Dude...you need to get yerself to Duxford for the Flying Legends !!!
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Is it me, or do certain planes just look more bad-ass on the ramp? The Fw 190 and P-47 both fall in that catagory for me. Both just look mean as heck on the ground. Some planes look fragile with the gear down; the Bf 109, the Spitfire, Zeros, and Hellcat all seem to lose "something" when the gear is down. Bucket list: to see and hear in person a Messerschmitt 109 and Focke Wulf 190 (radial engine) fly !
Yanks All American Air Museum restored the YP-47M that was surplussed post WWII and entered in two Bendix cross country races by Bill Odom and sponsored by Milton Reynolds, 1947 and 1948 I think. It did not compete in either event due to mechanical problems.
The airplane was restored to airworthiness, but was never flown before being put on display. It has a CW assymetrical paddle blade prop on it, however the pics I have of it post war show a paddle blade Ham Standard. In any case it's a beautiful machine. It is in the company of Yanks P-47D, and at the same airfield is a P-47G operated by the Planes of Fame Museum, Chino California.
Chris...
Going off memory here but depending on which production run ur looking at the "D's" came in both razorback and bubble canopy styles.....the "M's" only came in bubble canopy styles. Now at some point because they lost keel surface when they went from razorback to bubble canopy they added a dorsal fin to later "D" models and all others that came after to compensate. There is not much difference visually from "D" to "M" variants however the "M's" had a tweaked out R-2800 and larger supercharger which kicked the top speed up into the low 470's. Rate of climb of course was also greatly increased. If you see a 47 painted in blue and grey camo its most likely an "M" variant.
The early bubble top D's had no tail extension. Once the stability problem was recognized they added an extension on the later D bubbletop tails. For the M and N the extension was much larger (a fillet is what I believed they called it). The N model was further denoted by the squared off tips of the fuel tank equipped wing.
According to Wikipedia the following bolt's in the US are in flying condition:
United States
Airworthy
* P-47D Thunderbolt, s/n 42-8205 owned by the Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington.[19]
* P-47G Thunderbolt, s/n 42-25234 owned by the Planes of Fame in Chino, California.[20]
* P-47D Thunderbolt, s/n 42-27385 owned by the Yanks Air Museum in Chino, California.[21]
* P-47D Thunderbolt, s/n 44-32817 owned by Lewis Vintage Collection LCC in San Antonio, Texas.[22]
* P-47D Thunderbolt, s/n 44-90368 owned by the Lone Star Flight Museum in Galveston, Texas.[23]
* P-47D Thunderbolt, s/n 44-90438 owned by Aviation Management Resources in Wilmington, Delaware.[24]
* P-47N Thunderbolt, s/n 44-90447 owned by PT-17 Inc. in Dover, Delaware.[25]
* P-47D Thunderbolt, s/n 44-90460 owned by Neal Melton of Luttrell, Tennessee.[26]
* P-47D Thunderbolt, s/n 44-90471 owned by Tillamook Air Museum in Tillamook, Oregon.[27]
* P-47D Thunderbolt, s/n 45-49181 owned by Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum in Kalamazoo, Michigan.[28]
* P-47D Thunderbolt, s/n 45-49192 owned by Claire Aviation Inc in Wilmington, Delaware.[29]
* P-47D Thunderbolt, s/n 45-49205 owned by Palm Springs Air Museum in Palm Springs, California.[30]
* P-47D Thunderbolt, s/n 45-49346 owned by the Yanks Air Museum in Chino, California.[31]
* P-47D Thunderbolt, s/n 45-49385 owned by Alan Wojciak in Colorado Springs, Colorado.[32]
* P-47D Thunderbolt, s/n 45-49406 owned by Vulcan Warbirds Inc. of Seattle, Washington.[33]
* P-47N Thunderbolt, s/n 45-53436 owned by the Commemorative Air Force in Midland, Texas. It is based at the Cavanaugh Flight Museum in Addison, Texas.[34]
Remember that Wikipedia info is contributed by its readers. This list may have been copied from another website and is now out of date. If you know of a different T-bolt that is flying you can update the article and add that plane to it.
Going off memory here but depending on which production run ur looking at the "D's" came in both razorback and bubble canopy styles.....the "M's" only came in bubble canopy styles. Now at some point because they lost keel surface when they went from razorback to bubble canopy they added a dorsal fin to later "D" models and all others that came after to compensate. There is not much difference visually from "D" to "M" variants however the "M's" had a tweaked out R-2800 and larger supercharger which kicked the top speed up into the low 470's. Rate of climb of course was also greatly increased. If you see a 47 painted in blue and grey camo its most likely an "M" variant.
The best way to tell is the P/W R-2800 "sprint" engine that was used on the M and N's had a split cover on the gearcase. Look for a ring of bolts.
According to Wikipedia the following bolt's in the US are in flying condition:
United States
Airworthy
* P-47D Thunderbolt, s/n 45-49205 owned by Palm Springs Air Museum in Palm Springs, California.[30]
I volunteered at Bob Pond's "Planes of Fame" museum at Flying Cloud Airport in Minnesota for the last two years of its operation before it was closed and all assets moved to Palm Springs in Dec of 1997. (I can't BELIEVE it's been that long already!!)
I was part of the "Friday Crew." One of our assigned tasks was to hand prop this aircraft every second Friday after we'd closed for the night.
I really miss that place.
I bet you do i would love the opportunity to work around or volunteer helping with old warbirds especially p-47's!