The P-47 is considered the most rugged of all
the World War II fighters. It
is powered by the 18 cylinder radial
Pratt&Whitney R-2800 engine.
Not only did this engine produce
2000 horsepower, but it also could
take incredible punishment and
continue to run. P-47 pilots
were known to return to base having
taken a 20 mm cannon shell in the
engine. Upon inspection and
finding an entire cylinder blown
off, the pilot would acknowledge,
"Yeah, it was running a little
rough." Imagine that. A
little rough with a 6 inch hole in
the engine. That is rugged.
Similar to most other fighters of
the day, the P-47 was armed with
eight
0.50 caliber machine guns, four in
each wing. This offered
tremendous firepower in air-to-air
and ground attack operations.
The P-47 was also a capable bomber,
carrying up to 2500 lbs of bombs.
Today, the P-47 is among the most
rare and sought after warbirds.
It is a big, burly airplane with
tremendous presence both on the
ground and in flight. If you
hear one fly, you will notice it is
surprisingly quiet. That is
because the exhaust from the engine
is ducted to a turbocharger that is
in the aft section of the fuselage
behind and beneath the cockpit.
This ducting and routing of the
exhaust from the engine acts as a
muffler. Compared to the P-51,
you hear more propeller and wing
noise than engine noise as the P-47
flies by. It is a beautiful
and unique sound.
When we "hangar fly," (standing
around talking about flying), the
discussion almost always comes
around to this: if you hit the
lottery, which airplane would you
rather own, the P-51 or the P-47.
I don't play the lottery, but you're
looking at my choice right here.
|
Republic P-47
Specifications: |
|
Nickname: "Thunderbolt,"
"Jug" |
|
Engine: Pratt&Whitney R-2800
Radial, 18 Cylinder, 2000 hp |
|
Wing Span: 40 ft, 9 in.
Length: 36 ft, 2 in. Height:
14 ft, 8 in. |
|
Weight: Empty: 9900 lbs.
Max. Take-Off: 17,000 lbs. |
|
Maximum Speed: 426 mph |
|
Service Ceiling: 40,000 ft. |
|
Range: 800 miles |
|
Crew: One |
|
Number Built: 15,600+ |
|
Flying Today: Approximately
12 |
