January 20, 2005
For Immediate Release

PRESS  RELEASE

Hello Everyone,

As many of you have already heard through the various warbird grapevines, our P38 has been sold. Red Bull (yes the drink people) signed the purchase contract on January 12th and in the next few weeks will move the airplane and all of her spare parts to Ezell Aviation in Breckenridge, Texas. There, she will undergo a complete and much needed restoration, and hopefully return to the skies before the end of 2006.

After more than three years of trying to raise the needed funds to restore the airplane we had to call it quits. As I’ve told many of you before, the P38 was my parent’s nest-egg and they gave me more than a fair amount of time to try to get her going again. As bad as we all wanted to see two five Yankee stay in the family and remain White Lightnin’, my parent’s quality of life through their golden years was still far more important.

I want to take this time to personally thank each and every generous person for his or her contributions over the past three years. Whether your contribution came in the form of a monetary donation, an encouraging word, donating artwork of the P38, helping run the booth in Reno, or any other way you may have helped, every bit of it meant the world to me and is what kept me running full steam ahead all along. For those of you who made monetary donations, your monies will be re-donated to another non-profit organization still left to be determined.

My plan for now is to keep this website up and running as a tribute to the nearly four decades that Lefty Gardner & White Lightnin’ graced the airshow skies from coast to coast. If any of you have any pictures, video, or stories you’d like to share or post on this site please email me and let me know, click here to email me.

Again, many thanks to all of the White Lightnin’ fans that we have been so lucky to have for so long. Without you we couldn’t have done it nor would we have wanted to. Lefty and the rest of the Gardner family feel extremely fortunate to have had you there for so many wonderful years. -Ladd-

God Bless you all,

Lefty, Sharon, Daron, Ladd and the rest of the Gardner gang

Click Here For An Interview With Ladd Gardner
Including The Complete Story Of The Accident