P-38, Middlesboro, Kentucky

April 26th, 2003

Trip Statistics:

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  Don Daniel wrote an e-mail to me explaining that he had met me last year when he and his girlfriend, Patty Sterling, were here on vacation. I vaguely remembered them, as I was only with them for a short period of time. We met at Newfound Gap and they rode off the mountain with us. Anyway, the e-mail  stated they were coming back to Tennessee and would be joining us on this ride. That made a total of seven people on this ride to include Bobby and Debbie Smith, Judy Morris, Ned Goodman and myself. GREAT!
  As the weekend drew near, I learned that Don had actually surprised Patty with the trip. He packed her clothes, called her boss and asked that she be allowed to leave work early on Friday, and off to Tennessee they came. She had thought he was only going to take her to lunch. As soon as I saw them, I remembered them. Down here from Detroit, they seem to really enjoy the area and they try to get here whenever they can. As it turned out, we added a second ride the next day (Sunday) and they joined us on the Cherohala Skyway as well ... but this article is about a lady named "Glacier Girl" and how hard it was to get her to Middlesboro, Kentucky.
  We stopped briefly at Colboch's HD in Morristown where some bought souvenirs. In Cumberland Gap, Tennessee we had lunch at the Tea Room and finished just as the Twin Lakes HOG chapter arrived on one of their Dinner rides. Middlesboro and the P-38 were just a few minutes ride away.
  Last Thursday, the History Channel aired a feature titled "The Lost Squadron". It told about the recovery of this P-38, which had to make an emergency crash landing on a ice cap in Greenland during WWII. Years later, the plane was one mile from it's original landing spot and some 250 feet under the ice. The story of it's recovery is amazing and is too detailed to outline in this article. It is told in a short film you can see on site in Middlesboro.
  Glacier Girl is housed in a hanger at the Middlesboro, Kentucky airport. Ned Goodman had earlier asked if the plane would be off at a distance or up close. How about REAL CLOSE! I mean, I was able to touch the wing, nose and other parts of the plane. You can get above it and to either side. Parts and other related items are on display everywhere in the hanger.
  Much to our surprise, Don had brought an annual from his fathers squadron documenting his dad had flown a P-38 in the war. I heard Don talk to the local historian about his father's role as a pilot and how he was disappointed to be a pilot of a "Photo Plane". You see, a Photo Plane is not equipped for battle, therefore he did not shoot down any enemy planes. The historian confirmed a lot of pilots shared Don's fathers feeling but what he did not realize was that only the best pilots were chosen for photo missions. They had to rely on cunning and their flying skill to avoid the enemy. A lesser pilot would never be successful and return with the film.
  There is no cost to see Glacier Girl, but donations are accepted and appreciated.   The donation jar usually gets pretty full by the end of the day.