Thunderbolt Restorations
Tue Jun 14, 2005 11:16 am
Hi All,
As long as we are on the topic of the Big Jug, I was wondering if anyone could tell me or point me to a resource of just how many Thunderbolts are in restoration or have been or are being recovered. This was an amazing plane for it's day. I bring up this topic because of the 3 (?) Razorback models that were recovered out of the Pacific some time back and their status as far as restoring them goes. Nice to see another one being added to the ranks of survivors with the new recovered D model.
Paul
As long as we are on the topic of the Big Jug, I was wondering if anyone could tell me or point me to a resource of just how many Thunderbolts are in restoration or have been or are being recovered. This was an amazing plane for it's day. I bring up this topic because of the 3 (?) Razorback models that were recovered out of the Pacific some time back and their status as far as restoring them goes. Nice to see another one being added to the ranks of survivors with the new recovered D model.
Paul
Tue Jun 14, 2005 11:35 am
The registry lists 62 although I don't know how current that is. Bob Grienert is current working on a few as well as some on the west coast(?) all from the PNG.
http://www.warbirdregistry.org/p47regis ... istry.html
I also recall a very complete airframe forsale approx. 2 yrs ago that was located in Arizona for less the $400K. I believe that may have been an ex central/south american p-47 and was said to have severe corrision that would dictate a complete rebuild.
regards,
t~
http://www.warbirdregistry.org/p47regis ... istry.html
I also recall a very complete airframe forsale approx. 2 yrs ago that was located in Arizona for less the $400K. I believe that may have been an ex central/south american p-47 and was said to have severe corrision that would dictate a complete rebuild.
regards,
t~
Tue Jun 14, 2005 11:49 am
That particular P-47 was an ex-Peruvian AF Thunderbolt (P-47D-30-RA; 45-49452) serial FAP-450 and was reportedly located -for sale- somewhere in Tucson (probably just outside of Davis Monthan; one photo sent to me, shows the remains of a KC-97 with mexican registration XA-PII.
Saludos,
Tulio
Saludos,
Tulio
Tue Jun 14, 2005 12:49 pm
Yes, it was in Tucson my good friend Dick Wright was selling it. I don't remember who bought it I will have to ask him. He did tell me that it was just a shell every bracket, panel, etc. had been removed.
Tue Jun 14, 2005 12:53 pm
Is that the P-47 that went to Hill AFB Museum? They picked one up sometime in the last year or so.
http://www.hill.af.mil/museum/photos/wwii/p-47.htm
http://www.hill.af.mil/museum/photos/wwii/p-47.htm
Tue Jun 14, 2005 1:13 pm
Could be, as I recall the earlier photo had the exact same paint scheme as the Hill web site photo, although the s/n is stated as 44-32798.
Anyone know the status of this restoration? I'd imagine it will be a static only since it will be apart of the USAFM system.
regards,
t
Anyone know the status of this restoration? I'd imagine it will be a static only since it will be apart of the USAFM system.
regards,
t
Tue Jun 14, 2005 9:51 pm
Thunderbolt 44-32798, F-47D-30-NA was delivered to the Venezuelan AF on 05 April 1949, and came from Tinker AFB, OK. (re-designated as F-47 in the second half of the 1940s)
The photo of the F-47 (P-47) on the trailer, at the Hill AF webpage, looks very much like the Thunderbolt that was for sale in Tucson, with the light blue fuselage motif, and the serial under the wing (450), matches that of the Peruvian Thunderbolt for sale in Tucson.
I wonder why . . . unless they bought the Peruvian Thunderbolt to use parts to complete their Venezuelan Thunderbolt, and have assigned to it the identity of a Venezuelan machine?
The airplane history as presented at the Hill AFB website seems to match that of the one of the Thunderbolts that went to Peru, but why does Hill AFB reports it as Venezuelan?
Anyone here knows?
Saludos,
Tulio
The photo of the F-47 (P-47) on the trailer, at the Hill AF webpage, looks very much like the Thunderbolt that was for sale in Tucson, with the light blue fuselage motif, and the serial under the wing (450), matches that of the Peruvian Thunderbolt for sale in Tucson.
I wonder why . . . unless they bought the Peruvian Thunderbolt to use parts to complete their Venezuelan Thunderbolt, and have assigned to it the identity of a Venezuelan machine?
The airplane history as presented at the Hill AFB website seems to match that of the one of the Thunderbolts that went to Peru, but why does Hill AFB reports it as Venezuelan?
Anyone here knows?
Saludos,
Tulio
Wed Jun 15, 2005 6:31 am
Is it just me, but it seems that P-47's are rarely on the market as compared to the p-51. Now I now the remaining mustang examples clearly outnumber every other existing warbird (aside from the T-6 variants), but there str62 known p-47s that exist in some form with approximately 12 currently flying.
I've spoken to a combat pilot who has flown the p-47 and transitioned to the p-51 and commented that he preferred the Thunderbolt as its survival rate was much better due to the punishment it could take and still bring the pilot home. Of course, this gentlemen was shot down in a P-51 in early '45 (ETO) from AAA and his unit did fly razorbacks previously.
Just a thought.
regards,
t~
I've spoken to a combat pilot who has flown the p-47 and transitioned to the p-51 and commented that he preferred the Thunderbolt as its survival rate was much better due to the punishment it could take and still bring the pilot home. Of course, this gentlemen was shot down in a P-51 in early '45 (ETO) from AAA and his unit did fly razorbacks previously.
Just a thought.
regards,
t~
Wed Jun 15, 2005 7:06 am
Tulio wrote:Thunderbolt 44-32798, F-47D-30-NA was delivered to the Venezuelan AF on 05 April 1949, and came from Tinker AFB, OK. (re-designated as F-47 in the second half of the 1940s)
The photo of the F-47 (P-47) on the trailer, at the Hill AF webpage, looks very much like the Thunderbolt that was for sale in Tucson, with the light blue fuselage motif, and the serial under the wing (450), matches that of the Peruvian Thunderbolt for sale in Tucson.
I wonder why . . . unless they bought the Peruvian Thunderbolt to use parts to complete their Venezuelan Thunderbolt, and have assigned to it the identity of a Venezuelan machine?
The airplane history as presented at the Hill AFB website seems to match that of the one of the Thunderbolts that went to Peru, but why does Hill AFB reports it as Venezuelan?
Anyone here knows?
Saludos,
Tulio
Maybe the Gringo factor?
