Warbird Information Exchange

I vaguely remember a story heard a long time ago about a P-38 at an air race that damaged or clipped a wingtip while banking around a pylon. For some reason I think it was painted white. Any details? Was it this airplane?

That was this airplane. I changed the wingtip in Harligen Texas at Airsho 81. (I think) He had a problem at The Reno Air Races that year with the nose landing gear doors not closing all the way - creating drag, so he was flying a lower tighter line to make up for the loss of airspeed, he got a little too low & got the left wing tip in a tree. It caught it just a little outboard of where the wingtip attaches to the wing so the tip took the punishment. Had he hit a little further inboard.....things might have gotten real bad. Somebody did a real nice job with some foam, tape, & red paint to patch it up good enough to get back to Harligen. My buddy Rick Ebert & I were there for a couple weeks helping get ready for Airsho 81 so we volunteered to change the tip & help rerig the nose gear doors. We got the tip changed & had the doors fitting pretty good, but Lefty decided his mechanic back in Mercedes could do better, so off he went. I understand his mechanic got the doors out of sequence & they closed with the gear DOWN. Well that was long ago & far away. Just another story in the legacy of White Lightening.
Robbie

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Fly Fast Make Noise!

Even better is the photo of Lefty with a piece of a fence post in the wing of White Lightnin during one of the Reno races. It was printed in one of the flying mags...I'll check when I get home tonight and post the shot.

You know Randy You are right - it was a fence post Lefty hit. Man I just know it hit pretty hard. I remember he didn'd seem too bothered by it. You know da-m well it got his attention when it happened though. Some of the guys told me back when it happened that I guess befrore he climbed down & got a good look at the wingtip that he tried to tell them that he hit a bird. Seems that one of the old boys was standing out looking up at it & told Lefty - if you hit a bird then that S.O.B. was sitting on a post. Like I said that was long ago & far away.
Regards
Robbie

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Fly Fast Make Noise!

Howdy all

Ezell Aviation have just posted July's update of P-38 restoration

The latest photo's of the P-38 progress, are awesome.......... just gets better and better every month !

Keep em Flying

Lightning

COOL!
Robbie

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Fly Fast Make Noise!

We were helping crew at Reno when Lefty "hit a bird sitting in a tree" on the pylon course. We cut foam from a cooler, taped the piece in the offending leading edge indentation, more tape then sprayed red paint. It was some quick work as the "authorities" were sworming! Funny that story would come up here! You guys are good!

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Tom N

Tom, you did a da-n fine job with that "temporary repair". That thing made it back to Texas just fine & at a distance, with the exception of the nav light bulb & cover gone, you couldn't hardly tell the thing had been dinged. I must admit I copied your idea several years ago in making an aircraft ferrible to get from Atlanta to Savannah for a wing repair at Gulfstream. And yes I did get a ferry permit. Just so happens that the federallies were at my place at the time doing a "base inspection" when the said aircraft tried to move a fuel truck with its right wingtip. I did pretty much the same repair like you did & my local federally was quite impressed, tho I did admit the design of the repair was not my own. Thanks for the great idea!
Regards
Robbie

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Fly Fast Make Noise!