GrauGeist
Generalfeldmarschall zur Luftschiff Abteilung
The F-105 was known as the "Thud"
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I wonder if some of these nicknames were marketing or aspirations of the manufacturer. For instance, Douglas called their A-1 the Skyraider, but the pilots and crew called it the Spad. Fairchild Republic called their A-10 the Thunderbolt, but to its users it was the Warthog or Hog. Republic's marketing folks may have wanted their F-105 Thunderchief to be referred to as the Thud, but the end user is the boss, so Lead Sled and other names were also common.The F-105 was known as the "Thud"
Tiffy, Stringbag, WimpyI wonder if some of these nicknames were marketing or aspirations of the manufacturer. For instance, Douglas called their A-1 the Skyraider, but the pilots and crew called it the Spad. Fairchild Republic called their A-10 the Thunderbolt, but to its users it was the Warthog or Hog. Republic's marketing folks may have wanted their F-105 Thunderchief to be referred to as the Thud, but the end user is the boss, so Lead Sled and other names were also common.
Interestingly, I can't find any instances of the British having nicknames, rather than abbreviations of their fighters. Spitfire was at best abbreviated to Spit, but Tempest was a tempest.
I think it's an American thing to come up with nicknames and humanize our equipment. It's probably why American aircraft are so popular.
Don't we all think about Jugs every now and again? I love looking at pictures of Jugs. At aviation festivals, who doesn't look forward to seeing Jugs proudly displayed?
Here in Canada we have a convenience store chain thusly named.I don't think this is an American trait, but rather, it's a human trait. Pilots name their planes, people name their cars ... Hell, my Grandma named her .25 semi-auto "John Henry." People have a way of anthropomorphizing things, and naming is part of it.
Add to the list:Tiffy, Stringbag, Wimpy
I was only trying to set up a "low brow" joke.
Most British names for WW2 aircraft seem be be ambreviations of the original name, rather than Thunderbolt becoming Jug and Hog, Skyraider becoming Spad. There is the Stringbag for Swordfish.Add to the list:
Mossie, TseTse, Spit, Lanc, Hali, Chippie, Meatbox...
Albacore was called the Applecore, but that, like Stringbag is meant to be humorously disparaging rather than a reference to capability or performance, such as Hog, Jug or Thud.I know Spitfires were named Spits and Hurricanes named Hurris, but surely no one called a Gladiator a Gladys?
Makes me proud of our Neighbour to the North!
Edited to correct spelling of neighbor.
Most British names for WW2 aircraft seem be be ambreviations of the original name, rather than Thunderbolt becoming Jug and Hog, Skyraider becoming Spad. There is the Stringbag for Swordfish.
The F-105 was known as the "Thud"
I wonder if some of these nicknames were marketing or aspirations of the manufacturer.
....
Republic's marketing folks may have wanted their F-105 Thunderchief to be referred to as the Thud, but the end user is the boss, so Lead Sled and other names were also common.
I think "Thud" was also a less-than-flattering field appellation rather than a company nickname.
Albacore was called the Applecore, but that, like Stringbag is meant to be humorously disparaging rather than a reference to capability or performance, such as Hog, Jug or Thud.
Nobody knows for sure where the nickname comes from. Some claim it can be traced back to the Howdy Doody character Chief Thunderthud, but that's unlikely. The generally accepted explanation is that it's the sound the airplane made when it hit the ground, as it too often did.
There's a myth that the Thud "would always get you home," and every pilot who made it back to base with a shot-up F-105 put another notch in that reputation. The airplane's sheer bulk and presumed strength made it seem obvious that the Thud was a survivor. The Air Force, however, did a study and found that in fact few badly damaged 105s successfully returned to base.
"The curse of the Thud was that she would go like a dingbat on the deck and she would haul a huge load," wrote Colonel Jack Broughton in Thud Ridge, "but she was prone to loss of control when the hydraulic system took even the smallest of hits." The stabilator would instantly move to a full nose-down position when hydraulic pressure was lost, and at low altitudes that was often unsurvivable.
It could have been worse. The airplane's original moniker was Ultra Hog. (The runway-eating Republic F-84 was the Hog, and the sweptwing F-84F became the Super Hog.) Some pilots called their F-105s Nickels, for the five designator. None called them Thunderchiefs.