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NEIL MELTON'S P-47D "HUN HUNTER"

Thunderbolt was the official name of this heavyweight fighter plane and fighter-bomber from Republic. But the pilots lovingly called it "Jug" (from "juggernaut"), in an allusion to the size and huge bulk of the aircraft. And finally, the earliest versions were also known as "razorback" because of the distinctive shape of their canopies.

This plane of many names was designed by Alexander Kartveli as a successor to the Seversky P-35 and the P-43 Lancer, and originally it was conceived as a lightweight interceptor. The maiden flight of the Thunderbolt took place on 6 May 1941 under the designation of XP-47B, but as the initial combat experiences were reported back from the European theatre of war, the aircraft underwent numerous modifications.

The cantilever low-wing aircraft was manufactured entirely out of metal apart from a few fabric-covered flaps, and had a retractable tailwheel and powerful armaments in the form of eight Browning 12.7mm machine guns and up to 1,134kg of external stores such as bombs, napalm dispensers and un-guided rockets.

From the P-47D-27 onwards, the Thunderbolt's metal-framed canopy was replaced by a bubble cockpit which gave the pilot an excellent all-round view. The cockpit was regarded as unusually spacious, so that British fighter pilots joked that one could escape enemy fire by running away.

The strength of the Thunderbolt stemmed from its 18-cylinder radial engine, around which in the truest sense of the word Kartveli had designed the aircraft. However, this powerplant did make the fighter somewhat heavy, and as a result a mighty, wide-diameter propeller was needed. This in turn made it necessary to develop an ingenious folding system for the high undercarriage. Moreover, the first P-74B's delivered from March 1942 encountered considerable problems in air combat with the smaller and more agile German fighters, which they were only able to elude thanks to their excellent nose-diving characteristics. Again, their range was initially unacceptable to serve as escorts to the Allied bomber formations. On the other hand, the Thunderbolt was extremely rugged and dependable and could take enemy fire like no other aircraft of the Second World War - for every Thunderbolt lost an average of 4.6 hostile aircraft were shot down, an unparalleled record.

But soon the defects were fixed and the performance capability of the "Jug" steadily improved. Altogether in the course of the war, 15,683 of the fighter-bombers were built, in 13 different versions, making the P-47 the American military aircraft with the highest ever production rate.

At the end of the war Thunderbolt production ceased, although the aircraft continued to give reliable service with the US Air National Guard up to 1954, and with 15 other air forces including the Brazilian Air Force, in some cases into the 1960s.

In fact this proved lucky for Neil Melton when in 1994 he began the task of hunting down a Thunderbolt. Today, at the age of 40, Melton boasts a fleet of 15 aircraft including even Russian jets, all of which are still flightworthy. A natural flair for business matters has enabled him to devote his entire time to his beloved planes, and somewhere along with this he harboured the dream of possessing his own P-47.

Unfortunately, the US government had scrapped nearly all the Thunderbolts in the 1950s and the only remaining examples were in South America. In fact Melton found a plane, a P-47D dating from 1944, which had seen active service in the war. In 1987 it was returned to the USA, where it led a shadowy existence until Melton purchased it in 1996 and handed it over to the West Pac company in California to be restored.

There the aircraft was taken apart down to the last screw and then completely rebuilt. A lot of parts had to be remanufactured because they were no longer available on the market. The engine was constructed out of single-engined, as new spare parts dating from World War II, and even the eight machine guns together with ammunition belts and munitions came from originals dating from the 1940s. Only the Curtiss electric airscrew had to be replaced by a Hamilton Standard propeller, while a GPS receiver has been fitted for all eventualities.

Three years' hard work and a vast sum of money were needed before Neil Melton's Thunderbolt could taxi down to the runway in the same colours as it had done in 1944, when it had been piloted by Lt. Col. Gilbert O. Wymond of the 65th Fighter Squadron of 57th Fighter Group of the US Army Air Force. Before that, however, Melton completed 60 flying hours in a T-6 Texan trainer, to prepare himself for a high-performance tail-wheel aircraft. On top of that he underwent five hours flying a Mustang in Florida plus a check-out flight in his own T-28 with an examiner representing the FAA. Only then was the experienced pilot, who had originally obtained his pilot's licence with the pilot legend Evelin Johnson, allowed to take to the air in his Thunderbolt.

Finally, on 3 September 1999, all the preparations were behind him and the moment of truth had finally arrived. The engine let out a roar, and at 110km/h (60kt) taxiing speed the plane took off, tail first. Although the view to the front was not very good due to the hefty engine cowling, nevertheless the aircraft rolled straight down the runway in a stable fashion. At 220km/h (119kt) a brief pull back on the throttle was sufficient to get the Thunderbolt airborne.

Climb and level flight passed without any problems, even if fuel consumption was not exactly economical. But that had not mattered in the war, and anyone who today wishes to savour the pleasure of flying in a veteran aircraft must be prepared for this downside as well. When coming in to land, if possible one should avoid flying any turns below the 250km/h (135kt) mark, otherwise the heavy aircraft drops suddenly "like a washing machine in free fall".

But all in all the Thunderbolt is quite good-natured, and after three hours at the controls an experienced pilot has it under control. It is true that the control pressures are significantly greater than in other aircraft of this class, but if one observes all the limits, then flying the "Jug" is a real pleasure.

Neil Melton's next project is to build his own aircraft museum on his home airfield in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The first two hangars are already standing. The museum should open later this year. In the meantime the enthusiast is looking around for a Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, while an F-4U Corsair and a B-25 Mitchell are also on his wish list.

From page 6 of FLUG REVUE 3/2001