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Republic really did a great job designing and producing the Thunderbolt. It had a powerful double rugged engine that could and did keep running with cylinders blown off. It was armed with eight .50 caliber machine guns were capable of unzipping anything flying and most anything crawling along roads, etc. It was supremely well armored making it more than a match for whatever Axis plane might want to go round and round. Sincerely. bruce.
A flying Tank in other words.
Great book. I think he made the point it was more survivable.Quote:
Originally Posted by jjrothWA
"It was more survivable." Yep! Survival has a lot going for it! Sincerely. bruce.
A friend/neighbor was a P47 Piolet, he became a Braniff piolet; he worked his way up to the 707, other piolets wanted to stay with the Super G Constellation. They claimed the Super G would get off the runway as fast as the 707. It was about that time an argument started and money exchanged hands and then someone had to step up and take off. There was no room to stand inside the Love passenger building because of the interest. The pilot backed up, released the brakes and took off, it was a most impressive take off, he won the bet and got suspended. He told me about a P47 that was being ferried when it almost lost a xxxx he said they wrapped one bank of cylinders with a chain and binder, seemed it was the pilot's choice, it was the end of the planes military career or fly it to a military base to be repaired.
And then Braniff shut down and the piolets found work anywhere they could. My friend went to the middle east, he had trouble getting along with them and then he got a job teaching John Travolta to fly, I was happy for both of them. He found a Lincon, early 60 4 door convertible, he wanted it rebuilt and I said "great, I will be able to use my 19/32 1/2" drive socket". He purchased a small ranch east of Bowie, Tx, he named it "The flying Lowe Ranch" his name was J. Lowe.
There was a man named Kerby that was assigned a P47, the problem was he was not given an opportunity to get close to combat so he rustled up some drop tanks to give him range. And another problem, he was in the Pacific. In short order he became an outstanding pilot. He said his success was based on the speed of the P47. He said he did not engage a Japanese plane unless he was diving on it and passing it at the same time.
F. Guffey
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnX_mQ9apu8
Cavalry charging in.
IIRC even with a drop tank the Thunderbolt lacked the range to accompany the bombers into Germany and back.