The definitive story of the World War II fighter which the Germans dubbed the fork-tailed devil includes line drawings, photos of prototypes and coverage of Lockheed proposals.
LIGHTNING STRIKES-THE LOCKHEED P-38 tells the full story of one of the most successful and versatile aircraft of the Second World War. The P-38 (including its F-4 and F-5 photo reconnaissance models) eventually served with all the USAAF's numbered overseas air forces, from early 1942 to VJ Day. The book describes the Lightning's design and its technical details as it gradually evolved and improved, from the original XP-38 to its final variant, the P-38L-5. The main focus is on its service in the combat theatres, from the frigid, windswept Aleutian Islands in the North Pacific to the steaming jungles of the South Pacific and Southeast Asia, the burning sands of North Africa and the more temperate climes of Europe. All the units that flew the Lightning are included, as are the experiences of many of their pilots and ground crewmen as they fought the Japanese Empire and the European Axis. Also related are the P-38's service with foreign (non-U.S.) air forces, its postwar commercial utilization as civilian aircraft and the surviving examples in museums around the world. The book is extremely well illustrated by over 400 high-resolution photographs, art work and graphics, and is supplemented by detailed appendices.
One of a series of books designed for the layman which looks at military aircraft that have recently arrived in the marketplace. Special emphasis is placed on the design and performance aspects of the aircraft and detailed technical specifications are included.
This second of two volumes continues the P-38 story by focusing on the later, mass-produced models of this historic fighter--P-38J through P-38M. Each type is examined through carefully researched archival photos, as well as photographs of currently preserved examples. Known to the enemy during World War II as the "Fork-tailed devil," the pilots of the Lockheed P-38 Lightning were charged with the responsibility of escorting American bombers deep over heavily defended Europe during the early years of the air campaign against Nazi Germany. In the Pacific, the Lightning's long range was put to good use flying over vast expanses of ocean. Detailed text and captions illustrate not only the design and construction of the later-war Lightnings, but also their combat use in WWII. Large, clear photos, coupled with descriptive and informative captions, put the reader on the airfield and in the sky with this historic aircraft.
This classic title traces the history of the Lightning from the earliest Lockheed "Model 22" through the severe compressibility problems of the prototype YP-38, to the P-38L-5, the fighter-bomber-reconnaissance aircraft of the USAAF in Italy and the Pacific. Graphically illustrated with over 200 action photographs and many eyewitness accounts, this book tells the story of a unique and innovative aircraft, revered for its adaptability and ability to limp home on one engine where other aircraft would have been destroyed.
The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was a twin-engine heavy fighter US long-range action, used during the Second World War by the RAF and the United States (AAC/AAF). At his appearance, in 1939, was a revolutionary aircraft, extremely innovative, thanks mainly to the fuselage double girder, the two engines with turbochargers Allison V inside the cross tail and the landing gear in tricycle front. The plane flew at the end of the thirties, and a copy was lost because swoop came to exceed 840 km/h, going in a regime of compressibility high Mach number because of its subtlety; this problem, which entailed the loss of effectiveness of the flight controls, was also found on other aircraft (eg. on the P-47). In 1939, flew over the United States from coast to coast, in just 7 hours and 2 minutes with only two stops for refueling, a performance which in those days was incredible. The P-38 was probably the quietest fighter in history, given that the discharges were muffled by the turbo General Electric of the two motors Allison, and forgave many piloting mistakes but its roll rate was too low for him to excel as a fighter dogfights. Among the various innovations of the Lighting was the fact of being the first interceptor dell'USAAC twin engine and the first with tricycle front, with the first head rivets embedded on the surface of the fuselage, with the teardrop canopy, capable of 400 miles per hour and the first fighter to two fuselages.
The Lockheed P-38J Lightning aircraft was revolutionary, extremely innovative, thanks to double-girder fuselage, the two Allison V-engines with turbochargers within the tail beams and landing gear in tricycle. The Bell P-39 Airacobra was a single-engine fighter produced by the US to low-wing Bell Aircraft Corporation. It was the most controversial fighter aircraft used by the US during World War II. It was the first fighter in the world to have the engine installed in the middle of the fuselage, behind the pilot. The Bell P-63 Kingcobra was a single-engine low-wing fighter aircraft developed by the US Air Force Bell Aircraft Corporation in the early forties and used during World War II. Evolution of the previous P-39 Airacobra, launched in an attempt to correct the defects of that model, the United States Army Air Forces will never estimated suitable for combat, relegating him to the towing role for targets. As a result, nearly two-thirds of the production was assigned to the Soviet Union and about 300 units to units of Free France. The Curtiss P-40 was a single-seat single-engine monoplane US manufacturing in the first half of the forties was taken by the Allies as a fighter aircraft or fighter in many of the theaters in which you fought the Second World War. Produced by the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company of Buffalo, New York, never was an aircraft with exceptional characteristics (mainly because of its engine, underpowered at high altitude); However, it was also made of a large number of specimens, and his great strength (coupled with its widespread availability since the early months of the entry into the war) made it one of the most important fighter for American aviation events in the first phase of World war II, between 1941 and the summer of 1943.
One of America's greatest military aviation historians relates the astonishing--and true--story of the only American warplane to fight in every operational theater in World War II from Pearl Harbor to Alaska and North Africa to Northern Europe.
How to Build Brick Airplanes puts the power of the world's most fearsome jets in your hands—learn how to build the SR-71, the P38 Lightning, the B2 bomber, and more, from LEGO bricks. Grab some bricks, because it's time to get building! How to Build Brick Airplanes is loaded with clear, easy-to-follow designs for creating contemporary and classic jets, warbirds, bombers, and more using nothing more than bricks found in many common LEGO sets. More than just simple, generic recreations, the planes here are all scale models of their real-world counterparts. How to Build Brick Airplanes opens with simpler designs, before working up to more detailed builds. This vivid, user-friendly, and fun title is sure to bring hours of joy and airborne wonder to LEGO fans across the globe, whether you're an aviation enthusiast, LEGO lover, or looking for a project to share with little ones of your own. LEGO is the world's #1 toy company. The adults who grew up building LEGO City and Spaceports are now passing their old sets on to their children—and a new generation of LEGO builders has emerged, along with a rabid online community and celebrated custom builders.