P-38" Glacier Girl" recovery photos

[António Fragoeiro]

Hi, came across these online.
Has anyone seen these photo galleries?

1992 - Glacier Girl In Ice Cavern - Images | THE LOST SQUADRON - Glacier Girl

1992 - Glacier Girl On Surface - Images | THE LOST SQUADRON - Glacier Girl

Cheers
Nuno

[ruddersrangers44]

I pressume its the same as what got shown on tv about 4 years ago Nuno very interesting indeed,well worth watching mate............Jake.

[António Fragoeiro]

I pressume its the same as what got shown on tv about 4 years ago Nuno very interesting indeed,well worth watching mate............Jake.

Same one, seeing the plane in the ice cave is just beautiful.

[ruddersrangers44]

It was incredible how they bored down 300ft and lifted the p38 straight up,and if I remember correctly one was completely restored and flew once more,amazing preservation indeed a beautiful marvel to witness........Jake.

[pitfighter]

Wow - incredible find, how very, very cool. They fired off the .50 caliber there and then, too, fascinating, if a little reckless, but there you go, i probably would have, too.

Pit.

[kiwiwreckdiver]

when are they going to go back and pull out the other P38s and maybe even a B17 ???

[mr.dirt]

My Dad flew the F-5 Photo Lightning out of Mt. Farm Air Base in 1943 (8th AAF 7th PRG 13th Sqdn) and later ran the 9th AAF 109th PG Photo Ops from D+6 to the end of the war. When they got GG restored and flying I took him down to see her at an Air Show. He was 88 at the time and starting to slow down (pacemaker and eyesight). But when he heard GG come over at treetop level with those twin Allisons screaming his head snapped around and he smiled like a kid again!
When they landed and were allowing look see's, I walked over and explained who my Dad was and that he was a Lightning Photo Jockey, they let him climb in and try her on for size. Before he got in I said"Dad, maybe you can use these" I had his original A-2 Flight Jacket and Service Cap for him to wear. He climbed in and sat there with his eyes closed...they he began to move his hands to different switches and levers, touching each as he spoke the pre-flight sequence for Engine Start, then said, "Gotta remember to roll up the windows or I'll never get off the ground."
The GG pilot was amazed as he said"He got it exactly right!" and then "What did he mean about the windows?" and my Dad said "The F-5's were based on the J model which was the original RAF spec design for Middlle East service and had side windows that could be rolled down so you didn't over heat in the cockpit on the ground during taxi and run up...if you tried to take off with them down, you would get a vortex over the wing at the root and never get enough life to get airborne". He then told me a story I had never heard about a mission over Northern Germany when he got bounced by a 109 and had his right engine shot out, he dove like a bullet and put the fire out, feathered the prop and headed for home on one engine, pumped the gear down and made a nice landing. He flew 68 missions before he became too valuable as an Ops Officer and was taken off flight duty. He never touched a stick or control wheel ever again.
The motto of the 8th AAF 7th Photo Recon Group was "Alone, Unarmed, Unafraid".
Dad passed July 12th, 2012 at age 96, at home in his own bed.

[kiwiwreckdiver]

Mr Dirt, your father sounded like a fantastic man.
Treasure your memories of him until you dieing days.
Every free person on this planet owes their today to that fantastic generation that went off to war
thank you for sharing

[Adrian Stevenson]

Thanks for posting your Dad's story Mr D.

Cheers, Ade.

[chilsam]

I have the video of the recovery & restoration of this plane it was a present from my mother.Gosh I love her.