Official FlightLine RC 1600mm P-38 Lightning Thread

[fhhuber]

Basic rules of flying a twin on a dead engine are based on maximizing control with asymmetric thrust.

Bob Hoover was well known for showing people what could be done, well past the normal when flying twins on a single engine.
There is one story where he was doing an FAA check-flight to keep his airshow rating and ran through most of his airshow aerobatic routine (though at a bit higher than normal altitude for some of it) and got a pass, (pass or fail, no other grades) then told the FAA representative that during the single engine portion the operating engine was running poorly and only had about 60% of normal power.

If you can maintain adequate airspeed for rudder authority to overcome the asymetric thrust trying to yaw the aircraft, then you're fine doing anything the aircraft has the power and structural capability to perform.

Some designs do better than others and altitude can allow you to get away with a lot due to having room to recover.

Models often have LESS ability than the full scale to successfully do single-engine-out operations due to the model's higher power to weight plus inability to feather the dead engine's prop resulting in NEVER having enough rudder authority.

[MikeT]

Basic rules of flying a twin on a dead engine are based on maximizing control with asymmetric thrust.

Bob Hoover was well known for showing people what could be done, well past the normal when flying twins on a single engine.
There is one story where he was doing an FAA check-flight to keep his airshow rating and ran through most of his airshow aerobatic routine (though at a bit higher than normal altitude for some of it) and got a pass, (pass or fail, no other grades) then told the FAA representative that during the single engine portion the operating engine was running poorly and only had about 60% of normal power.

If you can maintain adequate airspeed for rudder authority to overcome the asymetric thrust trying to yaw the aircraft, then you're fine doing anything the aircraft has the power and structural capability to perform.

Some designs do better than others and altitude can allow you to get away with a lot due to having room to recover.

Models often have LESS ability than the full scale to successfully do single-engine-out operations due to the model's higher power to weight plus inability to feather the dead engine's prop resulting in NEVER having enough rudder authority.

Bob Hover was no ordinary pilot.

Mike

[fhhuber]

He still couldn't break the laws of physics.

[Sky Wolf]

No, but he did fly the “Feathered Edge”! He knew how to use it, and very well he used that energy.

[SoLongSidekick]

Plus those freaking amazing barrel rolls he would do while pouring liquid into a glass! That guy was an absolute legend.

Found something else pretty interesting, but I'm not going to bother finding the link because you can just Google it if you're interested. I'm almost positive this is a lucky coincidence, but the cockpit latch on this model really looks like the top portion of the boarding ladder in the real P-38. Pretty nifty.

[SoLongSidekick]

Some incredible footage shot with a camera underslung a P-38's wing. Aerobatics and strafing runs. https://youtu.be/x73LJhbrgrU?t=32m54s

Also shows the amazing way the main Lockheed plant was camouflaged immediately afterwards.

[MikeT]

No, but he did fly the “Feathered Edge”! He knew how to use it, and very well he used that energy.

Yep.

Mike

[SoLongSidekick]

Speaking of random P-38 facts, I was watching a documentary (that of course I can't remember the name of) that mentioned that even early versions of the P-38 had tail warning radar. I can't find mention of it elsewhere, can anyone else chime in with more details?

[Beeg]

Essentially, the P-38J-25 was the culmination of all previous mods to the P-38 airframe that became the P-38L. Externally, the only way to really tell a P-38J-25 from a P-38L was that the "L" had it's landing light fixed on the left leading edge of the wing whereas previous models had a retractable landing light.
From everything I've read on the P-38 it wasn't until the P-38L that some of this model (L) had the AN/APS-13 tail warning radar installed. You can identify these aircraft by the horizontal antennas on the right hand tail bumper fairing.

So, if you mean "early" that would be possibly early "L-1's" as earlier models didn't have the AN/APS-13 system. The earliest reference I have for this system is the P-38L-5.

[SoLongSidekick]

https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/380529-id-0061864-29sep2017-late-model-p-38-jk-l-incorrect-cockpitcanopy/

[SoLongSidekick]

Found an interesting tidbit on exactly why the P-38 has the cross bracing on the windows:

"According to a March 1954 historicle article in Lockheed's in-plant newspaper, Lockheed Star, Army Air Corps test pilot Major Signa Gilkey was assigned the task of wringing out one of the first production model P-38s during the early 1940s. Starting at 35,000 feet, he rolled a Lightning over on its back and pushed the control column forward for a high-speed dive. As the plane accelerated past 350 MPH IAS, it entered the region of compressibility and began to vibrate violently. He could not pull the control wheel back to pull out of the dive. Reaching forward to the elevator trim tab wheel, he cranked in "nose up" trim. The P-38 did not respond immediately, but as he approached 12,000 feet it suddenly pulled out. But the pullout was so abrupt that Major Gilkey temporarily blacked out. It is most likely that it was during this dive that the top of the canopy and one of the side panels were lost, either during the dive or the pullout."

Does anyone mind me posting these historical tidbits, or should I continue as I find them?

[dkalwishky]

Does anyone mind me posting these historical tidbits, or should I continue as I find them?

I like them.

[handyman220]

I like them.

I'll second that!

[rifleman_btx]

I'll second that!

I concur.

[Sky Wolf]

Motion carries!

[SoLongSidekick]

One kind of minor thing I learned was just how extensively the P-38 was used in the MTO. MTO P-38s claimed 1,425 kills, second only to the much larger Pacific Theater.

[digger38]

One kind of minor thing I learned was just how extensively the P-38 was used in the MTO. MTO P-38s claimed 1,425 kills, second only to the much larger Pacific Theater.

Thanks for the historical facts and taking the time to share.

[TiredIronGRB]

RE: Official Announcement: FlightLine 1600mm P-38 Lightning!!!

Here's some pictures of the Glacier Girl P38 I took a few years ago...she's the main reason I ordered one of these.

http://tired-iron.mounet.com/gg.htm

This was my first post on Hobby Squawk, I preordered the P-38 then and still have it...it was my second plane. Hard to believe it's only been two years:)

[RRHandy]

I feel your pain brother, I got back in in December of 16 and only had three glow planes, now have 33 planes from umx to 88in. SE5A with a 50cc gas. :Silly:;)

[SoLongSidekick]

I fell your pain brother, I got back in in December of 16 and only had three glow planes, now have 33 planes from umx to 88in. SE5A with a 50cc gas. :Silly:;)

Sure, I'll take those off your hands. I mean if it's really what you want, I guess I'll try to be helpful.