Warbird Information Exchange

HUGE NEWS! About 10,000 pounds worth in fact!

The Commemorative Air Force has assigned its P-47 Thunderbolt restoration project to us here at CAF Airbase Georgia!

Weighing 10,000 pounds empty, the Thunderbolt was the largest single-engined fighter built during WWII. Though 15,636 Thunderbolts were built by Republic, only four remain flying today.

While the aircraft coming to Airbase Georgia did not see fighting during the War, it was used effectively in Nicaragua and Guatemala in the 1950s and was the last of its type to record an aerial victory, during a dispute between Nicaragua and Costa Rica in 1955.

The CAF acquired the aircraft and brought it to the United States as part of its early fleet building prior to 1970. It was heavily damaged when it caught fire during takeoff about 10 years ago, severely burning part of the fuselage and the right wing. The P-47 had been undergoing preliminary renovation at the CAF SoCal Wing in California. The rebuilt sections and parts will be shipped to Airbase Georgia to complete the restoration over the coming few years.