This P-47D-23-RA, restored by AirCorps Aviation for the Dakota Territory Air Museum, is USAAF Serial No. 42-27609 (registered N4747D). It is known to have been assigned to the 5th Air Force in the Pacific Theatre, and was left abandoned on Dobodura Airfield in Papua New Guinea after the aircraft was declared unserviceable on September 18, 1944. As it was found to have, AirCorps Aviation restored the Thunderbolt complete with its Pacific Theatre field-modification "Christmas tree" fuel tank in the aft fuselage, which also meant that other items in the fuselage, such as the turbocharger oil tank and some radio components, are mounted differently than stock from-the-factory, and accurately match the field-modified configuration it had while in service with the 5th Air Force in the Pacific. This makes it unique from any that saw service in the other Theatres, such as the ETO. Unfortunately, no WWII-era photo of the aircraft has surfaced, which would have allowed for more to be known about its wartime assignment and specific paint scheme. From the incredible research conducted by Chuck Cravens, it was determined that the aircraft would have most likely served with the 35th Fighter Group, the only unit in the 5th Air Force to have received D-23's earlier than August 1944, and perhaps the 348th Fighter Group, which received D-23's in August 1944, the first examples of which were transferred from the 35th FG. The decision was made to paint the aircraft to represent P-47D-23-RA Bonnie, USAAF Serial No. 42-27884 (275 digits separated from DTAM's Thunderbolt), piloted by Maj. William Dunham, assigned to the 348th Fighter Group's 460th Fighter Squadron (the 460th FS was formed in August and September 1944).
It is one of the few Thunderbolts flying with a functioning turbocharger, and the only one flying with a Curtiss-Electric propeller (which is also of the specific type blade as fitted to D-23 production).
So-far I've seen that the P-47 is scheduled to attend Wings of the North's AirExpo, EAA AirVenture (including Warbirds in Review), and Thunder Over Michigan.
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