Much mystery surrounds his final recon mission, where he just disappeared in his P‑38 F‑5B. It was a man named Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, a French aviator and author of the much-beloved children’s book titled “ Little Prince.” One of the more well-known P‑38 Photo Recon pilots wasn’t even an American. The F-5 carried from 3 to 5 precision cameras in their nose, which could be operated by remote control from the cockpit. The F-4 was the first version of the unarmed Lightning, and the F-5 was an extension of that design (based on the P‑38E). Trips taken by these pilots preceded visits by other, fully-armed planes on combat missions. Since the plane carried no armament it is under orders to avoid combat. ![]() P‑38 Photo Reconnaissance planes (called F‑4s and F‑5s) and their pilots were the “eyes” of the AAF.
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