Would love to find an old Lockheed P-38 "Lightning" for me and my father to restore to flight status. Would be expensive, for sure. But it would be a dream come true.
2007-03-01 06:38:56 · 9 answers · asked by kirktotallyrocks 2 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Aircraft
The P-38 Lightning is one of the rarest airframes in the world. There are only 8 or 9 flying right now. They are still finding wrecked examples in jungles, under water and even under ice. A rebuildable wreck would probably cost $500,000 or more and take 5 - 10 years to restore IF you could find all the parts. One of the more recent rebuilds (Glacier Gal) was recovered 120' down under the ice in Greenland. It was restored at a cost of more than $1,000,000.
There are 3/4 scale replica's available that you can build from scratch, that may be a better option...
2007-03-01 10:28:46 · answer #1 · answered by Gordon B 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Ther are essentially none to restore. The known restorable P-38's are either already undergoing restoration, or sitting in Air museums already restored.
There's a few left out of a flight that landed on a glacier in the late 1940's still burried under about 50 ft of ice... The expeition that went to recover them cut the best examples out and carted them back for restoration. It cost over $1 million per plane just to get them out of the ice....
Think you can afford one?
2007-03-01 15:05:47 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Confederate Air Force, as mentioned, is probably your best source for a lead. I don't know of any around for restoration, from time to time one comes on the market, but the price tag is astronomical, I wish you good hunting!
2007-03-01 17:09:39 · answer #3 · answered by Blitzpup 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is a company called warbirds inc, in Indiana and they can probably help you.
Eaa, could help also, or if you can find a data plate and papers to go with an airframe you can do a ground up Build, from parts scrounged.
( a lot of people do this ) Build a NEW aircraft around a data plate.
Whole airframes are mostly impossible to find.
Good luck and if you need help turning wrenches please email me, I would be happy to help.
2007-03-02 01:02:18 · answer #4 · answered by fighterace26 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Call the Confederate Air Force people, or EAA folks. They might be able to give you a lead.
2007-03-01 11:44:32 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Good luck finding one they got some big boneyards in Az
2007-03-01 06:47:09 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's one of the many exceptionally rare airframes.
Would be cool, though.
2007-03-01 07:17:02 · answer #7 · answered by lowflyer1 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
there not to many out their bone yard probably picked clean check sales list
2007-03-01 06:45:15 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
You'll have better luck picking up chopsticks with your butt cheeks.
2007-03-01 19:34:05 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋