American fighter-bomber Lockheed P-38 Lightning COBI 5882 - World War II 1:48

You know that:

• When the US Air Force approached the manufacturer with a request to design an aircraft with a speed of min. 580 km/h at an altitude of 6,000 m and able to take off and land on an unusually short runway, so all but one company refused.
• Albert Einstein once said, "When something doesn't work because it's impossible, someone who doesn't know it can't work comes along and does it, and it works." And that's exactly what young designer Clarence Leonard "Kelly" Johnson was like.
• The first flight of the P-38 took place on January 27, 1939, and it was immediately clear that it was an aircraft that had no competition in its time.
• If a capable pilot got into the cockpit, the machine aroused deep respect among the enemies, thanks to which the Germans nicknamed the plane "The Two-tailed Devil".
• Aces with the most kills of any American pilot such as Richard Ira Bong and Thomas B. McGuire flew the P-38.
• The famous writer, author of The Little Prince Antoine de Saint-Exupéry flew a reconnaissance version of the P-38 during World War II. He never returned from the mission over France on July 31, 1944. Even today, it is not known for sure whether he was shot down or whether his machine crashed.
• Perhaps the only disadvantage of the machine was the worse view through the long hood cover, and that is why the pilots drove along the runway with a "snake walk".
• After Charles Lindbergh's technical modification, the machine was able to use fuel better and increase the combat range up to 2,600 km.
• In some armies, the aircraft served until 1965.
• There are still 6 airworthy machines around the world.

Technical parameters:

• dimensions: span 15.85 m, length 11.53 m, height 3.91 m
• empty aircraft weight 5806 kg
• take-off weight 7938 kg (max. 9798 kg)
• power unit 2x 12 cylinder Allison V-1710-F-30 engine with a power of 1082 kW
• volume of fuel tanks 1552 l
• maximum speed 665 km/h
• operational range 2000 km (max. 4184 km)
• climb rate 24.1 m/s
• maximum flight level 13,410 m
• armament 4x Browning M2 machine gun caliber 12.7 mm, 1x Hispano M-2C cannon caliber 20 mm + possibly 2x aerial bombs 736 kg

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry about flying:

"Whoever wants to fly must learn freedom and courage, otherwise he cannot stand on the edge of his sky. Flying is more than an art. It is a way of walking among the stars and touching the sky with your wings."