Republic P-47 Survivors
Encyclopedia
The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt was an American fighter aircraft
Fighter aircraft
A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...

. Beginning in 1942, 15,686 P-47’s were produced, the last of which was accepted by the United States Army Air Forces
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....

 (USAAF) from Republic Aviation' Evansville factory.

Background

While the majority of the earlier versions and war-weary aircraft were quickly scrapped, most of the last production blocks would continue in service with the post-war USAAF and the new USAF. For the next five years, these aircraft would continue as a front-line fighter with the active airforce. It would also serve for over 10 years with a preponderance of the National Guard fighter units east of the Mississippi River.

The P-47 would also be the foundation stock for rebuilding a majority of the post-war European airforces. Unlike the P-51, this aircraft was easily maintained and more forgiving of pilot mistakes (due to its more robust construction). Like the USAF, these aircraft only started to retire as the second generation jets became readily available. In the early 1950s as the now renamed F-47 was being retired from active USAF service, these aircraft were through various Military Assistance Programs (MAPS) offered to numerous South American countries. For the next 15 years, the P-47 would continue as a front line fighter with these nations.

Unlike many of its contemporary World War II fighters, the P-47 was not a sought after aircraft on the post-war civilian marketplace. It did not have the sleek lines needed for an executive aircraft or racing. For the next 22 years, except for two razorback versions, the P-47 would progressively diminish from U.S skies. It was only in 1968 with the retirement of the Peruvian Air Force's P-47s and the successful importation of six aircraft would the population of these aircraft begin to grow. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, more airframes would be returned from numerous South American countries for restoration and display. In the late 1980s, aircraft from Yugoslavia were also rediscovered and imported. The current batches of P-47s to return to the restored are those long forgotten wartime crash sites.

Airworthy

United States
  • P-47D Thunderbolt, s/n 42-8205 owned by the Museum of Flight
    Museum of Flight
    The Museum of Flight is a private non-profit air and space museum at King County International Airport , south of downtown Seattle, Washington. It was established in 1965 and is fully accredited by the American Association of Museums...

     in Seattle, Washington
    Seattle, Washington
    Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...

    .
  • P-47G Thunderbolt, s/n 42-25234 owned by the Planes of Fame
    Planes of Fame
    Planes of Fame Air Museum is an aviation museum located in Chino, California, and Valle, Arizona. The museum has many flying and static aircraft, along with multiple rare examples under restoration.-History:...

     in Chino, California
    Chino, California
    Chino is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. It is located in the western end of the Riverside-San Bernardino Area and it is easily accessible via the Chino Valley and Pomona freeways....

    .
  • P-47D Thunderbolt, s/n 42-27385 owned by the Yanks Air Museum
    Yanks Air Museum
    The Yanks Air Museum is a non-profit 501 organization dedicated to exhibiting, preserving and restoring American aircraft and artifacts.-Chino facility and exhibits:...

     in Chino, California
    Chino, California
    Chino is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. It is located in the western end of the Riverside-San Bernardino Area and it is easily accessible via the Chino Valley and Pomona freeways....

    .
  • P-47D Thunderbolt, s/n 44-32817 owned by Lewis Vintage Collection LCC in San Antonio, Texas
    San Antonio, Texas
    San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...

    .
  • P-47D Thunderbolt, s/n 44-90368 owned by the Lone Star Flight Museum
    Lone Star Flight Museum
    The Lone Star Flight Museum, located in Galveston, Texas, USA, is an aerospace museum that displays more than 40 historically significant aircraft and many hundreds of artifacts related to the history of flight. The museum's collection is rare because most of the aircraft are flyable...

     in Galveston, Texas
    Galveston, Texas
    Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...

    .
  • P-47D Thunderbolt, s/n 44-90438 owned by Aviation Management Resources in Wilmington, Delaware
    Wilmington, Delaware
    Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...

    .
  • P-47N Thunderbolt, s/n 44-90447 owned by PT-17 Inc. in Dover, Delaware
    Dover, Delaware
    The city of Dover is the capital and second largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. It is also the county seat of Kent County, and the principal city of the Dover, Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Kent County. It is located on the St. Jones River in the Delaware...

    .
  • P-47D Thunderbolt, s/n 44-90460 owned by Neal Melton of Luttrell, Tennessee
    Luttrell, Tennessee
    Luttrell is a city in Union County, Tennessee, United States, with a population of 915 as of the 2000 census. It is included in the Knoxville, Tennessee Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...

    .
  • P-47D Thunderbolt, s/n 44-90471 owned by Tillamook Air Museum
    Tillamook Air Museum
    Tillamook Air Museum is an aviation museum located south of Tillamook, Oregon at Tillamook Airport . The museum is housed in a former military blimp hangar, called "Hangar B", which is the largest clear-span wooden structure in the world...

     in Tillamook, Oregon
    Tillamook, Oregon
    The city of Tillamook is the county seat of Tillamook County, Oregon, United States. The city is located on the southeast end of Tillamook Bay on the Pacific Ocean. The population was 4,352 at the 2000 census...

    .
  • P-47D Thunderbolt, s/n 45-49181 owned by Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum in Kalamazoo, Michigan
    Kalamazoo, Michigan
    The area on which the modern city stands was once home to Native Americans of the Hopewell culture, who migrated into the area sometime before the first millennium. Evidence of their early residency remains in the form of a small mound in downtown's Bronson Park. The Hopewell civilization began to...

    .
  • P-47D Thunderbolt, s/n 45-49192 owned by Claire Aviation Inc in Wilmington, Delaware
    Wilmington, Delaware
    Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...

    .
  • P-47D Thunderbolt, s/n 45-49205 owned by Palm Springs Air Museum
    Palm springs air museum
    The Palm Springs Air Museum, is a non-profit educational institution in Palm Springs, Riverside County, California. The Museum's mission is to exhibit, educate and eternalize the role of the World War II combat aircraft and the role the pilots and American citizens had in winning the war...

     in Palm Springs, California
    Palm Springs, California
    Palm Springs is a desert city in Riverside County, California, within the Coachella Valley. It is located approximately 37 miles east of San Bernardino, 111 miles east of Los Angeles and 136 miles northeast of San Diego...

    .
  • P-47D Thunderbolt, s/n 45-49346 owned by the Yanks Air Museum
    Yanks Air Museum
    The Yanks Air Museum is a non-profit 501 organization dedicated to exhibiting, preserving and restoring American aircraft and artifacts.-Chino facility and exhibits:...

     in Chino, California
    Chino, California
    Chino is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. It is located in the western end of the Riverside-San Bernardino Area and it is easily accessible via the Chino Valley and Pomona freeways....

    .
  • P-47D Thunderbolt, s/n 45-49385 owned by Alan Wojciak in Colorado Springs, Colorado
    Colorado Springs, Colorado
    Colorado Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and most populous city of El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Colorado Springs is located in South-Central Colorado, in the southern portion of the state. It is situated on Fountain Creek and is located south of the Colorado...

    .
  • P-47D Thunderbolt, s/n 45-49406 owned by Vulcan Warbirds Inc. of Seattle, Washington
    Seattle, Washington
    Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...

    .
  • P-47N Thunderbolt, s/n 45-53436 owned by the Commemorative Air Force
    Commemorative Air Force
    The Commemorative Air Force , formerly known as the Confederate Air Force, is a Texas-based non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and showing historical aircraft at airshows primarily throughout the U.S. and Canada...

     in Midland, Texas
    Midland, Texas
    Midland is a city in and the county seat of Midland County, Texas, United States, on the Southern Plains of the state's western area. A small portion of the city extends into Martin County. As of 2010, the population of Midland was 111,147. It is the principal city of the Midland, Texas...

    . It is based at the Cavanaugh Flight Museum
    Cavanaugh Flight Museum
    The Cavanaugh Flight Museum is an aviation museum in Addison, Texas, with a non-profit 501 status for aviation educational.- Mission :The Museum promotes aviation education, research and American aviation heritage...

     in Addison, Texas
    Addison, Texas
    Addison is a city in Dallas County, Texas . The population was 14,166 at the 2000 census, and 15,737 according to a 2009 estimate. Addison is a northern suburb of Dallas...

    .

On display

Brazil
  • P-47D Thunderbolt, s/n 42-19663 at the Guaratingueta Air Force Base.
  • P-47D Thunderbolt, s/n 42-26450 at the Guararapes Air Force Base.
  • P-47D Thunderbolt, s/n 42-26757 at the Santa Cruz Air Force Base.
  • P-47D Thunderbolt, s/n 42-26762 at the Curitiba Air Force Base.
  • P-47D Thunderbolt, s/n 45-49151 at the Museu Aeroespacial
    Museu Aeroespacial
    Museu Aeroespacial is a national aviation museum located 25 km west of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.-History:The Museu Aeroespacial was inaugurated on 18 October 1976 at the installations of the old Escola de Aeronáutica , at Afonsos Air Force Base - the "Cradle of Military...

    .


Chile
  • P-47D Thunderbolt, s/n 45-49219 at the Museo Nacional de Aeronautica Chile.
  • P-47D Thunderbolt, s/n 45-49509 at a FAC base.


Croatia
  • P-47D Thunderbolt, s/n unknown, ex-Yugoslav AF 13109 "13109" at the Technical Museum, Zagreb
    Technical Museum, Zagreb
    Technical Museum is located at 18 Savska Street in Zagreb and it exhibits numerous historic aircraft, cars, machinery and equipment.-The Museum features:...

    .


France
  • P-47D Thunderbolt, s/n 44-20371 at the Musee de l'Air.


Germany
  • P-47D Thunderbolt, s/n 42-7924 at the Motortechnica Museum.


Italy
  • P-47D Thunderbolt, s/n 44-89746 at the Italian Air Force Museum
    Italian Air Force Museum
    The Italian Air Force Museum is an aircraft museum at Vigna di Valle, on the Lake Bracciano , central Italy. It is operated by the Aeronautica Militare.- Propeller aircraft :* Ansaldo AC.2* Ansaldo SVA 5* Blériot XI* Caproni Ca.3* Caproni Ca.100...

    .


Mexico
  • P-47D Thunderbolt, s/n 44-90205 at the Museo de la FAM.


Turkey
  • P-47D Thunderbolt, s/n 44-33712 at the Turkish Air Force Museum.


United Kingdom
  • P-47D Thunderbolt, s/n 45-49295 at the RAF Museum
    RAF Museum
    The Royal Air Force Museum London, commonly known as the RAF Museum, is a museum located on the former Hendon Aerodrome, dedicated to the history of aviation and the British Royal Air Force. The museum is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Ministry of Defence and a registered charity...

     in RAF Cosford
    RAF Cosford
    RAF Cosford is a Royal Air Force station in Cosford, Shropshire, just to the northwest of Wolverhampton and next to Albrighton.-History:...

    .


United States
  • P-47D Thunderbolt, s/n 42-23278 at the National Museum of the United States Air Force
    National Museum of the United States Air Force
    The National Museum of the United States Air Force is the official museum of the United States Air Force located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base northeast of Dayton, Ohio. The NMUSAF is the world's largest and oldest military aviation museum with more than 360 aircraft and missiles on display...

     in Dayton, Ohio
    Dayton, Ohio
    Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...

    .
  • P-47D Thunderbolt, s/n 44-32691 at the National Air & Space Museum in Washington D.C..
  • P-47N Thunderbolt, s/n 44-89320 at the Air Force Armament Museum
    Air Force Armament Museum
    The Air Force Armament Museum, adjacent to Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, is the only facility in the U.S. dedicated to the display of Air Force armament...

     at Eglin AFB, Florida.
  • P-47N Thunderbolt, s/n 44-89348 at Lackland AFB, Texas.
  • P-47N Thunderbolt, s/n 44-89444 at the Cradle of Aviation Museum
    Cradle of Aviation Museum
    The Cradle of Aviation Museum is an aerospace museum located in East Garden City, New York on Long Island to commemorate Long Island's part in the history of aviation. It is located on land once part of Mitchel Air Force Base which, together with nearby Roosevelt Field and other airfields on the...

     in Garden City, New York
    Garden City, New York
    Garden City is a village in the town of Hempstead in central Nassau County, New York, in the United States. It was founded by multi-millionaire Alexander Turney Stewart in 1869, and is located on Long Island, to the east of New York City, from mid-town Manhattan, and just south of the town of...

    . It is on loan from the National Museum of the United States Air Force
    National Museum of the United States Air Force
    The National Museum of the United States Air Force is the official museum of the United States Air Force located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base northeast of Dayton, Ohio. The NMUSAF is the world's largest and oldest military aviation museum with more than 360 aircraft and missiles on display...

     in Dayton, Ohio
    Dayton, Ohio
    Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...

    .
  • P-47D Thunderbolt, s/n 45-49167 at the National Museum of the United States Air Force
    National Museum of the United States Air Force
    The National Museum of the United States Air Force is the official museum of the United States Air Force located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base northeast of Dayton, Ohio. The NMUSAF is the world's largest and oldest military aviation museum with more than 360 aircraft and missiles on display...

     in Dayton, Ohio
    Dayton, Ohio
    Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...

    .
  • P-47D Thunderbolt, s/n 45-49458 at the New England Air Museum
    New England Air Museum
    The New England Air Museum is located at Bradley International Airport, Windsor Locks, Connecticut, USA. The museum is housed in three large display buildings consisting of more than of exhibit space...

     in Windsor Locks, Connecticut
    Windsor Locks, Connecticut
    Windsor Locks is a town located in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2000 census, its population was 12,043. It is the site of Bradley International Airport, which serves the Greater Hartford-Springfield region. It is also the site of the New England Air Museum...

    . It is on loan from the National Museum of the United States Air Force
    National Museum of the United States Air Force
    The National Museum of the United States Air Force is the official museum of the United States Air Force located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base northeast of Dayton, Ohio. The NMUSAF is the world's largest and oldest military aviation museum with more than 360 aircraft and missiles on display...

     in Dayton, Ohio
    Dayton, Ohio
    Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...

    .


Venezuela
  • P-47D Thunderbolt, s/n 44-32809 at the Aeronautics Museum of Maracay.

Under restoration

Australia
  • P-47D Thunderbolt, s/n 42-8066 by the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society in Sydney
    Sydney
    Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

    .
  • P-47D Thunderbolt, s/n 42-8310 by the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society in Sydney
    Sydney
    Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

    .
  • P-47D Thunderbolt, s/n 42-27608 by Historical Aircraft Restoration Society in Sydney
    Sydney
    Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

    .


United Kingdom
  • P-47G Thunderbolt, s/n 42-25068 by the The Fighter Collection in Duxford
    Duxford
    Duxford is a village in Cambridgeshire, England, some ten miles south of Cambridge.-History:The village formed on the banks of the River Cam, a little below its emergence from the hills of north Essex...

    .


United States
  • P-47B Thunderbolt, s/n 41-5920 by Randy Ferris of Bensenville, Illinois
    Bensenville, Illinois
    Bensenville is a village located primarily in DuPage County, Illinois, with a small section near O'Hare International Airport in Cook County, Illinois, overlapping into the city of Chicago. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 20,703. Bensenville is home to the Edge Ice Arena, home of...

    .
  • P-47D Thunderbolt, s/n 42-26766 by Bill Destefani of Shafter, California
    Shafter, California
    Shafter is a city in Kern County, California, United States. It is located west-northwest of Bakersfield. The population was 16,988 at the 2010 census, up from 12,736 at the 2000 census. Wired telephone numbers in Shafter follow the format 746-xxxx and the ZIP Code is 93263.The city is located...

    .
  • P-47D Thunderbolt, s/n 44-32798 by Hill Aerospace Museum
    Hill Aerospace Museum
    Hill Aerospace Museum, located near Ogden, Utah, is a U.S. Air Force museum that is part of the United States Air Force Heritage Program.The museum, founded in 1981 and moved to its current location in 1991, displays over 90 aircraft from around the world, in addition to a variety of munitions,...

     in Utah
    Utah
    Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...

    .
  • P-47D Thunderbolt, s/n 44-32814 to flightworthiness by Fantasy of Flight
    Fantasy of Flight
    Fantasy of Flight is an aviation-related attraction in Polk City, Florida, USA that takes visitors back to the pioneering days of early flight, World War I, World War II and beyond. The attraction opened in November of 1995, and houses the world's largest private aircraft collection on display...

     in Polk City, Florida
    Polk City, Florida
    Polk City is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. The population was 1,516 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 1,515. It is part of the Lakeland–Winter Haven Metropolitan Statistical Area...

    .
  • P-47N Thunderbolt, s/n 44-89425 by Peterson Air and Space Museum
    Peterson Air and Space Museum
    Peterson Air and Space Museum is located inside Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Access to the museum is limited due to security concerns, so tour groups should contact the museum curator...

     in Peterson AFB, Colorado.
  • P-47D Thunderbolt, s/n 45-49130 to flightworthiness by Neal Melton of Luttrell, Tennessee
    Luttrell, Tennessee
    Luttrell is a city in Union County, Tennessee, United States, with a population of 915 as of the 2000 census. It is included in the Knoxville, Tennessee Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...

    .

External links

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