AirCorps Aviation of Bemidji, Minnesota, walked away with the Grand Champion World War II award and the Phoenix Award at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2023 for the work they performed on a Republic P-47D Thunderbolt abandoned in New Guinea during World War II.
AirCorps has smartly harnessed computer power to recreate parts from two-dimensional drawings or sample items, creating intelligent computer-aided drafting tools.
Matching that digital savvy, AirCorps Aviation has an eye for vintage construction process details that add to the look and feel of its restorations.
The latest result from the company’s shop is the only flying Republic-built razorback Thunderbolt. (Planes of Fame Air Museum has a flying razorback that is a license-built P-47G made by Curtiss, for the purists in the audience.)
Razorback Thunderbolts have a high fuselage fairing behind the cockpit that narrows to a ridge — or razorback — at its apex.
Erik Hokuf of AirCorps Aviation told a standing-room-only crowd at AirVenture during a Warbirds in Review session that the P-47 incorporates more than 40,000 parts in its large airframe.
All the rivets in the P-47 were removed during restoration. The skin is new, and the large ovoid cowling was manufactured by AirCorps.
Construction of the cowling, as well as other externally visible parts of the massive wings and fuselage, involved spot-welding internal structure to the skin.
Republic used an acid-etch in strips along the skin where spot welding would take place, and this resulted in a different sheen that stands out on this bare metal airframe.
Formers were temporarily attached to the skin in a few strategic locations with Cleco fasteners to ensure proper fit and alignment before the spot welding was conducted. Subsequently, the Clecos were removed, and the holes for the Clecos were plugged with rivets.
The result is an industrial, functional look that AirCorps reproduced.
Over time, the skin will acquire a patina that diminishes the prominence of the etching stripes.
If warbird rebuilds of 40 or 50 years ago sometimes were shiny and salon-looking, efforts in recent years have emphasized realistic construction details that provide an authentic, and intense, time-machine look.
The knife-edge windscreen of the razorback Thunderbolts is made of curved laminated safety glass. For the restoration, AirCorps outsourced new glass to do the job properly.
How long does such a restoration from the ground up take? How about more than a decade? The hulk of the P-47 arrived at AirCorps Aviation in 2011.
The P-47 is powered by a Pratt and Whitney R-2800 engine.
But not just any R-2800 would do for this spot-on restoration. It had to be the correct Dash-59 version, properly mated to a Curtiss Electric C542S-A114 symmetrical wide blade propeller.
While some P-47 restorations fly suitably well with Hamilton Standard propellers, the matching of the proper Curtiss propeller with this engine gives this restoration faster acceleration, pilot Bernie Vasquez told the AirVenture crowd.
He added the high streamlining of the razorback versions of the P-47 create less drag than found on later bubble-canopy Thunderbolts.
Several times during the week Vasquez delighted the Oshkosh crowd with powerful flying demonstrations of the P-47.
This P-47, putting out more than 2,300 horsepower, is equipped with a water alcohol injection tank to cool the engine for brief periods of high-power activity.
The Dakota Territory Air Museum in Minot, North Dakota, is the home of this fabulous warbird. The museum opted to have the Thunderbolt painted in the markings of P-47 ace William Dunham of the 348th Fighter Group.
Dunham earned 16 victories over Japanese aircraft by war’s end. He is also remembered for a mission in which he watched a Japanese pilot bail out of the aircraft Dunham had just shot.
Stories of Japanese pilots gunning Americans as they drifted in their parachutes initially prompted Dunham to line up on the enemy aviator for that treatment in the heat of battle. But he stopped short of firing at his opposing flier, and watched him plunge into the sea, with no life jacket visible.
Dunham flew low overhead and tossed out his own life jacket to the Japanese pilot in the water.
The ultimate fate of that downed enemy flier has been lost to history, but Dunham’s chivalry lives on in the Thunderbolt painted to represent his aircraft.
Thank you very much.It is interseting.
Spot welding?
WW2 era standard construction technique for this model/type aircraft?
P 47 has always been my favorite WW2 warbird!!! What a fabulous job!
Thank you for bringing the P-47 back to life!
I knew well Willis Walling of New Jersey who flew sixty-four P-47 missions in France. His was the 10th plane to land in France after DDay.
The lead bullets of the 50 cals would not penetrate the Sherman tank armor so they shot the ground behind the tank which would puncture the fuel tank and cause a fire. The pilots would return and shoot the men who exited the tanks.
The P-47 was mainly a very heavy dive bomber. Wally said that he would descend from 20,000 ft in a nose dive and reach speeds of over 650 mph. The temperatures were extremely cold at 20,000. This maneuver was impossible to defend and very accurately delivered ordnances to the targets.
He said that the fast air pressure rise from this dive maneuver would cause his head to ache and feel that it was being crushed.
He flew back to base and landed safely many times with extreme damage to his aircraft. Sometimes he would be required to put both feet on one side rudder and fly at an extreme angle in order to remain airborne. He believed that the P-47 was nearly indestructible.
The pilot height limit for the P-47 cockpit was around 5-11. Wally was 6-3 so he would hunch down when physicals were being taken.
He said that one propeller with 2300 HP was amazing to operate. Originally the P-47 had only 1700-1800 HP and the 2300 HP upgrade was greatly appreciated by the pilots.
Willis ‘Wally’ Walling was a great American who retired in Pawleys Island SC dying at age 93.
The Sherman was a U.S. tank. Why would Thunderbolt tanks be shooting our own? I think you meant to say German tanks.
It would be very interesting to know and see the rest of the story, how was it found, what did it look like when found, how was it transported?
Aircorps Aviation has a website, documents all their restorations, from where they were found, the condition it was found in. Including fantastic photography and detail amazing reads.
And they are hiring!
Loving the comments about this TERRIFIC new plane- As a radar, navigator, bombardier on a B-52D I wish I could fly in this BEAUTY. Bill
Flew the BUFF in NAM- No where near the BEAUTIFLUL NEW P-47? Had a bunch of scary, somewhat frightening flights- Flew out of UTAPAO, Thailand- Beautiful country with most colorful sites and people as well! Loved Bangkok and jewelry offered. Loved our hotel and entertainment provided by THE TEMPTATIONS. Probably not performing anymore as this was in 1971.Had 350 combat missions in both C-130 and B-52D of course the only model in which gunner was in the tail section. I remember him saying “Got one coming up at 6 o’clock” and co-pilot Peter saying “Got one coming up at 3o’clock”-HOLY SHIT! Running out of space! Must quit! _Bill Lloyd out of WESTOVER!
You transferred from C-130 operations to B-52D operations?
Voluntarily or voluntold?
No C-141 operations available?
No EC-135, RC-135, VC-135 operations available?
A very rare warlord from back in the day& kudos for the resto efforts! Flying history that shud not be forgotten. “Eaten bread may be forgotten” but our history shud never be alluding the sacrifices made against real evil manifesting itself globally then & sad to say, nowadays! My 2 cents anyway.
Oh my God, what beautiful magnificent Warbird.
What an absolute beauty!! Glad it is the razor back version also. Picked a deserving Pilot, Willian Dunham , to have his aircraft replicated!
Well Done!!!
I watched your presentation at home. Your guest WWII Pilot was wonderful. I am agreat advocate of the P47; it was the best fighter WWII. How I wish I had a P47-D-40! I hate the fact that the P47 could have followed the Bombers all the way to Berlin, but did not because they lacked the proper drop tanks. Your aircraft has brought joy to my ❤️ heart. Thank You!
But according to what you said in the story, the facts that they replaced every rivet and every skin panel, manufactured a whole new cowling from scratch, sourced a “new” engine, etc. it sounds like Aircorps Aviation assembled more than 51% of this P-47, so by FAA definition, it is no longer a “Republic-built” Thunderbolt. It sounds like it was “built” (“rebuilt” or whatever – the FAA doesn’t define “restore”) by Aircorps Aviation; per 14 CFR 45.13(a) that makes Aircorps Aviation its builder of record so it should not be officially identified (certificated or registered) as a “Republic” P-47 anymore. US aircraft, civilian and military, are identified on the basis of “builder”, builder’s model number, and builder’s serial number, not designer, previous or original mfg. or TC Holder. At least that is the way it is supposed to be, but in that regard, the warbird community doesn’t seem to know as much as the Experimental and homebuilt community.
It was a real treat to read about this important part of our history. I was awestruck looking at the pictures of this meticulously finished military might- a raving beauty on the outside, but a total beast under its skin. What utter dedication on the part of the restoration team who put their hearts and souls into every last detail of the warbird honoring aviator William Dunham. An ace job for an ace pilot!
This a rare awesome plane total horsepower beautiful job
Thanks Navy And Military For Your Support