Quote:
Originally Posted by tater
Another major plus with the P-38 was two engines. In the Pacific, long flights over water were required. Loss of an engine was very very dangerous. That's why the bulk of PTO aircraft were radials, since air-cooled engines are far more robust. The '38 got around that by having a spare engine. So any trade offs were worth it in terms of pilot survivability.
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IIRC they made a pod (basically a converted drop tank) that was hung under one of the wings of the P-38 so that could carry a mechanic with the plane to service it on isolated airstrips.