A Plane They Call Porky
by Don Struke
Title
A Plane They Call Porky
Artist
Don Struke
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
NOTE: The Fine Art watermark visible in preview windows is not on any print. During World War Two, P-38s in the European theater were not as successful as the P-51 Mustang and the P-47 Thunderbolt because of their limited high altitude capabilities. But they were well-suited to the war in the Pacific because of their long range and twin engines, two desirable features for flying over vast stretches of the Pacific Ocean. Even then, their slow rate-of-roll was not a good thing in a dog fight. However, in the hands of a skillful pilot, the Lightning was a real threat, so much so that German pilots called them fork-tailed devils. The two top American aces of the war, Richard Bong (40 victories) and Thomas McGuire (38), flew P-38s in the Pacific. Neither survived the war; McGuire was killed during air combat in January 1945 and Bong died back in the States in August 1945 (on the day the first atom bomb was dropped on Japan) when his P-80 jet lost power on take-off. Of the nearly 10,000 P-38s built, only about a dozen are in flying condition today. I photographed this beauty at the Mid-Atlantic Aviation Museum air show, in Reading, Pennsylvania. Porky�s history: Built by Lockheed and assigned to the Hancock Field School of Aeronautics at Santa Monica, during 1945 - 1954. Acquired by a private owner in 1959 and restored to airworthy condition at the Planes of Fame Museum.in Chino, California. In 1998, it was painted to represent F-5A "Joltin' Josie" 42-3314, and then in 2003 was painted as shown here, in the markings of Major Edward �Porky� Cragg's P-38H serial number 42-66505. Cragg was commander of the 80th Fighter Squadron, with 15 kills. On the day he shot down his 15th Japanese aircraft, December 26, 1943, his P-38 was seen crashing and exploding near Cape Gloucester. A parachute was spotted descending about four miles away but a search found no one. He was declared missing in action In January 1946. In 2006, this P-38 was painted in the markings of 475th FG pilot, Perry J. Dahl 'P.J.' "Skidoo" #162. Dahl flew combat in New Guinea and the Philippines. I took this photo in 2004.
Uploaded
July 3rd, 2011
Statistics
Viewed 317 Times - Last Visitor from Farmville, VA on 03/09/2024 at 7:18 PM
Embed
Share
Sales Sheet
Comments
There are no comments for A Plane They Call Porky. Click here to post the first comment.