Glacier Girl

Twenty five crew members took flight from your Presque Isle Airbase in Maine and headed for your
United Kingdom. Flying six R-38s as companions for 2 T-17s, the journey offshore required stops to
refuel in Labrador, Greenland and Iceland on the road to England. The path from Greenland to
Iceland needed the squadrons to fly-over mountains to the east shore of Greenland, over the
Denmark Strait and within the ice cap to Reykjavik, Iceland.
Since the squadrons jumped on the ice cap at twelve thousand feet, much cover of clouds obscured
their view. They rose above the clouds to boost awareness. Temperatures inside the thin atmosphere
lowered to minus twenty degrees Fahrenheit. Nonetheless ninety minutes from Iceland, the
airplanes joined a sizable size of cumulus clouds and were forced to rise another two thousand feet.
As one of the pilots lost feeling in his arms, he ripped the aircraftis defroster as a result's increasing
and used it to warm his gloves to generate them hot enough to feel the controls. While the flight
developed, their legs turned too numb to have the rudder pedals.
Small G-38s fought to keep connection with the T-17s as snow formed on their wings. Radio
operators tried desperately to improve the airbase in Reykjavik or even the climate aircraft which
was supposed to be traveling an hour in front of them. While the weather became worse, and
missing any outside connection, the squadron chose to return to the airbase in Greenland and watch
for better conditions. An hour later, while they contacted the east coast of Greenland, the current
weather conditions became worse.
After ninety minutes of traveling in dense cloud cover, the squadron began to operate low on gas
and decided to visit a destination for a area. Brad McManus, pilot of one of the G-38s, chose to
terrain with wheels down. He expected that landing on wheels could enable him to take off again
after more fuel was fallen for your plane. Everything appeared to get well for that first several
hundred yards. Then suddenly, leading landing gear crashed through the ice along with the airplane
turned around, pinning the seat while in the ideal. McManus were able to minimize his way-out of
his parachute control and his safety belt as smoke filled the cockpit.

Seeing the picture from above, pilot Robert Wilson retracted his landing gear and slid into a sleek
stop on the ice. He ran the half mile back again to your website of the accident to be sure of
McManus. Wilson's breath billowed in wispy white clouds behind him as he ran toward the smoke
from your dead airplane. McManus stepped out of under among the wings of the downed airplanes
and said, "Didn't believe I Might make it, did you?" As the two pilots waved, the residual squadron
responded with slow moves and other aerial acrobatics.
One by one one other G-38s arrived to the snow. The N-17s kept aloft for pretty much another
halfhour, spending the remaining energy before joining another planes to the frozen area. Not really
a single crew member was lost throughout the landings, but there was almost no time to enjoy. The
crewman made their target to success and relief.
The Lost Squadron
Rations were compiled and separated to last for two months. The men wore sunglasses at all times
to stop snow blindness, and eliminated consuming a lot of snow because it would bring about sore
throats. The crew hack sawed slots into both ends of oxygen containers and joined them to motor
manifold pipes, with oil drained from engines and wicked through the unit on parachute straps the
construction turned gross space heaters to overcome the cold conditions.
After three days around the snow, among the radio workers acquired a Morse code concept to verify
their situation and situation. Later that evening, excitement mounted as supplies were dropped by
parachute. The enthusiasm waned since the crew people saw strong winds take the parachutes and
also the supplies farout of site on the horizon. As additional efforts to offer supplies led to related
problem, the stranded airmen designed scavenging parties to find the scattered supplies. When
items were ultimately collected and organized, the team members celebrated with a square dance on

the side of 1 of the B-17s.

Back in the airbase, people coordinated items and devised plans to rescue the Lost Squadron.
Meanwhile, to the ice, the men passed several more days hearing radio broadcasts from England.
Another favorite diversion was to sit down on burlap bags and keep parachutes, racing oneanother
as powerful winds pulled their parachutes over the ice. Fundamentally a ship, skiing and dogsled
team were sent to retrieve the crewmen.
The P38 Pilots recovered private impacts, fired.45 slugs into digital equipment to maintain it from
slipping in to the fingers of Nazi scavengers, and prepared for your extended journey to meet up
their rescuers. McManus removed a time from his instrument panel like a keepsake. The men
marched through knee-deep snow and snow all night, finally collapsing in the edge of a ledge to the
water's side. They took turns watching over each other because they rested. After they were picked
up by a Coast Guard Cutter, the men were treated to baths, single girls handbook Patti Stanger
dried clothes and a pleasant food before being dispatched to new projects.
Fifty Years Later
On July 15, 1992, 74 year old Brad McManus stood about the ice cap surrounded by the bits of a G38 flown by his late friend Harry Smith. The airplane was hidden under 268 feet of ice. The goal was
to rescue among the airplanes from the Lost Squadron. Special equipment was applied to look a
ditch and dissolve the snow by circulating heated water and working it out. It needed more than one
month to perform digging the pit towards the aircraft. It got twenty five minutes to descend towards
the bottom of the ditch, where water tubes carved out a cave round the airplane. After another four
months, the airplane was disassembled and carefully taken off the icy grave.
The process of fixing the R-38 has been considered "the best possible repair of any warbird actually
done." Many specialists offered experience in items and solutions for the energy. Among these
initiatives, B. F. Goodrich Aerospace in England rebuilt landing gear and brakes. A Pa firm created a
new canopy. The Smithsonian Institution supplied nine reels of microfilm and stacks of photocopies
of era aircraft maintenance and handbooks, areas and repair manuals.
During the time with this publishing, Glacier Woman is currently at the Planes of Recognition in
Chino, California, where installation of modern avionics includes a gps device system, gyros as well
as a stereo. The Lightning's Allison V-1710 engines is going to be examined and extra fuel tanks
connected. When the plane is prepared, it'll be flown home for the Lost Squadron's home base in
Middlesboro, Kentucky. Then it will retrace the original flight path from Presque Isle, Maine through
Goose Bay Labrador, Greenland, Reykjavik Iceland, Prestwick Scotland and onto England for the 4th
of July Duxford Airshow. The purpose of the trip will be to finish a trip began