04/30/2008. Remarks by Johan Visschedijk: "Produced for the USAAF as a P-38L-5-LO, s/n 44-53254. It was one of 68 P-38L-5-LOs converted at Lockheed's Dallas Modification Center to an F-5G-6-LO, the last photographic-reconnaissance version of the Lightning. It featured an enlarged nose with four vertical photo cameras and one oblique at the front. It it went to the RFC at Kingman, Arizona, on February 20, 1946.

In April 1946 it was sold and came on the civil registry as NX25Y and was fitted with a solid nose. From 1947 to 1953 it was flown as Racer number "14", still in the black colour it wore as an F-5G, and was named Sky Ranger, in 1953 registration changed to N25Y. In 1964 it was registered to Marvin L. "Lefty" Gardner and Lloyd Nolan, members of the Confederate Air Force (CAF) in Texas, in 1970 it was registered to Joe Henderson, another CAF-member.

(Johan Visschedijk Collection)

Lefty Gardner became owner again in 1977 and for many years it was flown as a Racer, initially as number "25", subsequently as number "13"; it was named White Lightnin'. On June 21, while being transferred by Ladd Gardner, Lefty's son, following an in-flight fire the aircraft crashed while making a forced landing in a cotton field. Substantial damaged, the aircraft was sold in 2005 after failing to raise fund to restore it.

(Johan Visschedijk Collection)

(Johan Visschedijk Collection)

New owner is the Red Bull organization at Salzburg, Austria, the aircraft was rebuild at Ezell Aviation, Breckenridge, Texas, USA, and reappeared in an overall bare metal finish."