Even Lindbergh couldn't save the F-35 Fighter

Growing up a huge War Birds fan, my favorite by far was the Lockheed P-38 Lightning, the twin boom, twin engine fighter that served as a bomber and photo reconnaissance plane to boot. Over 10,000 plied the skies over Germany and the South Pacific. The Luftwaffe called them the "Fork Tail Devil"; to the Japanese they were "Whispering Death" due to their quiet engines. In early 1944, civilian Charles Lindbergh was sent to the South Pacific to consult with Lightning pilots on improving their combat performance. To them Lindbergh was an antique, nearly twice their age, and an aviation has-been. Lindbergh conned his way into illegally flying missions. The kids were amazed that he could stay out ten hours to their six. He showed them how he adjusted the engine, fuel mixture to achieve that unheard of increase. They tried it, discovered Lindbergh was a genius, and made him part of their patrols. He flew 35 missions and shot down one enemy plane, though it was wisely erased from their squadron's combat record.

Fast forward 70 years and Uncle Sam is having trouble with another fighter, the F-35. This plane which first flew in 2006, is seven years behind schedule and $163 billion over budget. That really is billions, not millions. CBS' 60 Minutes just did a story that sounded as if written by the war party which is going to buy 2,443 of these $200 million monstrosities that are no longer even needed with the world class fighters already in service and the inexorable move to pilotless drone fighting planes. The Air Force dude overseeing the F-35 assembly line ended the piece by refuting the question about F-35 viability with, "We're gonna buy lots of them". $1.5 trillion worth to be exact.

If Charles Lindbergh 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.