In article , redc1c4 says...

Daryl Hunt wrote:

(massive snipage, fore and aft)

You missed the P-38 that outlived both the P(F)-51 and the P-47 in the
enventories. I remember seeing a flight outside Denver flying over out of
Buckley in the late 50s.

so i asked the folks who would know:

To: AFHSO Research
Subject: P 38 Lightning question

when was it pulled from active duty?

their reply:

The P-38 was taken out of front line service in 1949. Many were sold to
private individuals. 50 were sold to Italy and 12 were ceded to
Honduras.

Air Force History Support Office
Reference and Analysis Branch
AFHSO/HOR


and when i asked, (so you couldn't claim they belonged to the "Guards"):

thanks for your quick response... i have one quick follow-up:

were any retained by Reserve units, or does the phrase "taken out of
front
line service" mean that the AF stopped all use at that time?:

they said:

I can find no mention of P-38's being flown by Air Force guard or
reserve
units.

Air Force History Support Office
Reference and Analysis Branch
AFHSO/HOR


so, we're not sure what you were taking/drinking/smoking back
in the day, anymore than we are now. the only possible conclusions
are that it is some gooooooooooood **** or you're hypoxic.

either that, or you're a congenital liar.

redc1c4,
(yes, this is a SPNAK! %-)
--

IIRC when WWII was over the USAF had a choice between scrapping the P-51 or
scrapping the P-47, since the P-51 was a "sexier" plane, they chose the P-51
(desiginated F-51 later on). When Korea rolled around, the prop jobs were
assigned CAS duties. The Navy and the Marines were using air-cooled Corsairs
(not the SLUF Daryl, the original one - the bent wing bird) and enjoyerd a
greater success with them than the USAF did.

Why?

Because an air-cooled engine is a lot more rugged when hit by groundfire than a
liquid-cooled engine is.

BTW red, he'll just claim that the Air Force History Support Office is full of
it...

-Tom

"For the cause that lacks assistance/The wrong that needs ressistance/For the
Future in the distance/And the Good that I can do" - George Linnaeus Banks,
"What I Live for"

UMA Lemming 404 Local member, 404th MTN(LI)