Warbird Information Exchange

I might have been confusing in my last post. The pointer didn't line up with the positions on the selector, so someone had painted a line to indicate where "on" was. After the test run, the experianced pilot put the selectors in the "off" indication position. The pilot who flew assumably didn't put the fuel "on" as "they" never messed with the selectors in the past since the pointer didn't line up properly. After the crash the selectors were jammed so bad that you would break the handles before you would turn the selector.

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Blue Skies,
Doug

www.cavanaughflightmuseum.com

MD, I would rather see the Kid finished as Yippie as opposed to the current markings. I do understand what you mean about that finish being part of its history, but I would like to see something else. There was a photo of a Lightning in service, with two different spinners and I believe different tires as well. I liked that sort of thrown back together to get it in the air look. Nonetheless, so long as it is flying, that is what matters most!!

Obergrafeter, is that footage of the Kid taxiing available anywhere?

Ober, isn't it on Point 5 Products or for sure Col. Rister would have video it..

Lynn

Thanks, Lynn. I would not want to cause any commotion or controversy, but rather see the footage from a curiosity stand point.

14 years is a long time for this P-38 to remain in crashed condition. I hope the transfer of ownership means it will return to the air again.

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Live to fly, Fly to live.....

I couldn't agree more Chuck, though I thought she crashed in 94?

Has with Kermit's 38! Any hope for that in the near future??

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Don't touch my junk!!

I hope so!! 10 Lightnings by 2010 is something to hope for, no?

I'll look in my stuff as well, but I can still hear and see black smoke and sparks coming out if the exhaust. Does anybody know if they ever called San Marcos to tell them they are having a problem and ask them what they wanted done?? Kind of like, Houston, we have a problem....

Lynn

Thanks.

Yes, the paint job was ugly, but it was decided to paint SBK II the same as SBK the first. It's my understanding that the paint scheme and markings were a combination of those of the photo version that (excuse me if I misspell the names, it's been a while) were worn by the planes that Revis Sermon and Paul Fornet flew in WWII. After the crash, the CenTex wing planned to paint it black and call it "Night Lightning", since it had the "M" backseat.

During the initial restoration of the SBK II, it was decided it would be nice if we could build a rear seat like the one that was on the P-38 L/M that once belonged to John J. Stokes. Wing members were asked to look through old pictures to see if anyone had some good shots of the back canopy and seat so one could be built. I suggested that the Champlin people be called to see if they would be willing to take good photos of it for us. Sandy Sansing said he was going through the area, on the way to a squadron reunion in CA, and he'd just stop off and take pictures himself. When he got there and told them what we planned, they proposed a swap of our rear canopy for theirs. That saved a lot of work for us! We had located a gun nose, and had planned to install it, since the seat in the nose did us no good anyway as nobody could ride up there.

SBK II had several (small) parts that were salvaged from SBK the first, as well as a WWII wreck which was recovered in Washington or Oregon.

It will take a lot to get that airframe back in the air. The Central Texas Wing of the CAF was going to attempt this, but the dollar amount was too high for our modest means. We had an estimate about 10 years ago of $1.3 million. The airframe was twisted a good bit.

If you read the NTSB report (FTW94LA184), it offers some insight to the crash. A major factor, in my humble opinion, was that the pilot had very few hours in the plane (3 hours and 41 minutes, prior to the last flight). He had plenty of hours logged, but in large airliners. He did not spend a lot of time around the hangar, which I thought he should have, learning the cockpit lay-out. It is noted in the accident report that only the left prop was in feather position. This prop had all three blades bent, indicating that it was rotating while feathered, but the right prop, which was not feathered, had damage only to the two lower blades. The blade which was sticking straight up had no damage.

It's my understanding that a leaky fuel drain was discovered on the preflight in San Marcos, before leaving for the show. An A&P (IA) with a shop up the ramp was asked to come look at it. He told me that he told them that was the least of their problems, as there was fuel coming out of the trailing edge. The decision was made to just fuel two main tanks to make the show, and work on the problem upon return. The old self-sealing tanks had just been replaced with new, custom made bladders.

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Mike

Cousin Mike?

The camo is based on the painters own imagination.
The name and insignia on the booms relate to the co-owner
Revis Sirmon who flew the original P-38L "Scatterbrain Kid" with
the 49th FS 14th FG in Italy in 1944-45 and downed a ME-109 in it on
Dec 17, 1944. Sirmon lives in Abbeyville, LA.
The insignia of Fournet's F-5 squadron was on the vertical stabs.
The Lightnings both flew were NMF.

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Don't touch my junk!!

You see this is what I am wondering about. Although not completely clarifying, this gets me a bit closer to an understanding of what actually happend to those engines.