FINALLY saw a P-38 fly

And I thought that Oshkosh this year would finally bring my long-anticipated
viewing of a P-38 in flight, with Glacier Girl's anticipated participation.

Much to my delight and surprise, Porky II, the "Planes of Fame" museum's
flying P-38, was at the Quad City Airshow yesterday, in Davenport, Iowa.

We flew over in the morning, and were able to get a hand's on, close up view
of this awesome plane. Talk about perfection! It looks like it just rolled
off the assembly line! In my opinion, this aircraft completely stole the
show from the Thunderbirds and everyone else who did their usual excellent
job. (Although the T-birds flew short a plane -- I suppose one of the
pilots was under the weather?)

Even though the Lightning only did one low pass during the airshow (and a
bunch of mid-level passes up around 500 feet AGL), it was still the thrill
of a lifetime to see that beautiful forked-tail devil in flight.

I had never heard a P-38 start up or take off, and I was amazed at the silky
smoothness of those huge Allison engines. Compared to the Corsair or even
the Mustang, it sounds like a precision machine working in an oil bath.

And seeing it coming right at you -- wow! What a great silhouette, and
remarkably small, given the plane's immense (relatively, for its day) size.
From the front, it's obvious that Kelly Johnson put a great deal of effort
into aerodynamic slipperiness...

QC always puts on a great airshow, but this one really topped them all.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"