P-38 Lightning 40" Wing SpanThe Lockheed P 38 Lightning was a revolutionary fighter for the time with its tricycle landing gear, twin boom and turbo superchargers. The first models were accepted by the Army Air Force in October 1941 and, by the end of the war, nearly 10,000 had rolled from the production lines. From introduction until 1945, many modifications were made in the original design to comply with the needs of the air services. On April 18, 1943, a flight of P 38s