Author Topic: So which block of P-38J do we have, anyway? (Read 949 times)

Gibbage · « **Reply #15 on:** June 07, 2007, 07:27:51 PM »

Lets not get into any trash talk on any sims. Thats not what im here for. I would like to try and stay nutral since I do work on so many flight sims.

Gib

Gibbage · « **Reply #16 on:** June 07, 2007, 07:32:49 PM »

Here is something interesting I just noted.

Early P-38's had 300US Gal. J-10 and later blocks had 420US Gal, but were only fitted with two 55gal tanks. 2x55 = 110. 110+300=410.

I have an original pilots manual somewhere around here. In it it talks about something very interesting. The differance between normal fuel load, and USEABLE fuel load. Say you have a 20 gal tank on your car. You cant use ALL 20 gallons! Only about 19 is useable till the fuel pump cant suck any more. Aircraft were more so, and some fuel tanks had as many as 5 gallons unuseable. I can only guess that the wing tip tanks are 60 gal each, with 55 gal useable. Again, I need to dig through and find this information. Can anyone confirm this?

Benny Moore · « **Reply #17 on:** June 07, 2007, 07:36:55 PM »

I don't know for sure, but I've heard it attributed to ground crews that the "official" numbers and how much you could actually put in varied by about ten gallons. That seems to fit with what you said, if I read correctly.

Gibbage · « **Reply #18 on:** June 07, 2007, 07:42:37 PM »

OK. This is from an ORIGINAL P-38 pilots manual.

Fuel Capacity.

4 wing tanks = 306gal
6 wings tanks = 416gal

So it looks like the numbers spewed all over the net are just rounded off or something.

FYI. This pilots manual list's Maximum speed as "over 420MPH"

Benny Moore · « **Reply #19 on:** June 07, 2007, 08:03:21 PM »

What Pilots Manual is that? I've got two different manuals; one is called "Pilot Training Manual for the P-38 Lightning" and the other is the classic "Pilots Manual for Lockheed P-38 Lightning."

Guppy35 · « **Reply #20 on:** June 07, 2007, 08:07:03 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Gibbage
For me, its all about Lefty's White Lightnin. Best of both worlds! I also must say that the P-38 Swordfish has a very nice gondola section that I wish they put into production. Much better visibility, and was said too reduce the onset of the tuck-under that all us P-38 pilots know and "love". But lets not take this thread OT on my first venture into this forums.

Thanks for the link!!! For some reason, I could not find his home page or index! It would just bump me too the ATT.net home page. I really must admire his guys devotion too aircraft references.

You been watching the restoration now that Red Bull owns it?

Ezell Aviation is doing one heckuva job and photographing it as they go. Gonna be some serious polished metal on that 38L.

http://www.ezellaviation.com/Past%20Pages/P38/details.html

Gibbage · « **Reply #21 on:** June 07, 2007, 08:07:14 PM »

In the upper right hand corner, it says "AAF Manual 51-127-1" and lower right Pilot Training Manual for the P-38"

Its not a re-print. I have 2 other manuals that are re-prints after the war and this one is very very different. Its what they handed too pilots going through school on the P-38. Printed on 7-30-45.

Benny Moore · « **Reply #22 on:** June 07, 2007, 08:09:24 PM »

Where did you get it? And what are the other two you have?

Gibbage · « **Reply #23 on:** June 07, 2007, 08:11:09 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Guppy35
You been watching the restoration now that Red Bull owns it?

Ezell Aviation is doing one heckuva job and photographing it as they go. Gonna be some serious polished metal on that 38L.

http://www.ezellaviation.com/Past%20Pages/P38/details.html

With baited breath! I was VERY excited to see the early E chin on it! I can only hope that since they are restoring it too Reno condition (non-historical) that they will also be raching it at Reno! One can only hope though. At first I did not like the idea of Red Bull buying her, but now I cant agree more with the work they are doing.

Gibbage · « **Reply #24 on:** June 07, 2007, 08:18:27 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Benny Moore
Where did you get it? And what are the other two you have?

Its a PDF I found a long time ago thats a scan of a book. Looks like a historical archive since it has ID tags on some pages and its very high res. The other two are ones I got online. 1 was given too me by another P-38 fan when I did my IL2 model that simply says "Pilots Manual for Lockheed P-38 Lightning" with 2 P-38's on the cover from Aviation Publications (ISBN 0-87994-019-0) and the other (I cant find it) looks like a print of the PDF manual that has been floating on the net for years with all the racial cartoons in it. The only one that is truly authentic is the PDF I have. The other two are re-prints. The 1945 one does not have the racial cartoons in at all and is signed by Gr Arnold. The introduction page says the manual is used for training new P-38 pilots, and is not a general "pilots manual" but a training one. It goes into much much more detail about the systems and the operations then the standard pilots manual that im sure you have.

Benny Moore · « **Reply #25 on:** June 07, 2007, 08:53:05 PM »

I just checked, and I have it. Actually, I'm pretty sure you sent it to me a few years ago. However, I've only got two, so I'm missing one. Other than the Pilots Training Manual, I have the one with the cartoons ("What was that?"). Do you know where I can get the other?

Gibbage · « **Reply #26 on:** June 07, 2007, 09:02:05 PM »

I think I got it at Garcia Aviation.

http://www.garciaaviation.com/cgi-local/storepro5/agora.cgi?

Its very similar too the one with the cartoons, and overall has less information in it. I dont think its worth your time if you have the original.

Benny Moore · « **Reply #27 on:** June 07, 2007, 09:03:49 PM »

Thank you very much.