P-38L Lightning for MSFS - Released 9-30-21

Oh dear, that is nice. I saw two cockpits in that video, one looking like WW-II and another with a some modern stuff. I like it.
 
Unless there's also a J model, that Yippee paint doesn't fit. But I'll still be seriously considering this one!
 
well I'm pretty stoked. Most of the paint schemes shown are for J's but I'll fix that soon enough :)

I see a few minor details that aren't quite right but I'll try my best not to nitpick -- I certainly can't make MSFS models of this caliber. I'm just happy to see a P-38 done to this level and if I had to pick one of the variants I'm glad it's the "definitive" L (I'd love an F someday too). I'm looking forward to tweaking it and repainting it, and of course flying it most of the time!!!

:jump: :jump: :jump:

- dcc
 
dcc said:
well I'm pretty stoked. Most of the paint schemes shown are for J's but I'll fix that soon enough :) I see a few minor details that aren't quite right but I'll try my best not to nitpick -- I certainly can't make MSFS models of this caliber. I'm just happy to see a P-38 done to this level and if I had to pick one of the variants I'm glad it's the "definitive" L (I'd love an F someday too). I'm looking forward to tweaking it and repainting it, and of course flying it most of the time!!! :jump: :jump: :jump: - dcc
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Yeah, I'm going to have to pass, unless they fix the cowl under the props at the cooling intakes. It should not have a flat front face. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/382524562077655654/
 
I do not yet have MSFS, but I like that this P-38 will have two cockpit options. Original WW II for those who seek authenticity and one with a GPS and maybe modern-ish radios for those who seek a restored warbird.
 
I really like that one of the cockpit options is stock but with the gunsight and armor glass missing, as that is reflective of the majority of the P-38's flying today. Obviously the Imron gray cockpit version with built-in GPS is for use with the Red Bull P-38 paint scheme (although it is not precisely accurate to that one) - of the 9 P-38s flying today, the Red Bull example is the only one with a modernized cockpit. All of the rest of the P-38s flying have stock cockpits, but none fly today with gunsights, as it is considered too much of a hazard/risk of serious injury in-case of a forced landing/crash. Pilots today will usually mount a handheld GPS around the top of the instrument panel.

I had spotted the inaccurate oil cooler intakes/cowlings right away too, and that has been the prime reason why I have still been hoping that Milviz will be bringing their P-38 over to the MSFS, since the modeling is so well done on that one. It would however change my mind greatly if FlyingIron were able to more accurately depict those intakes/cowls.

All of the P-38s flying today:

P-38F 41-7630 (N17630) Glacier Girl - Owned by Lewis Air Legends, based at San Antonio, Texas.
P-38F 42-12652 (N12652) White 33 - Owned by Jim Slattery, based at the National Museum of WWII Aviation, at Colorado Springs, Colorado. Features working turbochargers. The most fully authentic/complete military stock P-38 flying.
P-38J 44-23314 (N138AM) 23 Skidoo - Owned by Planes of Fame Air Museum, based at Chino, California.
F-5G 44-26996 (N7723C) Honey Bunny - Owned by Vintage Fighters LLC, based at Chino, California. Restored in P-38L configuration.
P-38L 44-27083 (N2114L) Tangerine - Owned by Erickson Aircraft Collection, based at Madras, Oregon.
F-5G 44-27231 (N79123) Scat III - Owned by Fagan Fighters WWII Museum, based at Granite Falls, Minnesota. Restored in P-38J configuration. Features working turbochargers.
P-38L 44-53095 (N38TF) Thoughts of Midnite - Owned by Charles Somers, based at Sacramento, California.
P-38L 44-53186 (N505MH) Pudgy V - Owned by the Collings Foundation, based at Stow, Massachusetts. Features working turbochargers.
F-5G 44-53254 (N25Y) Red Bull - Owned by Red Bull/Flying Bulls, based at Salzburg, Austria. Fitted with fighter nose (no guns), F/G/H variant oil cooler intakes/lower cowls, no turbos at all, and modernized cockpit.
 
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Bomber_12th said:
I really like that one of the cockpit options is stock but with the gunsight and armor glass missing,
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Me too, I like the idea of flying a restored Lightning and don't want the gunsight bliocking my view. Good choice on their part IMO.

Bomber_12th said:
...

P-38L 44-53186 (N505MH) Pudgy V - Owned by the Collings Foundation, based at Stow, Massachusetts. Features working turbochargers.
F-5G 44-53254 (N25Y) Red Bull - Owned by Red Bull/Flying Bulls, based at Salzburg, Austria. Fitted with fighter nose (no guns), F/G/H variant oil cooler intakes/lower cowls, no turbos at all, and modernized cockpit.
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The final two on my yet-to-see list (of the ones in flying condition :untroubled: (Though I've heard there's another one being restored by the same folks who did the one in Colorado Springs, though I believe that restoration is on hold. Do you know anything more about that one John?) I'm hoping to see Red Bull's (formerly White Lightnin' ) next year assuming covid subsides and we can travel to Europe. And then Pudgy V the year after that. I had planned to see it last year.

- dcc
 
jimjones said:
Preview with cockpit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0U2xx1jHrc
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Fantastic! Thanks for posting this. I think I'm more excited about this release than I was getting the sim. :untroubled:

Aside from a few little things (possible visual issues, and now, after seeing/hearing the video, aural issues too) , it looks really promising and I can see that I won't be flying (and tweaking) much else after it is released :adoration:

This model may spell the end of my FS9 flying days. (I still fly FS9 from time to time, mostly to fly my P-38s.)

- dcc
 
dcc said:
The final two on my yet-to-see list (of the ones in flying condition :untroubled: (Though I've heard there's another one being restored by the same folks who did the one in Colorado Springs, though I believe that restoration is on hold. Do you know anything more about that one John?
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Yeah, Westpac Restorations, which restored the P-38F 'White 33', were working on restoring a P-38J for the late Paul Allen's Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum (FHCAM), which was set to be the most authentic, combat-ready P-38 ever restored. Paul Allen's company, Vulcan, which managed all of the financial aspects of the museum, had a falling out with Westpac in 2017 (not unusual for Vulcan's business practices) and the project was sent to Ezell Aviation in Texas, where it remains today. However, since the FHCAM closed last year, the project has likely been put on hold and will be put up for sale at some point in the future - several other FHCAM projects have already recently come up for sale, including an A6M5 Zero airframe that was acquired by a German collection, which will be having it restored to fly.

This is the most recent photo I have seen of the FHCAM P-38J project, taken at Ezell Aviation last year. I believe this is P-38J 42-104088 (ex-Confederate Air Force), as registered to Vulcan/FHCAM with the FAA, but the FHCAM has also been said to own the wreckage of the Pacific combat-vet P-38J 42-103988 'Jandina III', but which I believe remains in storage. There was an individual from the FHCAM who several years ago was working on researching the history and original wartime markings of 42-104088, which shows up as having served with the 370th FG of the 9th Air Force in Europe during WWII.
 

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Although the restoration hasn't quite started yet, the Dakota Territory Air Museum owns the wreckage of the ex-Bruce Pruitt P-38L 44-26969 (N7973), which is the one that crashed in 1997, killing Jeff Ethell. Over the next several years, it will be fully rebuilt to fly by AirCorps Aviation, which is known for their incredible, fully authentic/accurate restorations (such as the P-51D Sierra Sue II and P-51C Lope's Hope 3rd). There are also three early model P-38 restorations taking place at Historic Aircraft Restorations in Australia, based on the wreckage of P-38G 42-12847 Dumbo!, P-38F 42-12647 Dottie from Brooklyn, and parts from P-38F 42-13084 and P-38H 42-66905. One will be a flyer and the two others will be static museum pieces (one of which is destined for the Pima Air & Space Museum). There is also the P-38H 42-66534 project that was for sale some years back, but which never sold (still registered to Artemis Aviation Group, which is Jeff Thomas, who used to work for the FHCAM). Furthermore, a number of years ago, Westpac Restorations received all of the leftover P-38 parts/wrecked-remains that the Planes of Fame Air Museum had collected over the years at Chino, CA, including what remained of P-38L 44-53078 (N504MH) and P-38L 44-26961 (N6961). Perhaps this will form the foundation of a restoration project at some point too. A few years ago, the UK warbird collector, David Arnold, acquired P-38H 42-66841 Scarlet Scourge, which had been restored to static display condition at Classic Jets Fighter Museum in Australia. It was initially reported that Arnold planned on having the aircraft re-restored to fly, but since arriving in England a few years ago it has remained in storage. I know that Jerry Yagen, who owns the Military Aviation Museum in Virginia, has wanted a flying P-38, badly, for many years, and I keep wondering if we might just see one restored for him someday soon as well.
 
Thanks for the info on the P-38 restoration projects! I see I have more travel in my future.

I hadn't heard about the plan to restore the one Jeff Ethell perished in. I still have an old VHS copy of the show he did on that plane, as well as a framed photo of him flying it over the Oregon coast.

- dcc
 
The one that Jeff Ethell flew in the Roaring Glory video, and in the photoshoot, is still intact and flying, that being "the green one" owned by Jack Erickson - that is the same airframe that is P-38L 44-27083 (N2114L) Tangerine, owned by the Erickson Aircraft Collection, based at Madras, Oregon (same collection that used to be based at Tillamook, OR) - it's painted in the markings that Jeff Ethell's dad's P-38 was painted in during the war. It was a different P-38 altogether that Jeff was flying when he crashed, after failing to switch fuel tanks, which was owned by Bruce Pruitt. What made matters worse is that Jeff never had permission to fly it, but the day the crash happened he was about to go fly Jack Erickson's P-38 and another pilot was going to be flying Pruitt's P-38, and at the last minute the other pilot and Jeff decided to switch planes to see how they compared to each other, and that's how Jeff ended up in that aircraft instead. The accident aircraft, Bruce Pruitt's P-38L, was 44-26969 (N7973), which was painted silver, and that is the one which will be rebuilt by AirCorps Aviation to fly.

This is P-38L 44-26969 (N7973), which Jeff Ethell was flying when he was killed, and is the airframe that AirCorps Aviation will be restoring to fly.



And of course this is P-38L 44-27083 (N2114L), which Jeff Ethell flew in the Roaring Glory series and photoshoot, and which still flies today (painted in the markings of Jeff's father Ervin Ethell's wartime P-38).

 
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