@ Santa Rosa, CA
December 2019
The Pacific Coast Air Museum’s F-105 seen on outdoor display. When it entered service, the Thunderchief was the largest single-seat, single-engine combat aircraft in history, with a gross weight of over 50,000 pounds. The Mach 2 capable F-105 conducted the majority of strike bombing missions during the early years of the Vietnam War and was the only U.S. aircraft to have been removed from combat due to high loss rates. First flown in 1955, the Thunderchief was in service from 1958-1984 and was commonly known as the “Thud” by its crews (named after the sound the airplane made when it hit the ground). 143 of these two-seat trainer versions were produced, many being converted to F-105G Wild Weasels. Fuji X-E2s w/18-135mm.