Mitchell P-38 Lightning
experimental aircraft, Mitchell P-38 Lightning experimental lightsport aircraft, Mitchell P-38 Lightning
homebuilt aircraft, Mitchell P-38 Lightning amateur built aircraft, Light Sport Aircraft Pilot News
newsmagazine.
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Light Sport Aircraft Pilot is a directory of aircraft that generally fit
into what are described as ultralight aircraft, advanced ultralight
aircraft,
light sport aircraft, experimental light sport aircraft, experimental
aircraft, amateur built aircraft, ELSA or homebuilt
aircraft in the United States and Canada. These include
weight shift aircraft, more commonly known as trikes,
powered parachutes, and powered para-gliders.
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Mitchell P-38 Lightning experimental
aircraft, experimental
lightsport aircraft, amateur built aircraft.
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Original
manufacturer
Mitchell Aircraft
Porterville, California.
No longer in business. No longer in production.
The Mitchell P 38 Lightning is a mid-wing twin tail
ultralight aircraft, using tricycle landing gear, and a
pusher configuration. It features twin booms, running to the
tail empennage. It uses a full line tail and full span
flaperons.
The Mitchell P 38 Lightning was available as plans or in kit
form. I unique thing about the kit was that there were only
200 parts in the whole kit. With all the major components
coming precut and or partially assembled. |
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The wings are supported by an inverted V
pylon assembly. The tricycle landing gear uses 10 inch
wheels, and has a steerable nose wheel. The wings spars are
6060-T6 aluminum. The wing ribs are a wooden one piece
structure with cap strips, covered and epoxied in place. The
leading edges are foam and covered with birch plywood. The
ailerons, elevator, rudders, are covered with conventional
aircraft covering the materials. The rudder and elevator
used aluminum construction
 with
chromoly tubing, covered in fabric.
The control system uses push pull tubes
and rods with bearings, and bell cranks. The Mitchell P 38
Lightning has a center mounted stick, foot operated rudder
pedals and a left-hand throttle.
While not designed for speed or
performance, the Lightning offers a good feel in the air.
The controls are responsive, and all three axis are equally
balanced with very light control pressures. Due to the
Mitchell pioneered detached, full-span flaperons, the roll
response is maintained, even near the "stall".
In general, the flight characteristics are described as
docile, and the P-38 doesn't have much of a stall. At 28
mph. the airplane enters a light mush which progresses into
a heavy wallowing at 30 mph. |
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Mitchell P-38 Lightning
experimental homebuilt lightsport aircraft |
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