Lockheed XP-80A (s/n 44-83021) in flight

Lockheed XP-80A (s/n 44-83021) in flight, seen from above over Muroc Flight Test Base. Heat from jet shows prominently in this view. Note the target battleship on Muroc Lake. The aircraft was nicknamed "Gray Ghost".1944

Lockheed XP-80A (s/n 44-83021) in flight, seen from above over Muroc Flight Test Base. December 6, 1944. The aircraft was nicknamed "Gray Ghost

Lockheed XP-80A (s/n 44-83021) in flight, seen from above over Muroc Flight Test Base. December 6, 1944. The aircraft was nicknamed "Gray Ghost

Note that the aircraft does not yet have the stall strips on the leading edge of the wings.

The first time I ever built the Hawk T-33A 1/48 kit I saw those stall strips and figured they were just flash, filed them off. But when I got to fly in a USAF T-33A I was stunned. Those really were stall strips, not flash!

This gives me even more incentive to find those pics my dad took of a P-80 that was at Itami when he was stationed there.
....wouldn't it be wild if it were this plane...

IIRC At least the first P-80 had a baked on finish in an attempt to make the surface as smooth as possible.

Ground shots. P-80's at B-1 waiting for engines, 9/6/46.

Here is the F-80A major assemblies drawing from the maintenance manual.

Nice shots!

Back to the original post about XP-80A, 44-83021
20 March 1945: Tony LeVier was conducting a test flight of the first prototype Lockheed XP-80A, 44-83021, near Muroc Army Air Field (now known as Edwards Air Force Base).

The XP-80A was derived from the original XP-80 prototype but was larger to incorporate a more powerful General Electric I-40 turbojet engine in place of the Allis-Chalmers J-36 (a license-built version of the British Halford H.1B). Thrust increased from 2,460 pounds to 4,000.

At 15,000 feet (4,572 meters) LeVier put the XP-80A into a dive, intending to level off at 10,000 feet (3,048 meters) for a high-speed run. However, at 11,000 feet (3,353 meters) the single stage axial turbine inside the jet engine failed and fragments tore through the prototype's fuselage. The tail section of the airplane was cut off and it went out of control.
The XP-80A was not equipped with an ejection seat and LeVier had difficulty getting out, but finally escaped at about 4,000 feet (1,219 meters).

44-83021 crashed near the town of Rosamond and was completely destroyed. Tony LeVier's parachute was swinging and he was severely injured when he hit the ground. His injuries kept him from flying for the next six months.

The Lockheed XP-80A was a single-place, single engine prototype fighter. It was 32 feet, 10 inches ( meters) long with a wingspan of 39 feet ( meters) and overall height of 11 feet, 4 inches ( meters). It had an empty weight of 7,225 pounds ( kilograms) and gross weight of 9,600 pounds ( kilograms). Armament consisted of six .50-caliber Browning M2 machine guns with 300 rounds of ammunition per gun.

Two XP-80As were built. These were followed by twelve YP-80A Shooting Star service test aircraft. The Lockheed P-80A Shooting Star was ordered into production with an initial contract for 500 aircraft. This was soon followed by a second order for 2,500 fighters.

I found the location of the crash site. Small bits of debris still remain at the site.

Good stuff!