Lightning I to Lightning II - different plane, different pilots, same fighting spirit

Published Oct. 5, 2011
By Kate Blais
95th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The lasting legacy of the aircraft and their pilots was unmistakable when four World War II pilots spoke about their flying experiences before a backdrop of both the P-38 Lockheed Lightning and F-35 Lightning II in the Joint Strike Fighter complex Oct. 3, 2011.

Bill Behrns, Frank Hurlbut, Bert Torrey and Sandy Willford, all P-38 pilots during World War II, shared their stories and feelings about the first Lockheed Lightning, a plane that Hurlbut called the, "finest fighter that they ever made."

Lt. Col. George Griffiths, 418th Flight Test Squadron commander, welcomed the veterans and spoke about the significance of this event.

"Gentlemen, it's an honor," said Griffiths. "We thought what an event it would be to have these guys come out to Edwards and tell their story to the people who are developing the next generation of the Lightning airplane."

The four veterans fielded questions from Sherm Mullin, retired president of Lockheed Martin Corp. Skunk Works. When asked to speak about their first experiences with the P-38, each veteran shared detailed memories.

"Well, it started off in 1939, when I was 14 years old, and I had seen a movie called, 'I Wanted Wings,'" recalled Willford. "At the same time, I got to ride in a blimp and in those days very few people had been up above the ground in an aircraft, so it was exciting as all 'heck' to get up there. Then to top it all off, I saw a news reel in 1939 of a P-38 taking off...and it was the most gorgeous thing I thought I'd ever seen, so I decided that's what I wanted to do. I wanted to be an Army cadet, I wanted to be a pilot and I wanted to fly the P-38."

The day before he turned 18, Willford joined the U.S. Army Air Corps.

"I was able to fly P-38s and it was the most wonderful thing that ever happened to me. It really was," said Willford.

Behrns also recalled a specific aeronautical experience that inspired him to fly when he was 20 years old. At an air show in Modesto, Calif., Behrns was deeply affected by the aerobatics and maneuvers of the planes.

"I couldn't help it; I spoke right out loud and said, 'That's what I'm going to do,'" said Behrns. "I guess I never had a goal before that, but I got one then. The next day I went in and I signed up for the Army Air Corps. But the doctor turned me downed because I was too skinny, so I had to wait to get drafted. And on Dec. 7, 1941, my day off [from work], I turned on the radio and listened to the news about Pearl Harbor and then my dad handed me an envelope, and it was my orders to report to the draft.

"I had P-38 written on my brain," he continued. "And I couldn't think of flying anything else."

According to the P-38 National Association, the aircraft was capable of a wide range of functions including, long-range, high- and low-altitude bomber escort; air-to-air combat; dive bombing; skip bombing; night fighter; and photographic and visual reconnaissance.

"Flying combat in North Africa, we were really fortunate to have the P-38," said Hurlbut. "I never flew against an enemy pilot that I couldn't out-turn if he stayed with me."

Although the design of the P-38 Lightning I and the F-35 Lightning II are vastly different, both aircraft were built to provide the warfighter with the greatest capabilities to accomplish their mission.

"The similarities between the two airplanes are not in looks, but in the philosophy of how America builds fighter planes," said David Nelson, F-35 test pilot. "The P-38 represented the best in creative thinking and the leading edge of the technology of the day. Generations later, these exact same abilities live on in the F-35 Lightning II. The F-35's features of stealth, long-range sensors, a powerful propulsion system and precision weapons have evolved well beyond where the P-38 left off."

But it's not just the air power capability that links the P-38 Lightning with the F-35 Lightning II.

"The fighting spirit is exactly the same," said Nelson. "They were pilots who loved flying, yes. But more than that, there was some spark of the love of freedom and the hatred of tyranny in their hearts that would not allow them to sit safely in the U.S. while a war raged that they could help stop.

"It warms my heart to the core to know that fighter pilots with that same heart still stand watch."