The CAF Airbase Georgia has released a new video update highlighting continued progress on the restoration of its Republic P-47N Thunderbolt, serial number 44-89136. The latest report follows the Airbase’s spring restoration update, which detailed work on the aircraft’s hydraulic, electrical, canopy, and oil-cooling systems. Since then, volunteers have continued installing the oil tank, hydraulic components, landing gear hardware, wiring, and other equipment throughout the aircraft. Extensive sheet-metal repairs are also underway, particularly around the wings, leading edges, gun bays, and closeout panels. To support this restoration, click HERE.
Much of this work involves manufacturing replacements for original parts that are missing or too badly damaged to be returned to service. One example is a curved fitting used to secure a gun bay door to the wing. The original component was cracked in several places and could not be reused. Volunteers created forming blocks and used them to produce a replacement that matches the part’s complex shape, which includes both flat and curved surfaces. The Airbase’s sheet-metal team includes retired Delta Air Lines personnel who volunteer on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Their current work includes fabricating wing closeout panels whose compound curves become progressively narrower toward the wingtip.
(Image credit: Philip Beegle)
(Image credit: Tom Walsh)
One gun bay is also being restored to an authentic configuration. When completed, it will allow visitors to see four of the eight .50-caliber machine guns carried by the P-47. The display is intended to help illustrate the Thunderbolt’s formidable armament when the aircraft appears at airshows or is exhibited inside the Airbase Georgia hangar. Another important milestone involves the main landing gear. Both assemblies have been completed and pressure-tested, including operational cycling. The P-47’s unusually long landing gear incorporates a mechanism that shortens the strut as it retracts, allowing the assembly to rotate and fit inside the wing’s wheel well. Volunteers are also recreating the aircraft’s missing hydraulic reservoir from scratch. Forming tools and dies were manufactured to reproduce the tank, which will eventually receive the correct fittings and associated hardware before installation.
Machinist John Flynn is leading work on components for the missing rudder bar and pedal assembly. Using original Republic Aviation drawings available through the AirCorps Library, Flynn is machining the mounts and other parts required to reconstruct the system. “These are the mounts,” Flynn explained in the video. “There’s a rod that goes between them that holds the rudder pedal assembly.” The components were initially roughed out before undergoing additional work on a milling machine. At the time of filming, the team estimated that completing the rudder bar assembly would require approximately another month.
(Image credit: Philip Beegle)
Hydraulic uplocks, landing gear stops, and additional lines and fittings are also being installed. Together, these smaller components are gradually returning the interior of the Thunderbolt to a complete and recognizable configuration.
Progress continues on the aircraft’s electrically operated canopy as well. The system has been rewired and tested, including its motor and associated components. The wiring bundles have been tied in the same manner used during WWII, reflecting the team’s commitment to historical accuracy. The restoration crew hopes to install the canopy and demonstrate it operating under its own power in the coming months.
The motor for the intercooler doors and additional equipment are similarly being returned to the lower fuselage. Meanwhile, the aircraft’s large oil tank has been installed as work continues on the surrounding hydraulic systems. Although donor contributions provide the materials and specialized services needed to advance the project, Airbase Georgia emphasized that its volunteers remain the driving force behind the restoration. Among them is sheet-metal specialist Dennis, who has worked on the Thunderbolt for approximately three years.
(Image credit: Philip Beegle)
“I’m passionate about this project because it is a piece of history, and it needs to be flying again,” Dennis said. “It’s been my baby. I look forward to coming out here every day and working on it.” CAF Airbase Georgia is open to visitors on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, providing the public with an opportunity to see the Thunderbolt and follow its restoration firsthand. For more information or to support the project, visit CAF Airbase Georgia. To support this restoration, click HERE.
