A question concerning P-47 main stencils

[Fernando Estanislau]

A friend posted it in another forum, but since the matter is (at least for me too) interesting, I publish here the question:

"All of you guys who ran the eyes on a P-47 fuselage found this kind of inscription:

PROJECT NO. 92140
U.S. ARMY MODEL P-47D-5-RE
A.F.F. SERIAL NO. 42-8476

CREW WEIGHT 230 LBS.
SERVICE THIS PLANE WITH
100 OCTANE FUEL ONLY
SUITABLE FOR AROMATICS

I was here browsing some walkarounds and photos and realized that depending on the MODEL of the P-47, the PROJECT NO. changes.

Can someone tell me why?

Also, is there a list somewhere telling me which PROJECT NO. is for each MODEL ?

For example, PROJECT NO. 92708R was for P47D-27-RE etc...

Many many thanks in advance"


So, any help from here? Thanks too.

[K5DH]

This is just a guess, but could that be the contract number?

[JohnTerrell]

The 'Project Numbers' are not specific to a particular aircraft, rather they are a number that was assigned to a batch of aircraft (or equipment in general) that were sent to a particular place of service where requested - think of it as a shipping number. Each number signified the location the batch of aircraft (equipment) was to be delivered to and the route it would take (this same number would be seen stenciled on the crates which contained the aircraft). The number would differ based on Theatre, route, and other changes. Aircraft sent as replacement batches would have an 'R' at the end of the project number.

[greatgonzo]

Project number would be (and usually is) added to specific ARC card. Available in some institutions like Smithsonian e.g.

[Fernando Estanislau]

Thanks for the answers, guys.

Best regards.