Warbird Information Exchange

I tried this at one stage before, without success. But as they say, then try and try again! I am looking for photos of Bruce Pruett's P-38 N7973. What I am interested in are photos of the painted aircraft complete with codes and insignia as it looked at Tillamook. I am sure someone must have visited the museum when the plane was finished, and photographed it. I have only seen two small photos so far!


T J Johansen

T J - The only picture I ever saw of it was I think in Pacific Flyer. It was a black and white picture of it taxiing, but didn't look like it was painted at all, if I remember correctly. I'll try to find it to verify this.

I saw the airplane when Jeff Ethell was at Tillamook filming the Roaring Glory P-38 Video. It was being painted at that time in overall silver with power blue spinners and wingtips. It had codes but nothing authentic. Watch the 2nd half if you've got it on the young pilots. It was so silly while they were filming the briefing scene that they had to stop filming to clear the area of all gigglers (myself included).

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Don't touch my junk!!

Haven't got that film yet. Hope to buy it later this year. The photo I've got shows it with blue spinners, sqn. codes, and serial # on tail. Just very small, and not very good photo. Was therefore hoping someone in those neck of the woods would have shot any better ones of it. You can find lots of N2114L on the web, but not N7973.

T J

I posted a link to a color pic of the P-38 quite a while back. I don't remember where I came across the pic but maybe a search of this site would turn up my post. Best I can do, sorry!

The post is in the archives, from Dec 31, 2003. Unfortunately the photo is no longer at the location linked to.

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Dan Johnson

The "squadron codes" on Bruce's P-38 had Kelly Johnson's initial's on one side and Ben Kelsy's initial's one the other boom. This was done to honor the 2 men who were most pivotal in the creation of the P-38.

I was about to make a new thread asking for photos of Bruce Pruitt's P-38 before its demise when I remembered having asked this before. So hoisted from the gutter is my original plea for any photos of N7973 in full paint before the crash. Apart from a small pair of color photos and a b &w I have none. And I'm sure someone must have shot it while at Tillamook.

T J

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45-47=-2

Nope! Despite the caption that is not Pruett's airplane but rather the Tilamook bird before the nose art was added. I've only seen a single, small picture of Pruett's Lightning and it was overall silver with blue spinners and some other blue trim as I recall.

Does Pruitt still have possession of the damaged P-38?

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Rob Mears
'Surviving Corsairs' Historian
robcmears@yahoo.com
http://www.robmears.com

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Thanks for the link Wildchild. I just downloaded and watched the film. Unfortunately the silver P-38 is not Pruett's N7973 but rather The Air Museum's "Joltin Josie", and it is filmed at Chino. So back to the drawing board.

Rob, I seem to remember hearing that the Pruett wreck went to Australia some years ago. Not sure who owns it though.

T J

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Make my day, punk!