Does anyone have any scoop on the mirrors on the insides of a P38s engines? I understand they were to check the status of your gear? For real? What about your wingman or the tower? Were they actually utilized and kept polished by some poor airman basic, or, my guess, painted over at the first oppurtunity? Thanks in advance for any info and help.
I have heard that “check the gear” story too. The problem is that considering the angle from the cockpit to the mirror, all the pilot would see is the center pod with maybe the nose gear in view. The only way to see the main gear would be to have another mirror on the side of the center pod so the line of sight would go from the cockpit to the engine pod to the center pod to the landing gear. That doesn’t make sense. Maybe the mirror to the left of the pilot looked under the center pod the right gear leg. Some P-38s had weapons pylons or auxiliary fuel tanks under the wing between the center pod and the engines. Those mirrors might have been used to check fuel tank jettison or weapons release. A quick glance is all you have time for in a tight combat situation. The mirrors would suffice for that whereas there might not be time or opportunity for your wingman to check.
Darwin [alien]
I’ve heard, or read, it was to check the nose gear. Don’t know if it was more prone to failure than the mains, but.
It is quite common for multi-engine airplanes to have a mirror mounted on the inside of an engine nacelle to check the landing gear position. If you can get close to any light or medium twin, say a 310 or King Air, you’ll see one, on the inside of the left nacelle.
It serves as a backup to the normal gear position indication, which is usually a light activated by a microswitch on the gear leg. So, if a wire breaks, or the switch breaks, or you are out of spare bulbs, the mirror can answer the question. You kind of have to infer that if the nose is down, the rest of them are, too. The nose is chosen because it’s usually the easiest to see from the pilot’s seat.
If you are lucky enough to have another airplane in formation, then he can get a better view of the main gear, but sometimes you’re solo. The tower really can’t reliably tell, been there, done that!
It was always my understanding, and observation, that the mirrors were in fact an oval-shaped unpainted patch polished to a high degree of sheen, so that it acted as a mirror for checking the mains, the left nacelle checked the right, and the right nacelle checking the left. If the bottom of the wheel appeared at a certain place in the mirror, the gear was assumed to be down and locked. I have a photo from Wings/Airpower showing a bunch of painted, brand new P-38’s at the factory waiting to be delivered, and the “mirrors” are already done. So it was part of the specs for the airplane. Anyone who has built any of the the nicely shaped, horribly-fitting Hasegawa series of Lightnings has seen the rather thick peel-off stickers they give you to reproduce the mirror-finish areas, but Bare-Metal Foil works better. Anyone heard a different story about the use of these mirrored areas?
Tom is correct. The ovals were the natural metal skin, highly polished to a reflective surface. They are quite visible in most pics of P-38’s in flight, especially the camo painted aircraft, where they really stand out in the pics.
Regards, Rick
Thanks to all for the help and information. Especially sharkskin with the BMF idea. The stickers were definitely a no go. At the same time you got me worried now. Should I cut the bags open and see how bad it really is, or stick it back in the closet? I got plenty of putty, super glue, and 1000 grit sandpaper. the only thing i´m short of right now is time.
Mac:
I’ve seen some awfully good P-38s made from that kit. I am ashamed to admit I gave up on mine for another project that was less aggravation, and that’s after paying $36 for the kit plus the outrageous amount for the Verlinden set and Aeromaster decals to go with it. I haen’t done it, but many people say to build the Academy kits using lots of AM parts.
Tom
Tom thanks for the word, I guess the twin tail goes back in the closet till I finish the G10.
A couple of other instances may confirm the story. One reference I’ve seen mentions the same thing on an S-2 Tracker, and many photos of F9F Panthers show a polished spot on the left tip tank, facing inward. The L/G check seems a reasonable explanation, although on the Panther you could also check for hung ordnance.
Dick
rlawson, thanks for the info. Sorry I took so long to respond, kinda doin the cat with the tin can on his tail thing right now. And ( heh heh) I don´t get back to page 15 very often. I´ve noticed that on Panthers too, looks good on that midnight blue!