THE FIGHTER COLLECTION'S P-38J

P-38J #42-67543 at Duxford while painted as "Happy Jack's Go Buggy" (March, 1993)
(Photograph courtesy of Geoff Kennell, ©1993 - 2004)

The original "Happy Jack's Go Buggy", P-38J #43-28431, in June 1944. Jack Ilfrey, third
from left. Note Ilfrey had incorrectly dated the photo as July 1944. By that time the aircraft
had been shot down and he had evaded capture.
(Photograph courtesy of Jack Ilfrey)

Delivered to the USAAF in October, 1943, Lockheed F-5C-1-LO serial #42-67543 was originally built as a P-38J, but it was quickly sent to the Lockheed facility at Love Field in Dallas, Texas and converted into an F-5C Photo-Recon Version. Post-war the aircraft was sold to Ragsdale Flying Service and flown to Austin, Texas where it was later abandoned. Little by little the aircraft was vandalized and the frame eventually fell into pieces.

Marvin "Lefty" Gardner (owner of the famous P-38 'White Lightning') bought the derelict hulk in the mid-'60s and transferred it to Mercedes, Texas where it was left in the open for many years and continued to steadily decline.

In 1988 Stephen Grey bought the remains for the Fighter Collection, based at Duxford in Britain, and the airframe was sent to Chino, California where it was to be restored by the crews at Fighter Rebuilders. At Chino it was completely, but carefully, stripped and then restored to flying condition. Registered as N3145X, it's first flight since the rebuild took place on 11 January, 1992 and, after many thorough tests, the P-38 was then crated up and sent to its new home in England, arriving in March 1992. The aircraft was damaged in gear up landing , Lydd, UK on 6 September, 1992 but was soon restored back to airworthiness.

At first Stephen Grey kept the plane's skin bare. The paint scheme chosen was that of Jack Ilfrey's mount "Happy Jack's Go Buggy", but by early 1994 it was decided the plane should be repainted to better protect it from the damp English weather.

Finally re-emerging, painted as 'California Cutie', a P-38J flown by Lt. Richard Loehnert of the 55th Fighter Squadron, 20th Fighter Group, the aircraft appeared at air shows throughout Europe. Unfortunately it was destroyed in a tragic crash during the Flying Legends Air Show, Duxford, on 14 July 1996. The pilot, "Hoof" Proudfoot did not survive.

P-38J #42-67543 painted as "California Cutie"

(Photograph courtesy of Geoff Kennell, ©1993 - 2004)