P-38 "White 33" on May 7

[Dan K]

A couple of glimpses for those (like me) who haven't seen her in a while:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/WestPac- ... =2&theater


https://www.facebook.com/pages/WestPac- ... =2&theater

[Jesse C.]

Wow, that looks amazing! What a sight that will be when she takes to the air!!

Thanks for posting!

[Mark Allen M]

Very nice!


"White 33" back to base after clipping a Japanese fighter. Right wing tip damage.




P-38F "White 33". Col. Royal was former CO of the 39th FS


Great paint job.

[Nathan]

An early production P-38, Pacific war vet, kept in original markings, correct paint scheme, restored by a world class shop! A+++++++++++++++



Love the sharks teeth! Proof the P-40 wasn't the only one to carry them. Its refreshing to see them on something else!

[Jesse C.]

So, how complete is White 33 compared to Glacier Girl?

And I am referring to how much equipment is still onboard vs. stripped out show birds.

[Mark Allen M]

quote from link below: "entirely original with the exception of a modern radio" .... whatever that means.

http://www.ww2aero.com/p-38-white-33-is ... nal-pilot/

[JohnTerrell]

These are some older photos by Westpac of the restoration (from their Facebook page), showing the cockpit (not yet finished in this shot) and the level of detailing. The aircraft has been restored with all the same amount of authentic details as "Glacier Girl" plus more - including the armor glass, working turbo-superchargers, likely the gunsight (though I haven't yet seen a photo of one fitted), and all of the factory worker graffiti and inspection marks reproduced where found (as illustrated below).

[Triplane102]

Thanks John T. ! I read/heard some where that part of the Leading edges on W.33 that are very difficult to reproduce were/are the most original of any restored P-38 so far ? Any Idea ?
...or ..maybe the beer talking again !!

[C VEICH]

In the b&w photos the "33" on the tail appears much darker than the white in the insignia. I would have guessed yellow or maybe the same blue color as the spinners. Maybe they were greyed out but, if so, why not the star too? Could be just wishful thinking on my part as yellow or blue would add a nice splash of color to the scheme.

[RyanShort1]

In the b&w photos the "33" on the tail appears much darker than the white in the insignia. I would have guessed yellow or maybe the same blue color as the spinners. Maybe they were greyed out but, if so, why not the star too? Could be just wishful thinking on my part as yellow or blue would add a nice splash of color to the scheme.

Could that be from exhaust?

[Ryan Harris]

In the b&w photos the "33" on the tail appears much darker than the white in the insignia. I would have guessed yellow or maybe the same blue color as the spinners. Maybe they were greyed out but, if so, why not the star too? Could be just wishful thinking on my part as yellow or blue would add a nice splash of color to the scheme.

Could that be from exhaust?

I just thought yellow at first as well, but then I remembered that the P-38's tail tends to get pretty dirty with exhaust. I'm thinking that is probably the discoloration we are seeing as Ryan suggested.

[bdk]

The early P-38 used the leading edges as heat exchangers for the turbos as I recall. Glacier Girl has later leading edges because the team wasn't able to reproduce the early ones.

I read/heard some where that part of the Leading edges on W.33 that are very difficult to reproduce were/are the most original of any restored P-38 so far ?

[JohnTerrell]

Some photos of the aircraft on a test flight have been posted to the P-38 Lightning Facebook group page, naturally with Steve Hinton at the controls. https://www.facebook.com/groups/662036060531177/

BTW, Westpac is now the registered owner of this aircraft.

Pretty cool that there are now 8 P-38's flying, two of which being the F-model.

The early P-38 used the leading edges as heat exchangers for the turbos as I recall. Glacier Girl has later leading edges because the team wasn't able to reproduce the early ones.

As I recall reading at one point, Westpac got the jigs and some left over components (including those early leading edges) from the Glacier Girl restoration to aid in the restoration of "White 33".

[bdk]

As I recall reading at one point, Westpac got the jigs and some left over components (including those early leading edges) from the Glacier Girl restoration to aid in the restoration of "White 33".

Maybe for some components. They did build a jig for the center section in Rialto off of another P-38 they were working on.

[Jesse C.]

Some photos of the aircraft on a test flight have been posted to the P-38 Lightning Facebook group page, naturally with Steve Hinton at the controls. https://www.facebook.com/groups/662036060531177/

BTW, Westpac is now the registered owner of this aircraft.

Pretty cool that there are now 8 P-38's flying, two of which being the F-model.

The early P-38 used the leading edges as heat exchangers for the turbos as I recall. Glacier Girl has later leading edges because the team wasn't able to reproduce the early ones.

As I recall reading at one point, Westpac got the jigs and some left over components (including those early leading edges) from the Glacier Girl restoration to aid in the restoration of "White 33".

Could you post some pics here for us Facebook impaired?