P-38 Lightning Mama's BoyLockheed P 38 Lightning airplane model. The P 38 Lightning, first designed in 1937 as a high altitude interceptor, debuted with the XP 38s remarkable cross country flight from California to New York in just seven hours in 1939. Despite its unique design causing early challenges, the aircraft was refined over several years and entered widespread combat in late 1942 during the North African campaign. Nicknamed "Der Gabelschwanz Teufel" or "The Forked