Lockheed P-38 Lightning PDF eBook & Aircraft Flight Manuals

General Characteristics

• Crew: One
• Length: 37 ft 10 in (11.53 m) (11.53 m)
• Wingspan: 52 ft 0 in (15.85 m) (15.85 m)
• Height: 12 ft 10 in (3.91 m) (3.91 m)
• Wing area: 327.5 ft² (30.43 m²)
• Airfoil: NACA 23016 / NACA 4412
• Empty weight: 12,800 lb (5,800 kg)
• Loaded weight: 17,500 lb(7,940 kg)
• Max. takeoff weight: 21,600 lb (9,798 kg)
• Powerplant: 2 × Allison V-1710-111/113 V-12 piston engine, 1,600 hp (1,193 kW) WEP at 60 inHg, 3,000 rpm each
• Zero-lift drag coefficient: 0.0268
• Drag area: 8.78 ft² (0.82 m²)
• Aspect ratio: 8.26

Performance

• Maximum speed: 414 mph (667 km/h) on Military Power: 1,425 hp at 54 inHg, 3,000 rpm at 25,000 ft (7,620 m)
• Cruise speed: 275 mph (443 km/h)
• Stall speed: 105 mph (169 km/h) (170 km/h)
• Range: 1,300 mi (2,100 km) combat (1,770 mi / 3,640 km)
• Service ceiling: 44,000 ft (13,000 m) (13,400 m)
• Rate of climb: 4,750 ft/min (24.1 m/s) maximum
• Wing loading: 53.4 lb/ft² (260.9 kg/m²)
• Power/mass: 0.16 hp/lb (0.27 kW/kg)
• Lift-to-drag ratio: 13.5

Armament

• 1× Hispano M2(C) 20 mm cannon with 150 rounds
• 4× M2 Browning machine gun 0.50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns with 500 rpg.
• 4× M10 three-tube 4.5 in (112 mm) rocket launchers; or:

• Inner hardpoints:
  • 2× 2,000 lb (907 kg) bombs or drop tanks; or
  • 2× 1,000 lb (454 kg) bombs or drop tanks, plus either
    • 4× 500 lb (227 kg) bombs or
    • 4× 250 lb (113 kg) bombs; or
  • 6× 500 lb (227 kg) bombs; or
  • 6× 250 lb (113 kg) bombs
• Outer hardpoints:
  • 10× 5 in (127 mm) HVARs (High Velocity Aircraft Rockets); or
  • 2× 500 lb (227 kg) bombs; or
  • 2× 250 lb (113 kg) bombs

XP-38

United States Army Air Force designation for one prototype Lockheed Model 22 first flown in 1939.

YP-38

Redesigned pre-production batch with armament, 13 built.

P-38A

First production variant with 0.5 in guns and a 37 mm cannon, 30 built.

XP-38A

One P-38A modified with a pressurised cockpit.

P-38B

Proposed variant of the P-38A, not built.

P-38C

Proposed variant of the P-38A, not built.

P-38D

Production variant with modified tailplane incidence, self-sealing fuel tanks, 36 built.

P-38E

Production variant with revised hydraulic system, 20 mm cannon rather than the 37mm of earlier variants, 210 built.

P-38F

Production variant with inboard underwing racks for drop tanks or 2000lb of bombs, 527 built.

P-38G

Production variant with modified radio equipment, 1082 built.

P-38H

Production variant capable of carrying 3200lb of underwing bombs and an automatic oil radiator flaps, 601 built.

P-38J

Production variant with improvements to each batch, including chin radiators, flat bullet proof windscreens, power-boosted ailerons and increased fuel capacity, 2970 built. Some modified to pathfinder configuration and to F-5C, F-5E and F-5F.

P-38K

With 1425hp engines with larger broad-bladed propellers, one built, a P-38E was also converted to the same standard as the XP-38K.

P-38L

With 1600hp engines, 3923 built which included 113 built at Vultee, later conversions to pathfinders and F-5G.

TP-38L

Two P-38Ls converted as tandem seated operational trainers.

P-38M

Conversion of P-38L as a radar-equipped night-fighter.

P-422

Nonstandard United States military designation for 140 former Royal Air Force Lightning Is.

F-4

Photo-reconnaissance variant of the P-38E, 99 built.

F-4A

Photo-reconnaissance variant of the P-38F, 20 built.

F-5A

Reconnaissance variant of the P-38G, 181 built.

F-5B

Reconnaissance variant of the P-38J, 200 built, four later to the United States Navy as FO-1.

F-5C

Reconnaissance variant of the P-38J, 123 conversions.

XF-5D

Prone-observer variant, one conversion from a F-5A.

F-5E

Reconnaissance variant converted from the P-38J and P-38L, 705 converted.

F-5F

Reconnaissance variant conversions of the P-38L.

F-5G

Reconnaissance variant conversions of the P-38L, had a different camera configuration from the F-5F.

XFO-1

United States Navy designation for four F-5Bs operated for evaluation.

Lightning I

Royal Air Force designation for the Model 322, most diverted to the USAAF.

Lightning II

Royal Air Force designation for cancelled order of 524 aircraft.

Australia

On display

P-38H

• 42-66841 – Classic Jets Fighter Museum in South Australia.

Austria

Airworthy

P-38L

• 44-53254 – The Flying Bulls in Salzburg. Registered to Aircraft Guaranty Title Corp. Trustee in Onalaska, Texas.

Serbia

Under restoration

P-38L

• 44-25786 – Museum of Aviation in Belgrade. In storage, awaiting restoration.

United States

Airworthy

P-38F

• 41-7630 Glacier Girl – Lewis Air Legends in San Antonio, Texas.

P-38J

• 44-23314 23 Skidoo – Planes of Fame in Chino, California.

P-38L

• 44-26981 (unnamed) – Allied Fighters in Sun Valley, Idaho.
• 44-27053 Relampago – War Eagles Air Museum in Santa Teresa, New Mexico.
• 44-27083 Tangerine – Erickson Aircraft Collection in Madras, Oregon.
• 44-27183 (unnamed) – Yanks Air Museum in Chino, California.
• 44-27231 Scat III (Formerly Ruff Stuff) – Fagen Fighters WWII Museum in Granite Falls, Minnesota.
• 44-53095 Thoughts of Midnite – Comanche Fighters LCC in Houston, Texas.

On display

P-38G

• 42-13400 (unnamed) – Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (formerly Elmendorf AFB) in Anchorage, Alaska; crashlanded on Attu Island in 1945, recovered in 1999.

P-38J

• 42-67638 (unnamed) – Hill Aerospace Museum at Hill AFB, Utah.
• 42-67762 (unnamed) – Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center of the National Air and Space Museumin Chantilly, Virginia.

P-38L

• 44-53015 Pudgy V – McGuire AFB, New Jersey.
• 44-53087 Marge – EAA AirVenture Museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
• 44-53097 Lizzie V / Wyandotte Mich. – Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington.
• 44-53186 (unnamed) – Evergreen Aviation Museum in McMinnville, Oregon.
• 44-53232 (unnamed) – National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio.
• 44-53236 Marge – Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center in Superior, Wisconsin.

Under restoration or in storage

P-38F

• 42-12652 White 33 – to airworthiness by WestPac Restorations for Jim Slattery in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

P-38H

• 42-66534 – to airworthiness by Artemis Aviation Group LCC in Wilmington, Delaware.

P-38J

• 42-103988 – to airworthiness by WestPac Restorations for Flying Heritage Collection in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
• 42-104088 – in storage at the Flying Heritage Collection in Everett, Washington.

P-38L

• 44-26761 – in storage at Fantasy of Flight in Polk City, Florida.