64 FlightJournal.com
GALLERY
Who Took
Our P-38?
Sometimes things just work out.
I was standing around in the
warbird area in Oshkosh, getting
ready to get a P-40, P-47, and P-51
up in the air. Bill Ross—one of the
earliest, if not the earliest (if Lefty
Gardner wasn’t the first) owner/
operator of a P-38—was within
earshot. I had never approached
him to shoot his 38, even though
I was dying to. I felt as if it would
be too much of a bother for him.
So I was really surprised when he
said, “You guys need a P-38, don’t
you? Count me in!”
I guess if you don’t ask, they
don’t have a chance to say “yes.”It’s All about
Timing
That’s a Grumman G-32A,
a two-seat version of the
F3F, built specifically for
LeRoy Grumman to use
as a personal airplane.
I shot it from a T-6,
and after we landed,
the pilot let me fly it.
It was a terrific kick
in the shorts! The only
thing I’ve flown that
accelerates like that is a
Bearcat.
On the flight after
I flew it, the airplane
caught fire, and the pilot
and the line boy he was
giving a ride to had to
bail out. There but for
fortune... J