Ground Attack at Planes of Fame Air Museum

Planes of Fame Air Museum (Chino, CA) presents its monthly Living History Event. The topic for the June 7 event is ‘Ground Attack’, featuring the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt. A speaker panel of distinguished aviation experts, historians and veterans is featured, followed by a question & answer period and flight demonstration when possible. The P-47 will be on display and perform a flight demonstration. At 12:00 noon, the Membership Sponsored raffle flight will occur in the featured aircraft if possible. Become a member to enter the raffle. All members are eligible to enter the raffle, but you must be present to win.

The P-47 Thunderbolt was, quite literally, designed around its powerplant. Unofficially known as the “Jug”, it had a Pratt & Whitney R-2800 engine up front, with a turbosupercharger located in the lower fuselage behind the wing. The engine produced so much power that the P-47 became the first U.S. fighter to incorporate a four-bladed propeller. A grand total of 15,660 P-47 Thunderbolts produced for the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. Later versions could carry more fuel and were fitted with drop tanks; these aircraft were used as escort fighters in both Europe and the Pacific.