Even Lindbergh couldn't save the F-35 fighter

Growing up a huge War Birds fan, my favorite was the Lockheed P-38 Lightning, the twin boom, twin engine fighter. The versatile Lightning also served as a bomber and reconnaissance plane. Over 10,000 plied the skies over Germany and the South Pacific. The Luftwaffe called the deadly plane the 'Fork Tail Devil'. To the Japanese they were 'two planes, one pilot'. In early '44, civilian Charles Lindbergh was sent to the South Pacific to consult with Lightning pilots on improving their sadly lacking combat endurance. To them, Lindbergh was an over the hill aviation antique nearly twice their age who had nothing to offer. But he conned his way into illegally flying combat missions. The kids were amazed he could stay aloft ten hours to their six. He showed them how to adjust the engine and fuel mixture to achieve a 67% flying time increase. They embraced his techniques and made him part of their patrols. He flew 35 missions and shot down one enemy plane, though it was wisely erased from their combat record.

Fast forward 75 years and Uncle Sam is having trouble with another fighter, the F-35. This plane which first flew in 2006, and still faces daunting operational problems 13 years later. It's eight million lines of software code create endless bugs impacting operational efficiency. The ejection seats don't work and the plane is 2,000 lbs overweight. The Pentagon's chief weapons inspector has identified 90 separate problems reducing its usefulness. Touted as a global plane, Japan was seen as a model customer, ramping up it F35-A squadron April 1. Ten days later one of their F-35's disappeared in the Pacific on a training mission. The cost for this boondoggle that will likely never achieve even a semblance of success? $1.5 trillion.

If the Lone Eagle could come back for one day to assess the F-35, he'd just shake his head and say, "Dump it, boys, nothing can save this plane wreck". Oh yes, The F-35 is built by Lockheed. And it's name: "Lightning II"; a sad coda to the legacy of the Fork Tail Devil.