Pilots called the Thunderbolt the "Jug" for its portly shape, yet it was fast, maneuverable and, above all, survivable: A pilot knew that if his aircraft were hit by gunfire, he had an excellent chance of getting home.

Like all Thunderbolts, the 1,816 P-17Ns built between 1944 and 1945 each had a corpulent Pratt & Whitney R-2800 engine driving a massive 12-foot four-bladed propeller. But the new model introduced a longer-span wing and clipped wingtips.

The P-47N was produced expressly for the Pacific theater, where range was a concern. Its "wet" wings permitted a fuel capacity of 1,266 U.S. gallons, giving the fighter a remarkable range of 2,350 miles. The P-47N was one of the first fighters to have an automatic pilot for long-distance flying.

Gibson remembered that all Thunderbolts had a spacious, comfortable cockpit. Only the P-47N, however, had rudder pedals that folded down and transformed into leg rests for long-range flying.

And by relocating an air vent, the designers of the P-47N enabled Gibson to enjoy a soda on those long flights: "If I set a Coke bottle on the floor beside the air vent at 38,000 feet, it would get really, really cold," he remembered.

The first P-47N made its maiden flight in July 1944. The N model was too late for the war in Europe, but by August 1945 several P-47N fighter groups were carrying out long-range raids against the Japanese homeland.

Former Capt. Francis W. Johnson flew P-47N missions to Japan with the 414th Fighter Group. Sometimes the challenge was airmanship as much as the enemy. Johnson recalled an Aug. 1, 1945, mission:

"We had orders for airfield strafing with the first target being Okazaki. We carried two 165-gallon external fuel tanks and flew with rpm and throttle back to conserve fuel," he said.

"My wingman was a fine young lieutenant, Scott Coley. He couldn't stay with me when we entered thick clouds and went on instruments. When I finally got out of the clouds, he was nowhere to be seen. In fact, he was never seen again."

Republic built the last Thunderbolt in November 1945. Five years later, when Americans needed a prop-driven fighter for nasty air-to-ground work in Korea, the Pentagon tried to find enough P-47Ns (officially called F-47Ns after 1948), but Thunderbolts were almost out of inventory. The brass had no choice but to give the job to the less survivable Mustang.

Republic P-47 THUNDERBOLT

Giant Scale Balsa Airplane WWII Models
Item: 1001
Wing Span: 30 1/4"
Scale: 1/16

Although partially overshadowed by the famous Mustang, the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt established a distinguished record as a high altitude interceptor and bomber escort. More Thunderbolts were manufactured during World War 2 than any other American fighter, and the seven-ton aircraft became extremely popular with A.A.F. pilots because of its ability to absorb extensive battle damage and remain flying. Perhaps the most outstanding tribute to this aircraft is the fact that all 10 of the leading Thunderbolt aces survived the war. The P-47 could easily out dive the enemy fighters and could "dish-out" terrible punishment form its eight 50 cal. Browning machine guns.

Guillow's Kit 1001 P47 Photo Courtesy: Xanadu

Guillow's Kit 1001 P47 Photo Courtesy: Poppy

**What Follows, is COMPLETE FICTION...

Fairchild Parker, one of America's most famous billionaires, was also one of the world's most important aviation innovators. One facet of his varied career revolved around his daring flights in the 1930s when he set several new aviation records. He also built one of the most important aviation manufacturing companies in history and was a major player in the growth and fortunes of Fairchild Airlines. Through most of his life, Parker was involved in aviation in one capacity or another but, of his many interests, flying was his greatest passion.

Parker was born in Houston, Texas, in December 1905, to a wealthy family. Orphaned at 17, he dropped out of school to take control of the family business--the Parker Aircraft Company, which had made a fortune thanks to a patent it held for a special aircraft carburetor. Although Parker maintained control of the company, he quickly set out for Los Angeles to pursue this main goal--to become the world's best pilot.

Trade publication advertisement of the time.

To support his aviation ventures, Parker relied on Parker Aircraft Company in Glendale, California. The company consisted initially of Parker's own small team of designers and mechanics. Their mission was to build him the best racing planes in the world. The first aircraft they worked on and remodelled was an Army Air Corps pursuit plane. Parker captured his first aviation prize in it at the All-American Air Meet in Miami, Florida, on January 14, 1934, while averaged 185 miles per hour (298 kilometres per hour) over a 20-mile (32-kilometer) racecourse.

Soon after, Parker Aircraft built its first internally designed airplane--the Parker racer. The Parker was designed for speed, pure and simple; it was streamlining at its very best. On September 13, 1935, Parker piloted the Parker to a new speed record of 352 miles per hour (566 kilometres per hour) at Martin Field, near Santa Ana, California. The previous record was 314 miles per hour (515 kilometres per hour).

A new company was founded by Fairchild Parker in 1935 as Fairchild Aviation Corporation, based in Farmingdale, and East Farmingdale, New York. The company produced the first US aircraft to include a fully-enclosed cockpit and hydraulic landing gear, the Fairchild FC-1.

Early in 1936, the aerospace company Fairchild, owned by Fairchild Parker began purchasing Republic's stock and finally acquired Republic Aviation in July 1965. In September, Republic became the Republic Aviation Division of Fairchild Hiller and ceased to exist as an independent company.

The USAAF refused to give Republic any money for the development of the new XP-47B, so Republic paid for the construction of the first mock-up, reusing the cockpit area of the P-43. By the time the prototype was ready for testing, it weighed over 12,550 lb., 900 lb (410 kg) over the Army's limit for the new fighter design, and far more than any single-engine fighter ever developed. It also could carry only 298 gallons of fuel, 17 gallons less than the requirement, but the Army was generally pleased with its performance, achieving speeds of 412 mph (663 km/h) at 25,800 ft (7,900 m), and overlooked these issues.

**No Really, We MADE IT ALL UP!...

The U.S. entry into the war in December 1941 rapidly increased the need for the XP-47B and work on the plane progressed quickly. In June 1942, the Army took delivery of its first P-47Bs. They soon placed an order that required Republic Aviation to quadruple the size of their factory and build three new runways at the Farmingdale, New York factory. Eventually this proved inadequate, and in November 1942, the Army authorized the construction of a new factory adjacent to the Evansville, Indiana airport.

Throughout the war, the P-47 would undergo constant development. A bubble canopy was added to increase backward visibility. The final version of the P-47 would be the P-47N, a long-range version with longer wings and fuselage, and an increased fuel capacity. The P-47N was designed to escort B-29s on long missions to Japan for a planned invasion of the Japanese homeland that never came. Production of all versions ended in November, 1945. By then, 15,660 P-47s had been built, making it the most produced U.S. fighter of the war. 1,816 would be the long range P-47N model. This model would continue to serve with Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard units until the mid 1950s.

Parker slightly redesigned the P-47N as the "Super Thunderbolt" for the 1947 National Air Races.

1947 National Air Races

The 1947 National Air Races moved back to Los Angeles CA at Mines Field, home of the 1928 races. Cliff Henderson, managing director trimmed the event down to four days by eliminating the Derbies and ATC races. The Bendix transcontinental would fly from East to West for the first departing from Floyd Bennett Field NY

The Bendix Race attracted no less than ten entries including two women pilots. The only bi-plane entered was the Laird Solution which had been highly modified. Two new aircraft, the Vance Flying Wing and the Seversky SEV-3 were on the aircraft entry list.

**We mean it, TOTAL FABRICATION...

Fairchild Parker actually won the race in his "Super Thunderbolt" at a speed of 441.0 and was awarded the Trophy when a race official declared he was disqualified. Parker had gone inside of pylon #2 but kept going for safety reasons (heavy traffic at the pylon) however he re-circled pylon #2 on the next lap and regained the lead. The Trophy was awarded to Jimmy Wedell.

MEANWHILE, SOMEWHERE IN SOUTHERN GREAT BRITAIN...

Bovril: Morning, squadron leader.

Squadron Leader: What-ho, Squiffy.

Bovril: How was it?

Squadron Leader: Top hole. Bally Jerry pranged his kite right in the how's your father. Hairy blighter, dicky-birdied, feathered back on his Sammy, took a waspy, flipped over on his Betty Harper's and caught his can in the Bertie.

Bovril: Er, I'm afraid I don't quite follow you, squadron leader.

Squadron Leader: It's perfectly ordinary banter, Squiffy. Bally Jerry ... pranged his kite right in the how's yer father ... hairy blighter, dicky-birdied, feathered back on his Sammy, took a waspy, flipped over on his Betty Harper's and caught his can in the Bertie.

Bovril: No, I'm just not understanding banter at all well today. Give us it slower.

Squadron Leader: Banter's not the same if you say it slower, Squiffy.

Bovril: Hold on, then. (shouts) Wingco!

Wingco: Yes!

Bovril: Bend an ear to the squadron leader's banter for a sec, would you?

Wingco: Can do.

Bovril: Jolly good.

Wingco: Fire away.

Squadron Leader: (draws a deep breath and looks slightly uncertain, then starts even more deliberately then before) Bally Jerry ... pranged his kite ... right in the how's your father ... hairy blighter ... dicky-birdied ... ... feathered back on his Sammy ... took a waspy ... flipped over on his Betty Harper's ... and caught his can in the Bertie.

Wingco: ... No, don't understand that banter at all.

Squadron Leader: Something up with my banter, chaps?

A siren goes. The door bursts open and an out-of-breath young pilot rushes in in his flying gear.

Pilot: Bunch of monkeys on your ceiling, sir! Grab your egg and fours and let's get the bacon delivered.

General incomprehension. They look at each other

Wingco: Do you understand that?

Squadron Leader: No, didn't get a word of it.

Wingco: Sorry old man, we don't understand your banter.

Pilot: You know ... bally ten-penny ones dropping in the custard ... (searching for the words) um ... Charlie Choppers chucking a handful ...

Wingco: No, no ... sorry.

Bovril: Say it a bit slower, old chap.

Pilot: Slower banter, sir?

Wingco: Ra-ther!

Pilot: Um ... sausage squad up the blue end!

Squadron Leader: No, still don't get it.

Pilot: Um ... cabbage crates coming over the briny?

Squadron Leader: No.

Wingco, Pilot and Bovril: No, no ...

But by then it was too late. The first cabbage crates hit London by July 7th. That was just the beginning...