This is a thread for Aviation enthusiasts and general discussion of planes and your favorite metallic birds both past and present!
This is a massive bird!
Last night I watched a documentry about the P:38.Kelly Johnson was the original designer…great show!
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Would be great if you could share here. Was it or can it be seen on YouTube?
Yes it was on Youtube. Personally, my favorite airplane to admire is the B-47.
Share it! Post it! I like to see it!
And you definitely don’t want to be on the receiving end! 
Ahh yes! I heard about these, extremely valuable birds! I am going to watch this and thanks for posting this. Such a unique and unusual aircraft.
That is for sure!
I was wondering if these planes needed extra runway to take off. Their wing span is so big they need extra wheels on their wing tips. I got to see these at Minot ND but never saw these actually take off.
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There was mentioned about landing problems. The highest American Ace flew this bird. Surprisingly. Charels Limberg while visiting a remote airstrip, solved the problem of fuel consumption; the P-38 was able to stay airborne for more than 8 hours at a time after Mr. Limberg made some adjustments to the manifold pressure and gasoline mixture.
They have a tri-landing gear system if I remember correctly which makes landing them a bit of a challenge.
Some years ago I went to an airshow and saw the only Studka Airplane in the world that could fly. Damn, I wish I could share those picture with you! This past summer, I went to the 75th anniversary of D Day at Normandy Beaches. I saw a Spitfire fly overhead at full throttle. I thought I had seen a jet, it was so fast. If you are a true airplane enthusiast then I recommend the Dayton,Ohio AF Museum. Really great!
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I always found German war planes rather eccentric in their designs. The Studka for example was a dive bomber but their landing gears weren’t retractable instead they were fixed. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to fly one of those things, probably not a smooth ride by any means! Then take the BF 109 that is listed in the video in the above OP, it’s tail landing gear is always visible which must of been a disadvantage for it in terms of drag. I met a pilot that flew one at an airshow and he told me they are a challenge to fly due to the weird designs in cockpit.
If you are interested in the Studka, I recommend Rans Rudel´s book “Studka Pilot”.The book is a masterpiece of Bravery, Gall and Fortitude. He was the only German in Histroy to receive the solid gold iron cross with diamonds. You will not be able to sit down when you start reading his book!
Back in the 80`s, I procured an genuine autograph first edition print of Erich Alfred Hartmann. See him and Rudel on Youtube.
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Saw a lot of this on the history channel awhile back. So glad so many WWII vets of all stripes have recorded their experiences for future generations. The WWII museum at Metairie Louisiana is one of the best. Visit if you ever get the chance.
Watching a fully loaded one is truly impressive.
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Also the Mighty 8th museum in Savannah Ga is good. My brother in laws dad was a ground crew chief for a 17 and also flew several missions as a turret gunner at the beginning of the daylight bombing runs over Germany as the mortality rate was very high. The 8th had the highest mortality rate of any other group.
Washington DC also has a great aviation museum.
Thanks for that reference I might just look that up, as I like reading anything aviation especially historical stories.
The 8th took on the most casualties during the early parts of the war and is the reason why the P-51 was introduced.
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