fighter version planned and since jets took over that role even if there was they weren't produced, all the variants produced were intended for ground attack basically, as far as I know no version ever had a gunsight for aerial combat only for bombing, but a stripped down version with a gunsight for aerial combat would have tore up just about any fighter of the war that anyone had, that plane had the Wright R3350 engine on it which is a massive engine for a single engine fighter, it would have done well against other prop driven fighter's of the war.
My father worked on both Bong and Mcguires P38s during WW2 ,,, he once told me they watched a P38 shoot down two Zeros on a single pass what an aircraft.l am 74 now and still remember all his stories about the men who flew and worked on them .These men were truly the great generation.
My next door neighbor was stationed in the South Pacific as well as his brother, who flew P-38s. My neighbor came back in 1945, his brother disapeared on a night mission in '44. It was his only brother and it really destroyed him.
As one of the commentators said, it does sound very much like a turboprop. The exhausts being ducted back along the boom have a definite V8 muscle car sound to them.
I must have about 30 hours in the P-38. I used to sit in it with the cockpit closed, in the summer Sun, 110F, sweating and shooting down the enemy. I forgot to mention I was 11 years old and the plane didn’t fly except for me. Rest in peace, Richard Bong .