P-38s at Breckenridge

Brad · **Joined:** Thu Apr 29, 2004 10:30 pm **Posts:** 1131

Putt Putt Maru, White Lightning and Scatterbrain Kid II.

Scatterbrain Kid crashed a couple of hours after I took these pictures.

Chuck Gardner · **Posted:** Sat Oct 28, 2006 6:29 am

I was there and remember seeing the black smoke trail from the engines on take-off. The crowd took a collective gasp as he attempted to take off using the full runway length.
Those BKD airshow days were incredible and there is nothing like that that I know of today.

C170BDan · **Posted:** Sat Oct 28, 2006 9:07 am

Wow... I had to be standing right near you or just out of the pics on Putt Putt!!! Funny how we were both RIGHT there and never bumped into one another! Several friends visible in those pics!

Chuck Gardner · **Posted:** Sat Oct 28, 2006 10:46 am

I see may dad and uncle standing next to the P-47 in the last picture.

Flat 12x2 · **Posted:** Sat Oct 28, 2006 10:58 am

Anybody care to spell out the history's for me ,I'm a bit confused ??
both registered as N38LL (at different times ?)
II replaced original SBK ,yes ?
Scatterbrain Kid 43-50281
Crashed and destroyed, Lafayette, LA, Oct. 19, 1974
&
Scatterbrain Kid II 42-104088
Crashed during landing, Lafayette, LA, Oct. 19, 1974 ?????? same as above.

from the registry wrote:

Serial #: 43-50281
Construction #: 8638-VN
Civil Registration:
NX33638
N33638
N138X
N38LL
Model(s):
P-38L
F-5G
Name: Scatterbrain Kid
Status: Destroyed
Last info: 1974
History:
Fairchild Aerial Surveys, Van Nuys, CA, 1946-1947.
- Acquired as surplus, Kingman, AZ, 1946.
- Registered as NX33638.
Acquired by FA Boliviana as FAB ?, 1949.
- Not delivered, stored Washington, D.C., 1949-1950.
Jack P. Hardwick, El Monte, CA, 1950.
- Delivered from Washington to CA for survey conversion, 1950.
Fairchild Aerial Survey, Van Nuys, CA, 1951-1963.
- Registered as N33638.
Luther O. Eldridge, Monrovia, CA, 1963.
Darryl Greenamyer, Burbank, CA, Sept. 1963-1967.
- Reportred fitted with camera nose, July 1964.
- Registered as N138X, 1966.
- Flown as racer #1 "Yippie" still with camera nose.
Revis Sirmon/Coastal Chemical Co., Abbeville, LA., 1968-1974.
- Registered as N38LL.
- Fitted with fighter nose.
- Flown as racer #1 (Later #38) "Scatterbrain Kid.
- Crashed and destroyed, Lafayette, LA, Oct. 19, 1974.
-- Pilot George Harper fatally injured.

Serial #: 42-104088
Construction #: 2922
Civ. Registration:
N5260N
N38LL
Model: P-38J
Name: None
Status: Stored
Last info: 2002
NTSB Report
History:
Interstate Aircraft Corp, 19??.
Dale M. Myers, 19??.
Clarence Paige/Paige Airmotive, Yukon, OK, 1920-1969.
- Registration N5260N reserved but not taken up.
- Hulk.
Gary R. Levitz, Dallas, TX., 1969-1973.
- Restored to airworthy.
- Crashed during landing, Lafayette, LA, Oct. 19, 1974.
Paul A. Foournet, Abbeville, LA, 1975.
CAF/Commemorative Air Force, Harlingen, TX, 1975-2002.
- Stored dismantled, Yukon, LA, 1975-1977.
- Registered as N38LL, Feb. 18, 1976.
- Airlifted by helicopter from Yukon to England AFB, LA, Sept. 1977.
- Rebuilt to flying condition, San Marcos, TX, 1981-1992.
- First flight Feb. 28, 1992.
- Flew as Scatterbrain Kid II fitted with Hycon Survey nose.
- Crashed May 28, 1994.
- Rebuild begun, San Marcos, TX, 1995-1998.
- Rebuild continued, Midland, TX.
- Open storage, 2000.
Museum Of Flying, Santa Monica, CA, Sept. 2002.

corsair166b · **Posted:** Sat Oct 28, 2006 12:50 pm

The second crash happened in the mid 90's at Breckenridge when the P-38 took off and lost power...I think it was from fuel starvation?....and glided out to the east of the airport into the Texas scrub brush, and a bunch of the L-birds and some of the military helicopters launched to look for it-apparently the P-38's camouflage was too effective and they had trouble finding it, but did, and returned the pilot safe and sound to Breckenridge that night.....was it maybe 1994 like the accident report notes?

M

Rob Mears · **Posted:** Sat Oct 28, 2006 7:09 pm

I remember "Scatterbrain Kid II" was running like crap on the tarmac all weekend. Nothing but contant backfires when they did managed to get it running. I remember leaving town just before it departed, and not being too suprised upon hearing that it had bellied in after attempting to depart.

I hate that it's still sitting in pieces, but it will surely fly again one day.

Now that the Boeing Museum of Flight has Champlin's P-38M (sole example?), I seriously wish they would get the aft canopy back from "Scatterbrain Kid II" and bring their bird up to %100 night-fighter configuration. Seems a complete waste not to play up the attributes of such a unique sub-variant!

Lynn Allen · **Posted:** Sat Oct 28, 2006 7:35 pm

Rob Mears wrote:

I remember "Scatterbrain Kid II" was running like crap on the tarmac all weekend. Nothing but contant backfires when they did managed to get it running. I remember leaving town just before it departed, and not being too suprised upon hearing that it had bellied in after attempting to depart.

I hate that it's still sitting in pieces, but it will surely fly again one day.

Now that the Boeing Museum of Flight has Champlin's P-38M (sole example?), I seriously wish they would get the aft canopy back from "Scatterbrain Kid II" and bring their bird up to %100 night-fighter configuration. Seems a complete waste not to play up the attributes of such a unique sub-variant!

I don't know which one is harder to take the P-38 or the Spitfire lost in the hangar fire??

Lynn

K5DH · **Posted:** Sat Oct 28, 2006 8:50 pm

Dig that nifty '56 Ford fuel truck in the fourth photo! :lol:

michael luther · **Posted:** Mon Oct 30, 2006 7:07 am

k5dh wrote:

Dig that nifty '56 Ford fuel truck in the fourth photo! :lol:

With no roof.

retroaviation · **Posted:** Mon Oct 30, 2006 7:27 am

That ol' truck is still there, but I don't think it's being used anymore.

Obergrafeter · **Posted:** Mon Oct 30, 2006 8:08 am

That old truck was the personal mount of Russ and Betty Anderson for many an airshow. Long time CAFers from Wisconson who found Gods country and moved to Texas many years ago.

T J Johansen · **Posted:** Mon Oct 30, 2006 2:06 pm

Flat 12x2 wrote:

Anybody care to spell out the history's for me ,I'm a bit confused ??
both registered as N38LL (at different times ?)
II replaced original SBK ,yes ?
Scatterbrain Kid 43-50281
Crashed and destroyed, Lafayette, LA, Oct. 19, 1974
&
Scatterbrain Kid II 42-104088
Crashed during landing, Lafayette, LA, Oct. 19, 1974 ?????? same as above.

from the registry wrote:

Serial #: 43-50281
Construction #: 8638-VN
Civil Registration:
NX33638
N33638
N138X
N38LL
Model(s):
P-38L
F-5G
Name: Scatterbrain Kid
Status: Destroyed
Last info: 1974
History:
Fairchild Aerial Surveys, Van Nuys, CA, 1946-1947.
- Acquired as surplus, Kingman, AZ, 1946.
- Registered as NX33638.
Acquired by FA Boliviana as FAB ?, 1949.
- Not delivered, stored Washington, D.C., 1949-1950.
Jack P. Hardwick, El Monte, CA, 1950.
- Delivered from Washington to CA for survey conversion, 1950.
Fairchild Aerial Survey, Van Nuys, CA, 1951-1963.
- Registered as N33638.
Luther O. Eldridge, Monrovia, CA, 1963.
Darryl Greenamyer, Burbank, CA, Sept. 1963-1967.
- Reportred fitted with camera nose, July 1964.
- Registered as N138X, 1966.
- Flown as racer #1 "Yippie" still with camera nose.
Revis Sirmon/Coastal Chemical Co., Abbeville, LA., 1968-1974.
- Registered as N38LL.
- Fitted with fighter nose.
- Flown as racer #1 (Later #38) "Scatterbrain Kid.
- Crashed and destroyed, Lafayette, LA, Oct. 19, 1974.
-- Pilot George Harper fatally injured.

Serial #: 42-104088
Construction #: 2922
Civ. Registration:
N5260N
N38LL
Model: P-38J
Name: None
Status: Stored
Last info: 2002
NTSB Report
History:
Interstate Aircraft Corp, 19??.
Dale M. Myers, 19??.
Clarence Paige/Paige Airmotive, Yukon, OK, 1920-1969.
- Registration N5260N reserved but not taken up.
- Hulk.
Gary R. Levitz, Dallas, TX., 1969-1973.
- Restored to airworthy.
- Crashed during landing, Lafayette, LA, Oct. 19, 1974.
Paul A. Foournet, Abbeville, LA, 1975.
CAF/Commemorative Air Force, Harlingen, TX, 1975-2002.
- Stored dismantled, Yukon, LA, 1975-1977.
- Registered as N38LL, Feb. 18, 1976.
- Airlifted by helicopter from Yukon to England AFB, LA, Sept. 1977.
- Rebuilt to flying condition, San Marcos, TX, 1981-1992.
- First flight Feb. 28, 1992.
- Flew as Scatterbrain Kid II fitted with Hycon Survey nose.
- Crashed May 28, 1994.
- Rebuild begun, San Marcos, TX, 1995-1998.
- Rebuild continued, Midland, TX.
- Open storage, 2000.
Museum Of Flying, Santa Monica, CA, Sept. 2002.

Just a small mistake in the entries. 43-50281 is the first "Scatterbrain Kid" which crashed in 1974, killing George Harper. Paul Fournet then secured 42-104088 which Gary Levitz had donated to the CAF. Just a typo I'm afraid.

T J

NathanT24 · **Joined:** Sun Jul 25, 2004 11:27 pm **Posts:** 252

I remember seeing Scatterbrain Kid II at Wings Over Houston in the early 90s before it had crashed, I LOVED that P-38. What I would do to see a P-38 fly again.

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