https://youtu.be/3qo9SELpVM4
Of the three outstanding U.S. Army Air Corps fighters of World War II (the others being the P-47 Thunderbolt and the P-51 Mustang), the Lockheed P-38 was the first to fly by almost two and a half years.
Built by the Lockheed Aircraft Company, it was designed to a 1937 specification calling for a high-altitude interceptor with heavy armament and a high rate of climb. The P-38 Lightning was the first American fighter to make extensive use of stainless steel and smooth, flush-riveted butt-jointed aluminum skin panels.
It was also the first military airplane to fly faster than 400 mph (640 km/h) in level flight. Lockheed won the competition on 23 June 1937, construction began in July 1938, and the XP-38 first flew on 27 January 1939 at the hands of Ben Kelsey.
Losing this prototype in a crash at Mitchel Field, New York, with Kelsey at the controls, did not deter USAAC from ordering 13 planes for service testing on April 27. Kelsey survived the crash and remained an important part of the Lightning program.
Source: YouTube