P-38 "Scatterbrain Kid" question

Warbird Kid · **Posted:** Wed Sep 21, 2011 2:00 pm

So wheres SBK II these days?

spookythecat · **Posted:** Wed Sep 21, 2011 2:54 pm

Warbird Kid wrote:

So wheres SBK II these days?

At Westpac being restored for Flying Heritage Collection.

http://www.westpacrestorations.com/inde ... lightening

gary1954 · **Posted:** Wed Sep 21, 2011 3:36 pm

spookythecat wrote:

Warbird Kid wrote:

So wheres SBK II these days?

At Westpac being restored for Flying Heritage Collection.

http://www.westpacrestorations.com/inde ... lightening

I just looked at the Westpac website....where did this "White 33" come from??

JohnTerrell · **Posted:** Wed Sep 21, 2011 4:20 pm

Some information about White 33 can be found here: http://www.pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/p ... 12652.html

As this page also indicates, the P-38J "Jandina III" (http://www.pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/p ... 03988.html) is also reportedly at Westpac, for restoration to flying condition as well, as some sites report. This airframe was said to have been owned by the Flying Heritage Collection, but now certain sites are saying that it will be going back to Australia when complete.

A couple of very interesting combat-vet P-38 wrecks/restoration projects, are also registered to Jerry Yagen/Fighter Factory/Military Aviation Museum, with Precision Aerospace in Australia.

Rob Mears · **Posted:** Wed Sep 21, 2011 8:07 pm

Are there any surviving P-38M models still in existence that could receive that blown passenger canopy to make for an authentic night fighter Lightning?

Jerry O'Neill · **Posted:** Wed Sep 21, 2011 8:19 pm

I believe the P-38 at the Museum of Flight in Seattlle is an "M" model as that radar operators cockpit on SBK2 was originally on Champlin's P-38, They removed it to make it more "normal" looking.
Jerry

bluehawk15 · **Posted:** Thu Sep 22, 2011 11:27 pm

Yes, we got the "backseat" from the Champlin museum. Traded them for the original one we had. Champlin bought the P-38 from John Stokes, and if I remember what John told me, it was one of three L/M models...that is it was one of three L models converted over to an M for proof of concept for the radio/radar operator.

T J Johansen · **Posted:** Fri Sep 23, 2011 7:42 am

bluehawk15 wrote:

Yes, we got the "backseat" from the Champlin museum. Traded them for the original one we had. Champlin bought the P-38 from John Stokes, and if I remember what John told me, it was one of three L/M models...that is it was one of three L models converted over to an M for proof of concept for the radio/radar operator.

As far as I know the 38 was owned by Cecil Harp and Bob Ennis in CA before Champlin bought it.

T J

RandolphB · **Posted:** Fri Sep 23, 2011 1:14 pm

T J Johansen wrote:

bluehawk15 wrote:

Yes, we got the "backseat" from the Champlin museum. Traded them for the original one we had. Champlin bought the P-38 from John Stokes, and if I remember what John told me, it was one of three L/M models...that is it was one of three L models converted over to an M for proof of concept for the radio/radar operator.

As far as I know the 38 was owned by Cecil Harp and Bob Ennis in CA before Champlin bought it.

T J

Is this the same P-38 that had been owned by Johnny Bolton in Florida during the 70's?

garbs · **Posted:** Sun Sep 25, 2011 6:03 pm

N3JB 44-53097 (owned by John Bolton) at Oshkosh 1974.

Went to Harlingen twice ('75 and '81) but only saw "White Lightning" fly. Is this part of SBK in the shop?

bluehawk15 · **Posted:** Mon Sep 26, 2011 12:57 pm

I could be wrong, since I forgot that the plane didn't go to Champlin directly from John Stokes, but the SBK II did go to Harlingen from La Fayette for a short time before John Stokes agreed to underwrite the restoration of it. It was in that shade of OD primer when it came to San Marcos, but I thought it had the photo recon patch on the outboard of one side of the vertical. Might be the side we can't see? So many years ago!

Mark Allen M · **Joined:** Fri Feb 03, 2012 1:48 pm **Posts:** 7560

Old thread yet an inquiry.

It would be interesting and relatively authentic to have a P-38 converted to a P-38M like SBK back in the day.

Sounds like something right up the alley for the Collings Foundation folks. Doesn't seem like such a far fetched idea. I'm sure a P-38M type rear seat wouldn't be look difficult to fabricate IMHO anyway.

Just a thought.

old iron · **Posted:** Sun Apr 21, 2019 4:46 am

There was an article about a surviving P-38M in an issue of Airpower that I remember from childhood - so, 1970s. I have always wondered about this, but I find no mention in the Surviving P-38s Wikipedia page or on the registry here.

So what happened to it, or is my memory (seems to be happening more and more).

Converted from an L postwar into an M and then converted back?

mike furline · **Joined:** Wed May 05, 2004 3:45 pm **Posts:** 2536

old iron wrote:

There was an article about a surviving P-38M in an issue of Airpower that I remember from childhood - so, 1970s. I have always wondered about this, but I find no mention in the Surviving P-38s Wikipedia page or on the registry here.

So what happened to it, or is my memory (seems to be happening more and more).

Converted from an L postwar into an M and then converted back?

Both of these seem to have some "M" history.
http://www.warbirdregistry.org/p38regis ... 53095.html
http://www.warbirdregistry.org/p38regis ... 53097.html

Lon Moer · **Posted:** Sun Apr 21, 2019 1:14 pm

mike furline wrote:

old iron wrote:

There was an article about a surviving P-38M in an issue of Airpower that I remember from childhood - so, 1970s. I have always wondered about this, but I find no mention in the Surviving P-38s Wikipedia page or on the registry here.

So what happened to it, or is my memory (seems to be happening more and more).

Converted from an L postwar into an M and then converted back?

Both of these seem to have some "M" history.
http://www.warbirdregistry.org/p38regis ... 53095.html
http://www.warbirdregistry.org/p38regis ... 53097.html

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P-38 "Scatterbrain Kid" question

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