How The U.S. Air Force’s Fork-Tailed P-38 Lightning Became Most Feared Aircraft Of World War II

BiffF15 · Nov 30, 2022

wingnuts said:
Pel-Air Express often used our hangar for maintenance work in the olden days, I always liked the nickname for their Fairchild Metro lll aircraft "The DEATH PENCIL"
View attachment 696624

Not to be used when near passengers.

I remember these were about the noisiest aircraft we had near our hangar, I was surprised that all that noise came out of such a tiny engine, OK I know it was mostly the props..... but still!

View attachment 696625

View attachment 696623

San Antonio Sewer Pipe. I have about a 1000 hours in one of those damn things...

Thumpalumpacus · Nov 30, 2022

wingnuts said:
I could have used that name on the P-38 design I did but my laptop only had a 14" screen!

Did Scrabble ever catch on in Germany?

Almost. Thing is, the tile holder was too long for most dinner tables.

buffnut453 · Nov 30, 2022

Thumpalumpacus said:
Akmost. Thing is, the tile holder was too long for most dinner tables.

And the game board filled the Esszimmer and Wohnzimmer combined.

special ed · Nov 30, 2022

wingnuts said:
Pel-Air Express often used our hangar for maintenance work in the olden days, I always liked the nickname for their Fairchild Metro lll aircraft "The DEATH PENCIL"
View attachment 696624

Not to be used when near passengers.

I remember these were about the noisiest aircraft we had near our hangar, I was surprised that all that noise came out of such a tiny engine, OK I know it was mostly the props..... but still!

View attachment 696625

View attachment 696623

With the engine out, did the tail have to be supported?

Clayton Magnet · Nov 30, 2022

wingnuts said:
I was surprised that all that noise came out of such a tiny engine

Those TPE 331's run at 98% when idling

33k in the air · Nov 30, 2022

wingnuts said:
Did Scrabble ever catch on in Germany?

No, the game board was just too big.

Thumpalumpacus · Nov 30, 2022

33k in the air said:
No, the game board was just too big.

I'm told that was the real reason behind Drang nach Ost. "Mein Fuhrer, even France is not enough!"

GregP · Nov 30, 2022

I understand the Metro, in whatever version you want, was a very high pilot load ... I've heard the pilot load was high, but no reason as to what made it more of a pilot load than any other turboprop, say a Beech 99 or something similar. How about a SAAB 340? What makes The Death Pencil stand out as a thing to avoid?

Care to comment, BiffF15?

GrauGeist · Nov 30, 2022

Wasn't the Metro also called the "Terror Tube"?

wingnuts · Nov 30, 2022

special ed said:
With the engine out, did the tail have to be supported?

Pel-Air used their own people to do the work, I was not involved, but from the photo it doesn't look like it.

special ed · Nov 30, 2022

That's what I thought it looked like. A long fuselage would tailsit easily with engine(s) out.

BiffF15 · Nov 30, 2022

GregP said:
I understand the Metro, in whatever version you want, was a very high pilot load ... I've heard the pilot load was high, but no reason as to what made it more of a pilot load than any other turboprop, say a Beech 99 or something similar. How about a SAAB 340? What makes The Death Pencil stand out as a thing to avoid?

Care to comment, BiffF15?

Greg,

The only other turbo prop I've flown is the Bronco. It was easy to fly but had no single engine takeoff capability. The Metro was tough engine out as it required almost full aileron into the good engine, lots of trimming, and a poor layout of avionics and switches (at least in USAF configuration) and poor performance. Both engines running it trimmed up fairly well, but was heavy / sluggish in roll if I remember correctly.

The autopilot controls for the left seater were in the center stack, while the right seaters stuff was to his right. It makes setting headings/ running the avionics tough engine out if the copilot is flying. Also there were a few bus transfer switches behind the copilots right elbow, or not located in a normal center overhead position so one guy can watch the other for safety / redundancy. Some freight operators run it single seat. Poor cockpit ergonomics.

They have a large freight door on the aft fuselage. It won't close sometimes, which required one guy to push up on the tail while another closed the door. I sh!t you not. When I took it off station I didn't let anyone use the cargo door as it was the weakest link in the system and would strand us all too often. No one ever complained even though it required forming a human chain to get the gear through the front door, down that skinny little tube to the back. My boss liked that damn door but he didn't mind an extra night out…

The guys I knew that flew both it and the King Air liked the latter much better.

Of all the planes I've flown it was my least favorite.

Cheers,
Biff

Clayton Magnet · Dec 2, 2022

BiffF15 said:
They have a large freight door on the aft fuselage. It won't close sometimes, which required one guy to push up on the tail while another closed the door. I sh!t you not

Metroliner cargo doors are a structural element. As in, it needs to be closed or else the tail stand needs to be installed. Just don't let the stand touch the ground BEFORE loading, or else you wont be able to remove it after.

Edit: You can bend the aircraft if you jack it without closing the big cargo door

Thumpalumpacus · Dec 4, 2022

Reading today, I came across a report that the Japanese nicknamed the CAC Boomerang the "Combat Wombat". Any truth to this?

Greg Boeser · Dec 4, 2022

I thought they called it "Breaking Wind".

Thumpalumpacus · Dec 5, 2022

Greg Boeser said:
I thought they called it "Breaking Wind".

Spinal Tap fans, eh?

Greg Boeser · Dec 5, 2022

How could I leave that behind?

Timppa · Dec 10, 2022

Marine pilots called PTO P-38 pilots "high altitude fox-holes" due to their reluctance to come down protecting their bombers.

FLYBOYJ · Dec 10, 2022

Timppa said:
Marine pilots called PTO P-38 pilots "high altitude fox-holes" due to their reluctance to come down protecting their bombers.

Never heard that one, any references?

Thumpalumpacus · Dec 10, 2022

Timppa said:
Marine pilots called PTO P-38 pilots "high altitude fox-holes" due to their reluctance to come down protecting their bombers.

That's a shame, because those PTO P-38 pilots (two of whom combined for 78 kills by themselves, another fourteen of whom shot down Yamamoto and consorts in an unprecedented mission) were clearly not afraid of a scrap.

There's little room for casting aspersions and invidious comparisons when we're all fighting on the same side.

How The U.S. Air Force’s Fork-Tailed P-38 Lightning Became Most Feared Aircraft Of World War II

Tech Sergeant

Major

Captain

2nd Lieutenant

Staff Sergeant

Staff Sergeant

Major

Major

Generalfeldmarschall zur Luftschiff Abteilung

Airman 1st Class

2nd Lieutenant

Tech Sergeant

Staff Sergeant

Major

1st Sergeant

Major

1st Sergeant

Senior Airman

"THE GREAT GAZOO"

Major

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