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General Forums => Aces High General Discussion => Topic started by: Nypsy on June 17, 2011, 07:58:42 PM

Title: P-38 from pre-flight on
Post by: Nypsy on June 17, 2011, 07:58:42 PM
A friend just sent me this link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3nddCJbcdI

P-38 in down to earth detail.

If its been posted before sorry for the repeat.

Title: Re: P-38 from pre-flight on
Post by: Citabria on June 17, 2011, 08:39:49 PM
shame about the narrator
Title: Re: P-38 from pre-flight on
Post by: cactuskooler on June 17, 2011, 09:50:11 PM
From the Roaring Glory Warbirds DVD series.
Title: Re: P-38 from pre-flight on
Post by: oboe on June 18, 2011, 10:08:56 AM
Terrific film.  Thanks I enjoyed that.   
Title: Re: P-38 from pre-flight on
Post by: LCADolby on June 18, 2011, 10:48:27 AM
After the first 45 seconds of innaccuracies I had to close it.  :bolt:
Title: Re: P-38 from pre-flight on
Post by: oboe on June 18, 2011, 12:12:48 PM
Didn't you enjoy the sights and sounds of an actual '38L?   I was so engrossed in the audio.visual experience I musta missed the inaccuracies.  what were they?
Title: Re: P-38 from pre-flight on
Post by: longtime on June 18, 2011, 12:54:01 PM
After the first 45 seconds of innaccuracies I had to close it.  :bolt:

I agree. All that work he did to start the engines when all he had to do was hit "E".
Title: Re: P-38 from pre-flight on
Post by: Citabria on June 18, 2011, 02:05:40 PM
After the first 45 seconds of innaccuracies I had to close it.  :bolt:

gtfo

He started the p38 taxied out flew around and landed safely taxied in and shut it down. He did nothing wrong on this recorded flight. The irony of your ignorance is you clearly do not know what happened to this experienced warbird pilot at the controls of a p38 who was indeed inexperienced in the p38. (6-7 hrs total p38 time)

Jeff Ethell gave you in the video a detailed discussion of the one thing that will get you killed in a p38. He then went on to get himself killed doing this very thing.

again the errors were not in the video but a few flights after and they cost the pilot his life and the plane was destroyed.
Title: Re: P-38 from pre-flight on
Post by: TwinBoom on June 18, 2011, 03:39:44 PM
After the first 45 seconds of innaccuracies I had to close it.  :bolt:

Poor Form
Title: Re: P-38 from pre-flight on
Post by: LCADolby on June 18, 2011, 03:42:27 PM
Just thought I'd point out to ease a cleary  :mad: fester that;

"most recognisable", "bubble canopy", "near Speed of sound dive" and "First Great 'Prop' Fighter" put me off.
and
I closed it at 45 seconds.

You Twin-Boom fans sure are delicate  :salute
Title: Re: P-38 from pre-flight on
Post by: TwinBoom on June 18, 2011, 03:44:33 PM
Just thought I'd point out to ease a cleary  :mad: fester that;

"most recognisable", "bubble canopy", "near Speed of sound dive" and "First Great 'Prop' Fighter" put me off.
and
I closed it at 45 seconds.

You Twin-Boom fans sure are delicate  :salute

Read
http://www.avweb.com/news/safety/183014-1.html (http://www.avweb.com/news/safety/183014-1.html)
Title: Re: P-38 from pre-flight on
Post by: LCADolby on June 18, 2011, 03:53:50 PM
Read
http://www.avweb.com/news/safety/183014-1.html (http://www.avweb.com/news/safety/183014-1.html)
:(

That isn't common knowledge btw.
Title: Re: P-38 from pre-flight on
Post by: Citabria on June 18, 2011, 04:09:17 PM
Just thought I'd point out to ease a cleary  :mad: fester that;

"most recognisable", "bubble canopy", "near Speed of sound dive" and "First Great 'Prop' Fighter" put me off.
and
I closed it at 45 seconds.

You Twin-Boom fans sure are delicate  :salute

go sit in one and have the owner tell you to go fly it around and tell me how far you can stretch facts to make a compelling intro for your favorite plane of all time... the plane your father flew and became an ace in.

its a grab intro and its stretching it but its not inaccurate either depending on your point of view and how much wiggle room you can give supersonic airflow over the wings credit for supersonic true airspeed. the main event of the show is the flying and procedures not the 45 second soundbite.

talk about judging a book by its cover.

Title: Re: P-38 from pre-flight on
Post by: NaTorino on June 18, 2011, 08:05:14 PM
great film :aok




(http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd313/natorino/cobrajet.jpg)
Title: Re: P-38 from pre-flight on
Post by: Mayhem on June 19, 2011, 01:15:17 AM
shame about the narrator

NTSB Identification: SEA97FA130. The docket is stored in the (offline) NTSB Imaging System.
Accident occurred JUN-06-97 at TILLAMOOK, OR
Aircraft: Lockheed P-38L, registration: N7973
Injuries: 1 Fatal.

The aircraft (P-38) had been topped off with full reserve & main fuel tanks (44 US gal/engine reserve tanks & 72 gal/engine main tanks). The pilot took off with about 20 minutes fuel having been already consumed. Operating with another P-38 within the airport area, the 2 aircraft flew about 20 to 25 minutes each. The fuel consumption was reported nominally at 60 gallons/hour/engine (1 gal/minute). With 44 gallons of fuel in each RESERVE tank for the duration of both flights, the engines would have exhausted all available fuel in each RESERVE tank after about 44 minutes. Both fuel selectors were found on the RESERVE setting at the site. No mechanical malfunction was found with either propeller or engine. The flaps & landing gear were retracted. According to the Pilot's Manual (flight manual), if one engine fails below 120 mph (safe single-engine airspeed), the pilot is to "close both throttles and land straight ahead." The flight manual did not provide any information for aircraft minimum control speeds with the flaps fully retracted. Several witnesses reported the aircraft was slow while turning base. Since this was a single-seat aircraft, there was no provision for "dual" instructional training in single-engine procedures or spin recovery. The pilot was reported to have flown 6 or 7 hours in another P-38, which included practice simulated single-engine maneuvers, but no actual in-flight shut down & feathering of an engine.

Probable Cause

failure of the pilot to maintain minimum control speed (VMC), after loss of power in one engine, which resulted in a loss of aircraft control and collision with terrain. Related factors were: the pilot's improper fuel management and failure to change the fuel selector position before a fuel tank had emptied, which led to fuel starvation and loss of power in one engine; and the pilot's lack of familiarity with the aircraft, relative to single-engine minimum airspeeds.

Here is the full report on the accident

http://www.winthrop.dk/ethel2.html

If you watch the Video He even mentions this issue killing pilots back in wwII.
Title: Re: P-38 from pre-flight on
Post by: Frodo on June 19, 2011, 10:32:48 AM
:(

That isn't common knowledge btw.

It is to us that have been interested in WWII aviation even before the advent of the intardnet.
Title: Re: P-38 from pre-flight on
Post by: Captain Virgil Hilts on June 19, 2011, 11:26:10 AM
Just thought I'd point out to ease a cleary  :mad: fester that;

"most recognisable", "bubble canopy", "near Speed of sound dive" and "First Great 'Prop' Fighter" put me off.
and
I closed it at 45 seconds.

You Twin-Boom fans sure are delicate  :salute

Near speed of sound dive is the only inaccuracy on your list.

You probably are not worthy of viewing Jeff's show anyway.
Title: Re: P-38 from pre-flight on
Post by: Captain Virgil Hilts on June 19, 2011, 11:33:03 AM
The extent of the modifications of the fuel system on that aircraft (N7973) are not fully listed and explained.

According to a couple of people who would know, there was evidence of a serious fuel leak in that aircraft (N7973), and the fuel switches were modified, so they did not work the same way as the P-38 shown in the film, which still has the original fuel system. There is some evidence that there was that Jeff was trying to "find fuel" and stop the leak.

It was a tragic loss of a great man and a great aircraft.
Title: Re: P-38 from pre-flight on
Post by: Gman on June 19, 2011, 01:09:55 PM
Never get tired of watching that video.  Jeff Ethell, Barrett Tillman and Walter J. Boyne are my three favorite aviation writers, with Mark Berent being a close 4th.  Jeff contributed a lot to the aviation and WW2 history community, you owe it to him and yourselves to either buy some of his books are check them out of the library, they are all excellent.  He is particularly good at showing thing from both sides IMO.  It was such a shame that he died in a crash, and every time I see this video and he goes over the fuel tank switchology and how a pilot would have to respond so quickly with a failure at low altitude because of it, it makes me reflect on how easy any of us can be killed even doing something we are considered to be expert at.  There are worse ways to go though, at least Jeff Ehtell went out doing something he loved and was noted for.
Title: Re: P-38 from pre-flight on
Post by: Qrsu on June 19, 2011, 03:53:28 PM
Thank you very much for the film!  :)
Title: Re: P-38 from pre-flight on
Post by: tassos on June 19, 2011, 03:57:47 PM
Great Video ,Thank you