P-38 "jerzey lilly" (?)

Tue Sep 29, 2009 12:04 am

I was talking about a P-38 named jerzey lilly. He would fly to Reno with passengers. Are you aware? I do not see what P-38 question. I found nothing on the Net.

Regards

Fred

Tue Sep 29, 2009 9:52 am

Nothing. Even with a similar name ?

Wed Sep 30, 2009 2:42 am

So anyone have heard about a so called P-38 ? on another forum, Fred and I are facing a fantastic and lucky man, who have flown on the backseat of many many warbirds !!! it even seems to me that his next experience will be the space shuttle... :wink:

By the way, can one of you confirm that any of the airworthy P-38 are fitted with a backseat ?

Wed Sep 30, 2009 8:46 am

The Red Bull P-38 has a back seat.

Wed Sep 30, 2009 10:19 am

The name "Jerzey/Jersey Lilly/Lily" just isn't a familar one for me for a P-38.

Any idea about when these flights to Reno were taking place? (1950s? 1970s?, etc.) This would help with the detective work.

Two-seat P-38's, huh? I'm sure other old timers like me remember a couple of examples.

44-53097, now displayed as a P-38L with the Museum of Flight, is actually a true P-38M and was operated in that configuration from the end of the war up through its years with the Doug Champlin collection.

Yanks' 44-27183 also flew in a two-seat configuration for many years. It was converted (back in the 1950's I believe) for Mark Hurd Aerial Surveys with a pressurized set-up. Junior Burchinall also owned this example for a few years, so I suppose a number of people received P-38 rides during that time.

Any other clues you could supply would be helpful.

Has the fellow with the fantastic stories provided any pictures?

Wed Sep 30, 2009 1:05 pm

Unfortunately, the boy speaks a lot but always forget to take pictures.
He said that Reno could make a tour of P-38 or P-40. The passenger seat was installed in place of a fuselage tank....

Forget the details of such flights, I find it hard to believe....

Wed Sep 30, 2009 10:25 pm

Fred41 wrote:He said that Reno could make a tour of P-38 or P-40. The passenger seat was installed in place of a fuselage tank....

There's no fuselage (fuel) tank in a P-38, and a second seat was always tricky to fit, the best being the 'droop snoot' versions with the seat in a bombardier position in place of the gun nose.

The second seat (when fitted) in a P-51D Mustang replaces a fuel tank.

With the P-40 and P-47, a second seat can be fitted behind the pilot ('razorback P-47s only) but I don't think - without checking - this is in place of a fuel tank, but radio or other equipment.

From the description it could be he's misremembered a P-51D flight rather than P-38 - the number of engines in the aircraft would be some kind of proof!

HTH.

Wed Sep 30, 2009 10:52 pm

IIRC The P-40 Aux tank must come out for a rear seat.

Wed Sep 30, 2009 11:58 pm

Lefty Gardner's P-38 White Lightnin' had a rear seat, and was a Reno regular, so I suspect that is what your friend (mis)remembers.

The Planes of Fame example also has a rear seat.

Thu Oct 01, 2009 4:04 am

The guy fred and I are talking about, seems to have taken too much pills...He told us about about flights he made at Reno on the backseat of a P-38, Tigercat...he told us these flights were made in the less than ten past years !!!

I was almost sure there was no backseat equipped P-38 flying in this time, furthermore, the White Lightning, now Red Bull, which has a backseat, was not flying at this time...so...

I think Fred and I are facing a big liar :lol:

Is it possible to make such flights in Reno ?