Mather AFB had a show this last weekend. WE checked it out yesterday and today but I only took a few pics of the P-38s for the most part. They had many spectacular planes but what drew me to the show was the four P-38 lightnings. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" /> I've seen everything else before but the P-38s give me chills..... such a historic and rare bird there. The sound of the twin turbo props is smooth as silk yet loud and raw at the same time.


Enjoy <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />





















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Cool pictures of the P-38.

There is a local air show in San Diego area that features some of the B-25/29s along with some of the P-51 Mustangs.

Those are a sight to see (and hear) as they fly over.

I think there is one -29 and one -17 still flying, both with the group formerly known as the Confederate Air Force (who sold out and went PC).

I'm pretty sure one of the P38's is the one that my son's employer and others melted out of the Greenland glacier and rebuilt. It was in a Discovery channel show several years ago. Several p38's and the group leading b17 crash landed out of fuel in bad weather during ww2. Crews rescued, planes abandoned. I saw it at a Peachtree Dekalb airport air show several years ago.

My father flew the -38, and loved it. Except when they used the 150 octane experimental fuel and turned the plugs into fishing sinkers. His were armed with 4 .50's and 2 20mm cannons, all in the nose of the center nacelle, and all were sighted straight ahead, unlike all the other fighters with wing mounted guns that had to be aimed to converge at some fixed point ahead of the plane, which deconverges them at all other ranges.

THe -38 uses turbosuperchargers so the exhaust sound is muted by the impeller blades, like you ran it thru a blender. Markedly different sound from the Merlins in a P51.

THe -38 also runs the compressed intake air thru ducts in the leading edge of the wing as a primitive intercooler, and you get some weird sounds from there...

3 -4 four years ago I believe there were two each at the show in El Cajon. They were part of the Confederate Air Force.

I haven't been in town for the past few years of the show. But, I did live in the landing pattern for the field they used.

The Collins Foundation owns a few of those planes. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" /> It's a real treat to see them. They came to San Jose a few years ago.

The Collins Foundation

My brother (82nd Airborne) is in the WW2 Airborne demo team. and jumps out of a goony bird in WW2 equipment.












My brother (on right in white) with Ralph Manly.





A few of my dads (retired AF) friends were in the Confederate Air Force (now Commemorative) and one of them had a P-51.

You just have to love old planes.

Hey, that's cool <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

I did not know there was any flying B-24's. And you fly in it <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

Someday...

or hold out for this project. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

WWFF flew in a -17 at the air show at p'tree dekalb...

The P-38 is an incredibly rare airplane. To see two flying at the same time is just unheard of.

I used to volunteer for what is now the Evergreen Aviation Museum in McMinnville, Oregon and they had a P-38. I helped maintain part of the collection of mostly WW2 aircraft, B-17, P-51, F4U, P-40 and P-38, etc, when they were in flyable storage in a super hanger at the Portland International Airport.

It was a real blast! Got to fly in some of the birds, including the B-17. One of the most amazing views in the world is sitting in the bombadiar's seat during take off, flight and landing, in a B-17. Probably not the safest place to be if something went wrong..LOL..but it was well worth it.

Speaking of things going wrong, I remember that same aircraft having an engine fire on engine run up just before take up. Seems a fuel line was left unhooked. Talk about close call! I'm sure that would not have played out well had it made it into the air.

Never got to fly in the P-38 as it didn't fly once it arrived from fresh restoration in Arizona. But ever since I was a kid, the P-38 has been my favorite all time aircraft. Used to be able to tell you every single detail about it.

I spent many hours playing around that aircraft and sitting in the cockpit, dreaming of flying it.

The one we had flew one last time from Portland to McMinnville before it was put into the newly built museum.

Unfortunately around that same time, 1996sh, a P-38 crashed here near Tillamook, Oregon, with famous warbird pilot Jeff Ethell at the controls. Jeff's father was a WW2 P-38 pilot. I remember Jeff talking about how dangerous the P-38 was to fly, especially at low speed and low altitude as so many things could go wrong if you ever lost an engine and it appears that's exactly what happened to him.

Anyway...just reliving some memories. It's been a number of years since I was that deeply involved in warbirds. I've often wondered what happened to the Confederate Air Force and how many of the restored planes that I used to see as a kid and teenager, are still flying today.

Some of these airplanes are almost 70 years old! I wish they could fly forever!