P-38- (Planes of Fame)

Easily one of the most recognizable fighters of its time due to its distinctive twin-boom design, the Lockheed P-38 Lightning was one of the most famous American warplanes of World War II. It was also the aircraft flown by America’s two top aces—Dick Bong, who scored 40 aerial victories, and Tommy McGuire, who was credited with 38.

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Although more than 10,000 Lightnings were built during the war, the aircraft did not fit into the Air Corps’ post-war plans and was soon retired from service.

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Today, fewer than a score of intact Lightning airframes remain worldwide, with only about half a dozen considered flyable or restorable to flying condition. The museum’s P-38 underwent a 13-month restoration led by Steve Hinton’s Fighter Rebuilders in Chino, alongside dedicated volunteers from the Planes of Fame Air Museum.