The Flying Bulls' P-38L Lightning (c/n 8509) served with the United States Army Air Corps with serial 44-53254 until she was struck of charge in September 1945. Lilee Products Company of Chicago, Illinois bought it from the War Assets Administration at Kingman in April 1946 and registered it as NX25Y.

J. D. Reed Co of Houston, Texas acquired her in 1947 and being an air racing enthusiast he recuited Charles "Firewall" Walling who flew it as race #14 "Sky Ranger". Walling finished only two laps in the 1947 Thompson Trophy Race, but he came in second in the 1947 Sohio Trophy Race at 351,785 miles per hour. A blown engine prevented its participation in the 1948 Thompson Trophy Race. Piloted by J. P. Hagerstrom she flew to a fifth place in the 1949 Tinnerman Trophy Race at 311,598 miles per hour.

Hugh Wells of Baltimore, Maryland bought her in 1953 and registered her as N25Y. Sylvan Lair and Vernon Thorpe of Yukon, Oklahoma bought her in 1962 and sold her to Marvin L. Gardner, Lloyd Nolan, and the Confederate Air Force in Mercedes, Texas in 1964.

Joe Henderson and the Confederate Air Force at Brownwood, Texas acquired her in 1972 and sold her back to Marvin L. Gardner in Harlingen, Texas in 1977. Gardner raced it as #25 (he changed it later to #13 "Lucky Thirtheen") several times at the Reno national Air Races.

With an overall glossy white paint scheme she was known as "White Lightnin" and probably one of the most famous Lightnings around. Unfortunately she suffered an engine failure that resulted in a belly landing in a cotton field at Greenwood, Mississippi on June 25, 2001 with Marvin's son just being able to escape the burning wreckage.

Red Bull bought the wreckage on January 12, 2005 and she was moved to Breckenridge, Texas for restoration to airworthy condition. She made her flight after restoration on June 2, 2008.

In 2009 the Lightning arrived in Europe and joined the famous Flying Bulls at Salzburg, Austria, making her the only flying P-38 in Europe. She flies in overall polished metal, simmilar to the Bulls' B-25 Mitchell.

Lockheed P-38L Lightning
N25Y