@ Chino, CA
May 2018
It is always great to see Thunderbolts take to the air, so it was a treat to see one at the 2018 Planes of Fame airshow. Although this P-47G wears the paint scheme and markings of 56th Fighter Group ace Walker M. “Bud” Mahurin, in reality this aircraft spent its wartime years in fighter training roles here in the States. The G-model Thunderbolts were Curtiss-built aircraft. To meet wartime production needs for the P-47D Thunderbolt, Republic licensed the Curtiss-Wright Company to produce the airplane under the P-47G designation. Curtiss-Wright would produce 354 P-47G Thunderbolts which were identical to the Republic-built “Razorback” P-47D. This example was acquired by Ed Maloney in 1952 for his envisioned museum collection. First flown in 1941, more than 15,600 Thunderbolts were produced, serving in active duty until 1953.
