Lockheed P-38 by Heller

Kelly Wellington
Rivet heads? So this is where the attribute 'rivet counter' comes from?

Weren't rivets flush by the P-38?

Kelly Wellington
HA! I couldn't pull it up with a Google search, but I was just reading through the wiki piece on the P-38 and caught this citation:

"It was the first American fighter to make extensive use of stainless steel and smooth, flush-riveted butt-jointed aluminum skin panels.[21] It was also the first fighter to fly faster than 400 mph (640 km/h).[22]"

Note the 'flush riveted'....I thought so, even though it was designed and prototypes built in and around 1937. The source is a NASA publication on the history of flight, so I'm giving it a good deal of credibility.

Kelly Wellington
And that one is done. If you look carefully, you can see the crutch.