Glacier girl airborne

Air Classics, Jan 2003 by O'Leary, Michael

Historic event at Middlesboro

On 26 October, Steve Hinton took Lockheed P-38F Lightning Glacier Girl aloft on its first flight in six decades. Recovered from deep within the Greenland ice cap by Roy Shoffner who recently commented that the plane "looked like it had been run over by a bulldozer and then run over again!", the fighter was magnificently restored by a team headed by Bob Cardin.

Asked by one reporter how much the restoration had cost, Roy declined to state an exact figure but when the reporter commented that he heard the figure of $3 million, Roy said "that's not far off." Needless to say, such commitment is rare and all aviation enthusiasts owe Roy a real debt of thanks.

Steve made several flights in Glacier Girl before a crowd of over 20,000 spectators. The weather was not the best but the enthusiasm of the crowd made up for the gray skies. Steve was delighted with the way the completely original fighter handled but upon checking the screens, one of the Allisons was making metal. Steve speculated that a piston had let go and this, of course, will result in a complete inspection of the engine.