By Zac Yates
The most famous flying Lockheed P-38 Lightning, Lewis Air Legends’ Glacier Girl, is on museum display for the first time at the Lone Star Flight Museum in Houston, Texas.
One of six Lightnings and two Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses that force-landed in Greenland in 1942, P-38F 41-7630 was painstakingly recovered from under 268ft of ice and restored to airworthiness over a ten year period at Middlesboro, Kentucky. Nicknamed Glacier Girl and registered N17630 the aircraft flew again with Steve Hinton at the controls on October 26, 2002.
Acquired by Rod Lewis for his collection in 2006, Glacier Girl has made several airshow appearances over the past few years but has never before been on public display in a museum. However, for the next few months, the iconic aircraft will be on show at the LSFM.
The LSFM said there will be “special presentations, cockpit peeks and more centered around this iconic aircraft”, the first of which will take place on January 11 from 5.30 pm-8.30 pm. Bob Cardin, project manager of the team responsible for Glacier Girl’s recovery and supervisor of the disassembly and restoration, will be giving a talk at the museum about the aircraft’s extraordinary history.
Tickets are $40 per person ($30 for LSFM Members) and include light food and drinks. For more information and to buy tickets visit lonestarflight.org/glaciergirl.
Zac, born and raised in New Zealand, grew up immersed in aviation, with his father working as a helicopter crewman and living at Wanganui Airport. His passion for aviation started in childhood, building scale model kits and following the global warbird scene. He later trained as a journalist but found mainstream media unfulfilling, leading him to pursue a career as an aircraft maintenance engineer.
Now residing in Blenheim, near the historic Omaka Aerodrome, Zac studies at RNZAF Base Woodbourne and aspires to become a private and warbird pilot. Known as "Handbag" in aviation circles, he shares his love for aviation through photography and writing, connecting with enthusiasts worldwide.
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