F-5C-1-LO Aircraft of the 33rd PRS Under contract AC-24636, about 120 early model P-38J fighters (Lockheed model 422-81-14) were converted at Lockheed's Dallas modification center to F-5C-1 Photo Lightnings (Lockheed model 422-81-20) and delivered to the Army Air Corps between August 1943 and April 1944. While the F-5B was the last of the Lightnings to be purpose-built as photo recon birds at the Lockheed factory, the F-5C-1 line was the first to be created for use as recce aircraft from modification kits at depots and conversion centers. Surviving evidence suggests they were largely converted from the P-38J block "5" and "10" line, giving the F-5Cs the same curved front windshields and similar cockpit armor schemes used in the P-38H, F-4, and F-5A. F-5C-1s were powered by two Allison V-1710-F17 engines: model V-1710-F17R (military model V-1710-89) supplied right (starboard) prop rotation while model V-1710-F17L (military model V-1710-91) rotated left (port). Photo from Air Force Museum via Kent Ramsey F-5C Camera Configuration Though based on a model of the P-38J similar to the one used as the basis for F-5B, the camera configuration of the F-5C was significantly modified from earlier Photo Lightnings. While the nose section of the F-5B had seven camera windows, the F-5C reduced the number of camera windows to two: The F-5C's port-side camera door didn't have the recessed, trapezium-shaped window that was a signature part of the F-5B design. The number of windows on the underside of the nose for vertical camera mounts was reduced from three to two, and the two remaining windows were placed in closer proximity. The window immediately under the F-5B's starboard door and the two symmetrically recessed rectangular windows on either side of its nose near the landing gear were eliminated. With the deletion of the camera window under the starboard door, the F-5C version re-sized the door and its opening to equal the dimensions of the port side door and opening. The resulting overall redesign of the aircraft nose to accommodate these changes anticipated further development of the Photo Lightning away from the slimmer F-5A/F-5B configuration and toward the more bulbous look that was characteristic of the later F-5E line. The Photo Lightning shown at left is F-5C #42-67114 of the 7th Photo Group. To compare the camera configuration of the F-5C with the later F-5E-2 variant, click here. Squadron F-5C Inventory Records reveal that only one F-5C-1 (#42-67105) was in the 33rd PRS inventory of overseas aircraft. It was lost in a crash during a training flight and never flew a combat mission for the 33rd PRS. To read about Lieutenant Andrew L. Jackson's fatal flight in F-5C #105 in the Squadron History section, click here.

Aircraft nickname	Type	USAAF serial number	Lockheed constructor number	Notes:
Unknown	F-5C-1-LO	42-67105	1616
Photo courtesy of Patricia Pitcher Upshaw				The photo at left shows F-5C #105 in May 1944 parked at Station 465, Chalgrove Field, England. A ladder stand is positioned near the front of aircraft, and the nose doors on both sides of the fuselage are open, indicating that work is being done on the plane's camera configuration. Manufactured at the Lockheed plant in Burbank, California, P-38J-5 #42-67105 was received at Lockheed's Modification Center in Dallas, Texas on August 27, 1943 where it was converted to an F-5C-1. Assigned to the inventory of the 8th Air Force, it was received at Newark, New Jersey on November 17, 1943, and shipped from New York to England on November 28. Upon arrival in England, it may have become part of the inventory of the 7th Photo Group before being reassigned to the 9th Air Force on April 30, 1944. It was made part of the 33rd PRS inventory in May. F-5C #105 crashed May 31, 1944 on the grounds of the Banstead Downs Golf Club in Surrey, England about five miles east of Croydon Airdrome. According to an eyewitness, it "burst into a mass of flames and most of the parts of the machine were flung forward and some backwards." The pilot, Lieutenant Andrew L. Jackson, was killed. The official accident investigation committe was "unable to find any clues nor to reach any decision as to a probable cause for the accident." The AAF officially condemned F-5C #105 on June 3, 1944. In the photograph, the plane number on the port engine nacelle as well as the "S" of the squadron code ("SW") on the port boom airscoop appear to be painted in white. White plane markings are consistent with F-5s that were painted PRU blue. Top of page

Sources

The Lockheed P-38 Lightning, Warren M. Bodie, Widewing Publications, Hayesville, NC, 2001

P-38 "Lightning", Edward T. Maloney, Aero Series Volume 19, Aero Publishers, Inc., 1968

P-38 Lightning in Action, Larry Davis, Aircraft Number 109, Squadron/Signal Publications, Inc., 1990, pages 31, 48-54

Lockheed P-38 Lightning, Warbird Tech Series, Volume 2, Frederick A. Johnsen, Specialty Press, North Branch, MN, 1996, pages 22, 32, 28-36, 78-81, 91

P-38 Lightning in Detail & Scale, Bert Kinzey, Detail & Scale Volume 58, Squadron/Signal Publications, Inc., 1998, page 16

Aerial Reconnaissance: The 10th Photo Recon Group in World War II, Thomas G. Ivie, Aero Publishers, Inc., Fallbrook, CA, 1981, page 179

The 9th Air Force in World War II, Kenn C. Rust, Aero Publishers, Inc., Fallbrook, CA, 1970, pages 220-221

Vee's for Victory! The Story of the Allison V-1710 Aircraft Engine 1929-1948, Daniel D. Whitney, Schiffer Military History, Atglen, PA, 1998, pages 142, 270-271, 410, 431, 435

"Lockheed P-38 Lightning," US Army Air Forces Resource Center, Warbirds Resource Group, www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/URG/p38.htm

Aircraft Record Card for P-38J (F-5C-1) #42-67105, US Army Air Forces, courtesy of Terence Geary

Aircraft Incident and Accident Reports 1941-1948, GSA, National Archives and Records Services, World War II Records Division

May 1944 USAAF Overseas Accident Reports, http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/AARmonthly/May1944O.htm

Rich Faulkner, The 34th PRS Online, www.34thPRS.org

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