X-Nico

unusual facts about Lockheed P-80



434th Fighter Training Squadron

Equipped with the Lockheed P-38F Lightning, trained for combat and served as an air defense organization for the west coast as part of IV Fighter Command.

53d Weapons Evaluation Group

The 475th Fighter Group was perhaps the best known of the Lockheed P-38 Lightning groups in the theater since it contained among its personnel the top scoring flying aces in the Pacific--Richard I. Bong (40 kills) and Thomas B. McGuire, Jr.

A Guy Named Joe

He is to be sent back to Earth, where a year has elapsed, to pass on his experience and knowledge to dilettante Ted Randall (Van Johnson), first in flight school, then as a Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter pilot in the south Pacific.

Alexai Point Army Airfield

On 1 January 1945 2nd Lt. Robert L. Nesmith flying from Alexai Point, crashed his Lockheed P-38G-10-LO Lightning in Temnac Valley, just west of Attu Station while on a low-level training mission over Attu.

CP-823/U

It was engineered, built and tested as the A-NEW MOD3 prototype computer for the Lockheed P-3 Orion.

Flameout

On 6 August 1945, the top USAAF fighter ace Richard Bong died in a flight accident as his Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star fighter suffered a flameout and dove to ground.

Glacier Girl

Glacier Girl is a Lockheed P-38F-1-LO Lightning World War II fighter plane, 41-7630, c/n 222-5757, that was restored to flying condition after being buried beneath the ice of the remote Greenland Ice Sheet for over 50 years.

John H. McMasters

John McMasters was born in Taft, California and fell in love with airplanes in 1943 when he his uncle gave him a private “air show” in a Lockheed P-38 Lightning.

Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star

After receiving documents and blueprints comprising years of British jet aircraft research, the commanding General of the Army Air Forces, Henry H. Arnold, believed an airframe could be developed to accept the British-made jet engine, and the Materiel Command's Wright Field research and development division tasked Lockheed to design the aircraft.

Operation Trikora

The force was detected by a Dutch Neptune aircraft and one of the torpedo boats was sunk by an intercepting Dutch Navy vessel.

P-38 can opener

As with some other military terms, e.g., "jeep", the origin of the term is not known with certainty; the P-38 opener coincidentally shares a designation with the Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter plane, which could allude to its fast performance.

PAIC Império SP1

Império SP1 was developed under the PAIC Império UAS program, which was established in July 2008 as result of the Portuguese Air Force's Lockheed P-3 Orion modernization program offset compensation.

RAF Steeple Morden

During the stay of the 3d PRG, Lieutenant-Colonel Elliott Roosevelt, son of Franklin D. Roosevelt served as commander and also flew an F-4 "Lightning".

RAF Stoney Cross

The 367th Fighter Group arrived from Oakland Municipal Airport, California flying Lockheed P-38 Lightnings.

RMAF Butterworth

As of October 2008, the Australian Defence Force continues to maintain a presence at RMAF Butterworth as part of Australia's commitment to the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA), with No. 19 Squadron RAAF and a detachment of AP-3C Orion aircraft from No. 92 Wing RAAF being located at the airfield.


see also