Today we came across this amazing video of a Lockheed P-38 Lightning and Chance Vought F4U-4 “CORSAIR” belonging to the Flying Bulls collection shot during formation training flight over the Austrian mountains. This F4 was one of the 2,500 Corsairs built for the US Navy in 1945 though particular plane never saw any wartime action. The airplane is entirely fit for aerobatics, but it is flown conservatively because of its age though 4.5 G’s in a deep curve is not uncommon despite the relatively gentle treatment.
The P-38 was never intended to be a leisure plane or a plane for “Sunday pilots.” It was produced as a serious plane in serious times; as the American answer to the ME-109 of the German armed forces during the Second World War.
In a famous homage to the Lookheed P-38 Lightning, the long-term owner Marvin “Lefty” Gardner toyed with the idea of letting the plane die after it was severely damaged in an accident, though he says the plane has been like “heaven on earth” for him. Luckily he decided to restore her and the best preserved P-38 in the world eventually made the long journey to Salzburg to be with its siblings in the Flying Bulls where this video was recorded.
Interested to learn how to fly a Corsair? Check out this pilot manual.
Born in Milan, Italy, Moreno moved to the U.S. in 1999 to pursue a career as a commercial pilot. His aviation passion began early, inspired by his uncle, an F-104 Starfighter Crew Chief, and his father, a military traffic controller. Childhood adventures included camping outside military bases and watching planes at Aeroporto Linate. In 1999, he relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, to obtain his commercial pilot license, a move that became permanent. With 24 years in the U.S., he now flies full-time for a Part 91 business aviation company in Atlanta. He is actively involved with the Commemorative Air Force, the D-Day Squadron, and other aviation organizations. He enjoys life with his supportive wife and three wonderful children.
Superb video – can I scrub the hangar floor as a job for the next 10 years please ?
I am in the wrong business