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  • Levitz P-38 Lightning

    Does anyone know if this P-38 remains in pretty much "as raced" condition at the War Eagles Museum?





    http://www.warbirdsnews.com/aviation...gles-p38l.html
    Random Air Blog

  • #2
    Re: Levitz P-38 Lightning

    Yes, it's pretty much 'as is'.

    Just missing the race number on the tail. It was made 'airworthy' without taking out any of the racing mods or being 'restored' to warbird condition.

    A real shame that it never sees the light of day anymore.

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    • #3
      Re: Levitz P-38 Lightning

      I kind of get the impression from that blog post that it was flown there and parked. I was under the impression that it was flown regularly by the museum up until a few years ago?
      Random Air Blog

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      • #4
        Re: Levitz P-38 Lightning

        Originally posted by Big_Jim View Post
        Yes, it's pretty much 'as is'.

        Just missing the race number on the tail. It was made 'airworthy' without taking out any of the racing mods or being 'restored' to warbird condition.

        A real shame that it never sees the light of day anymore.
        You can say that again!

        Why was it painted black? (I'm assuming the grey scheme was first).

        Not my photo

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        • #5
          Re: Levitz P-38 Lightning

          Since it was put into the MacGuire/War Eagles Musuem it has not flown in MANY years.

          When Levitz first raced it in 1970 and 71 it was natural metal with stars and bars. From 1973 through 77 it was painted light grey with shark mouths and invasion stripes (red spinners were added in 1974). From 1978 through 1980 it went back to natural metal with a red #38 on the tail. And for the 1983 season they painted it black with a red race number.

          After it had it's ramp accident in '83, it was sold to Invader Aviation in Delaware. They never moved it from Reno. The damage was fixed and the ownership passed to MacGuire. The only thing they did was remove the race number from the tail.
          Attached Files
          Last edited by Big_Jim; 01-31-2014, 08:22 PM.

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          • #6
            Re: Levitz P-38 Lightning

            What happened on the ramp?
            "Lighten Up Francis....."

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            • #7
              Re: Levitz P-38 Lightning

              Imagine this, and Lefty's (Red Bull) together on the Ramp during a Nevada sunrise...

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              • #8
                Re: Levitz P-38 Lightning

                Originally posted by boomtown View Post
                What happened on the ramp?

                IIRC, the gear was retracted a little too early.......

                Kevin

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                • #9
                  Re: Levitz P-38 Lightning

                  I don't remember the year/years, but if memory serves me right there was a race/races with 3/three P-38's at Reno .....anyone else remember this?
                  Brian

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                  • #10
                    Re: Levitz P-38 Lightning

                    Super Cub: There have never been more than two P-38's in competition at Reno or Mojave. Usually it was Lefty and Gary (1977-80). In 1970 it was Lefty and Revis Sermon.

                    Boomtown: In 1983 (the year Double Trouble was black) the plane was out on the ramp for an engine run-up. The late "Rotten Richard" Rasnopher inadvertently started the right hand Allison with the gear selector in the 'up' position, so as soon as the hydraulic system was energized the right gear retracted. It bent the blades on the right prop, crushed the lower parts of both tails, and kinked the right boom.

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                    • #11
                      Re: Levitz P-38 Lightning

                      Well, memory is the 342nd thing to go LOL
                      Brian

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                      • #12
                        Re: Levitz P-38 Lightning

                        Originally posted by Big_Jim View Post
                        Boomtown: In 1983 (the year Double Trouble was black) the plane was out on the ramp for an engine run-up. The late "Rotten Richard" Rasnopher inadvertently started the right hand Allison with the gear selector in the 'up' position, so as soon as the hydraulic system was energized the right gear retracted. It bent the blades on the right prop, crushed the lower parts of both tails, and kinked the right boom.
                        Wow, this brings back some memories. In 1970, right out of college, I took a job in Dallas. I had an apartment on the north side. I knew only a few people, all friends that were of the drag racing type who had moved to the area from San Antonio while I was in college. One of the people who hung with that crowd was "Rotten Richard" who was a mechanic for Braniff airlines at the time.
                        I'll mention here that I had a strong interest in warbirds but did not know air racing existed. I had already tried to talk a group of aircraft minded college friends into buying a Mustang for about $20K. Too much money, they said. How about a T-6 for around $5K then? Nobody wanted to fly an old oil dripping dog. End of that story.
                        Back to Dallas in 1970 and 1971. I had a lot of free time and not many people to spend it with so one of the things I used to due was prowl around Addison airport to look at the planes. I remember there was a torpedo bomber parked on one of the aprons but never ran into anyone to talk to about it. Another plane I found was a derelict looking P-38 parked beside a hanger. Poor thing looked very unlikely to fly again. Hoses and cables hanging down, cover plates open, all manor of things obviously missing. I visited it several times but again never ran into anyone around it or the adjacent hanger. Fast forward a few months, during which I acquired a girlfriend and spent most of my time keeping her happy so I could get laid regularly causing me to seldom visit Addison, and I'm getting out of my car at a friend's house when I hear an odd sounding aircraft engine(s). Looked up an spotted a P-38 passing over. I joined a group in the house, Richard being one of them, and mentioned seeing the 38. Richard pipes up and sez how it belonged to Gary Levitz and that he (Richard) was part of a crew that had been working on it for quite some time. What a cruel twist. I had spent many hours with nothing to do and few people to help me do it and one of the few I did know was wrenching on an airplane I would have loved to have been around even I was just cleaning parts or sweeping he hanger floor. In all my visits I had never chanced to run into Richard or anyone else at work in that hanger and Richard never mentioned anything about it.

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                        • #13
                          Re: Levitz P-38 Lightning

                          Great story Streak. Thanks for sharing. Yes, both "Rotten Richard" and "Big John" Rader were Braniff mechanics who worked on Gary's P-38 while it was in Dallas....and stayed with Gary through most of his racing career....along with "Little John" Brooks, Ron Fortune, "Sly Ol' Vernon" Thorpe, Walter Wooten, and Ralph Payne.

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                          • #14
                            Re: Levitz P-38 Lightning

                            Originally posted by Big_Jim View Post
                            Super Cub: There have never been more than two P-38's in competition at Reno or Mojave. Usually it was Lefty and Gary (1977-80). In 1970 it was Lefty and Revis Sermon.
                            Which P-38 did Sermon race?
                            Random Air Blog

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                            • #15
                              Re: Levitz P-38 Lightning

                              Which P-38 did Sermon race?
                              N38LL "Scatterbrain Kid" later destroyed in a crash.
                              Leo Smiley - Graphics and Fine Arts
                              airplanenutleo@gmail.com
                              thetreasuredpeacock.etsy.com

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