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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