CAF Airbase Georgia Updates P-47 Thunderbolt Restoration Project

The CAF Airbase Georgia, located in Peachtree City, GA, has recently shared a recap of their P-47 Thunderbolt (S/N 44-89136) restoration project. Vintage Aviation News has covered this restoration from the very beginning—click HERE to read our articles. This latest update provides insight from the unit’s perspective and highlights the fundraising and volunteer efforts that have driven progress on one of the CAF’s most ambitious restoration projects. To support this restoration with a donation, click HERE. 

Since the rare P-47N was assigned to Airbase Georgia in 2022, the unit has undertaken a complex and painstaking restoration process aimed at returning the aircraft to airworthy condition. Volunteers immediately began cataloging thousands of components, repairing wing damage, and fabricating specialized fittings in the base’s machine shop. Collaborating with experts at AirCorps Aviation, the team has completed critical restoration milestones, including the replacement of belly skins, cowlings, and cowl flaps. Support from donors, alongside the Ray Foundation, has enabled the restoration of the engine mount, rare N-model brakes, ailerons, rims, and new leading edges. Each completed task brings the Thunderbolt closer to rejoining the skies and ensures that the restoration maintains historical fidelity.

CAF historian Brad Pilgrim has recently unearthed additional historical artifacts related to Airbase Georgia’s P-47 Thunderbolt. Among them is a photograph of the aircraft shortly after its arrival from Nicaragua, ferried by Bill Disney to Brownsville. Another remarkable find is the original bill of sale documenting Lloyd Nolen’s purchase of the aircraft for $6,000 in 1963—a sum equivalent to roughly $63,525 today, and still considered an incredible bargain for such a rare warbird.

“The effort required for a project of this scale is immense,” said Joel Perkins, Wing Leader of Airbase Georgia. “Every rivet and panel reflects not only technical skill but also the dedication of volunteers committed to preserving aviation history.” With over 15,000 Thunderbolts originally produced, fewer than 15 remain airworthy in the United States. The CAF’s P-47N, one of the original acquisitions of CAF founder Lloyd Nolen, will eventually join this elite group. Once completed, the aircraft may feature the livery of Lil’ Meaties Meat Chopper, honoring Lt. Oscar Francis Perdomo, the last American “Ace in a Day” of World War II.

The restoration effort has been fueled by nearly $350,000 in donations over three years, enabling milestones that bring the project closer to completion. Airbase Georgia emphasizes that the aircraft’s return to flight will allow future generations to experience the P-47N firsthand—hearing its iconic engine, seeing it in the sky, and feeling its presence as a living piece of history.

Updates on the restoration can be followed on Airbase Georgia’s Facebook page, with video content available showcasing the project’s progress since it began. The CAF notes that this project is more than a mechanical endeavor; it is a tribute to the Greatest Generation and a way to educate the public and inspire future aviators through the faithful restoration of one of World War II’s most iconic aircraft. To support this restoration with a donation, click HERE.