The P-38 Lightning was not
only the first fighter built by Lockheed, but it was also the first
aircraft designed by a young engineer named Kelly Johnson, who would
later design some of the advanced aircraft of their day including the
U-2 and the SR-71. The P-38 initial designation was the "Atlanta". The
British coined it the "Lightning" and the name stuck. The P-38
Lightning was also the airplane that America's leading ace, Richard
Bong, flew. Many advances went into the Lightning over the course of
it's service. The pilots loved it for it's high-altitude capabilities,
endurance and it's manueverability in the later models. This one is
called "23 Skidoo" and is part of the Planes of Fame at Chino Airport.
Copyright notice:
All images on this site are copyright Van Gilder Aviation Photography.
Use of the images for non-commercial purposes is permitted providing
that the image remains unaltered. Please contact me if you wish to use
images for commercial purposes. If you use these for a personal or not
for profit website, please let me know via e-mail.
