TWO P-47 THUNDERBOLTS: All Flight Action !

[BlindBusDrivr]

The Jug was the most badass fighter of the war

[RFKFANTS67]

2 VERY NICE "JUGS!"

[canon21100]

power

[trainguy3]

that plane is so ugly that i t is truly amazingly beautiful

[brettt777]

I could be mistaken but I believe a number of the D models were modified with the bubble top canopy and then everything after that was built with a bubble top, sometimes called "superbolts". So the second plane may well be a "D" but I don't think the first one is a "G".

[octane130]

@brettt777 : I get a lot of comments about this, but the "razorback" P-47 in my video is definitely a "G" model, built by Curtiss. It is owned by the Planes of Fame Museum at Chino Airport, Califorinia. There is only one other of these rare models in existence and it is at Duxford, England. It is currently being restored and will very soon be back in the air!

[Toddinfantry]

@brettt777 The bubble canopy started with the 47D-block 25 (P-47D-25) and was continued after that. Early B and C models were adapted to the "Malcolm hood" in the field as needed.

[colindhowell]

@brettt777 The G model refers specifically to Thunderbolts built by Curtiss. They were actually equivalent to C and early D models; only the manufacturer was different.

[gratefulsoldier]

top stuff!

[yellowcub86]

I like the "Jug" just like my women big tough and beautiful :D

[SonOfRDGear]

@yellowcub86 And can take one hell of a beating

[eqkimble1890]

Nice Jugs ...

[carig121]

still amazed by the size of this plane (the pilot looks ridiculousely small inside it), always wondered why it was so big, specially regarding the size of its WWII brothers P51 and F4U

[DonMeaker]

@carig121 It was big for long range and heavy armament. A product development of the P-35 air racers. Also, when strafing convoys the pilot could feel more secure behind the radial engine which would stop german small arms.

[maunten66]

emocionante es ver volar en estos dias un avion de la II guerra mundial el p-47 con ese tremendo motor. hasta el sonido es fantastico. mis saludos.

[NoLongerFooled]

Sexiest single-engined warbird of WWII, bar none.

[1sum41]

is the checkerd nose one 78th FG? 

[fannybaba]

now then......

[mystinger72]

No Guts No Glory is a P-47N. The first one is probably and early D model, like a D-2RE or something.

[octane130]

@mystinger72 : Hi, I have had a lot of comments regarding the first P-47 shown in my video (the razorback). Believe me, this is a P-47G model built by Curtiss. I live only about 10 miles from where this aircraft is based at the Planes of Fame Museum in Chino, California. There is one more G model in existence and that plane is based in England at Duxford. It is nearing the completion of restoration and will soon fly (this comment is being made on August 9, 2010). Thanks and Cheers!

[octane130]

@mystinger72 : Regarding the checkerboard-painted, bubble-canopy Thunderbolt in my video. This is a P-47D model owned and operated by Westpac Restorations in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Regarding the P-47 "No Guts, No Glory," that aircraft is now operated out of the northeastern USA after spending years at Duxford, England. This is actually a composite aircraft with a P-47N fuselage and P-47D wings. No matter though, it is still ALL P-47! (featured in one of my other videos). Cheers!

[Shafeone]

@mystinger72 P47N had the cropped wings rather than the graceful oval tips. The N was long-rang for Pacific. NGNG looks like a D model or a G.

[iowa61]

@mystinger72 There are no N models in this video...

[Treetopflyer172]

@MrSteener1 My Uncle flew the P-40, P-51 and the P-47. He thought the Mustang was alright, but the P-47 was his favorite. Its been glossed over far too much in the movies, but the newer flight sims are starting to acknowlege the jug's role in the war.

[raptorman120]

One of largest of the Fighter/bomber WWII aircraft, and also the one i like the best.

[bigriver1313]

I've seen the P-47D with the invasion strips in person it's called No Guts No Glory and it's huge.

[riderpoet]

As a real world pilot, it's been interesting to "fly" many of the WWII Fighters in IL-2 Sturmovik. At least so far as that game simulates them, the P-47D is ideal for ground attack and for boom and zoom, but it is a pig in a turning fight. The P-40 is actually quite lethal below 15,000 feet in all kinds of air-to-air combat. But the Spitfire is the king of air-to-air, at least on the Allied side. The FW-190 seems to be a little TOO good in that sim, especially in terms of speed.

[Treetopflyer172]

@riderpoet The FW was a good aeroplane, but it had crappy high altitude performance. The early model FWs were mud movers most of the time with the 109s flying cover. Nevertheless the 190 was lethal when in its element. The P-47 has a strong rate of climb and can gain energy in a dive faster than anything. I would recommend staying out of the turns when engaging the more nimble fighters. Im still not sure if Il-2 gives it justice with all the horsepower it had.

[Aussiephil99]

@Treetopflyer172 ...you say the P-47 had a strong rate of climb...........from the bokos I've read.......(many)........the P-47 notoriosly "climbed like a brick"......comparted to say a Spit......yes but it did accelerate in a dive faster than anything due to it's weight. The original US Eagle Squadron members hated them when they eventually had to give up their Spitfires and transfer from the RAF to the USAAF..........but grew to love them in time.

[Vermiliontea]

@Aussiephil99 There was a dramatic shift in performance when the "paddle-blade" propeller started to be widely used at the beginning of '44. Before, the P-47 couldn't quite use its hp. Before the prop change, the P-47 was marginally inferior in maneuvering combat to Me 109 and Fw 190. After, it was marginally superior.

While some fool is frequently quoting Kurt Buhligen on Wikipedia, Kurt actually never faced the paddleblade P-47, nor the Mustang in combat.

[TomekKogutah]

RRRRRRRRRRRadial sound! I like that, 5/5

[MisterWillie060]

I really like the razorback. I've seen the checkered one before in Santa Fe. Both are sweet.

[mattskinner74]

Great flybys with crisp audio! 5*****

[Jonno2summit]

I'm enjoying reading all of these comments by a well-read group. I have read Johnson's, Gabreski's, and Zemke's books. I'm a big fan of the Wolfpack. They all loved that paddle blade prop! I have always wondered how the Hellcat would have done in the ETO. I think we all know, but it would be interesting to see just how it would have dominated there.

[cott10r]

simply awsome, thanks for the vid

[Shafeone]

The P47's original mission was that of high altitude fighter the turbo supercharger). The P51 was actually used in ground attack with the Allison engine (the Apache) until fitted with the Merlin. The Mustang had the range and performance for escort but was too fragile for ground atack so the rugged Jug with its shorter range was given that role after the P51's appearance. But pre-1944 it was Jugs primarily mixing it up with the Luftwaffe. 56th FG motto: "Cave Tonitrum" Beware The Thunderbolt!

[Shafeone]

And Yes. Both absolute works of art. I like them because they are, as you astutely point out, such different machines...different routes to the same performance goals. Both with strengths (P51: long range and manueverability / P47 durability with big air-cooled radial engine, firepower and dive) and weaknesses (P51: fragile liquid cooled engine made it vulnerable to one hit, tough to belly land with ventral scoop intake / P47: devoured fuel, poor turn radius, poor climb due to weight).

[Shafeone]

And remember...ask a Marine aviator what they think was the best fighter of WW2 and they'll toss the Corsair into the mix! A Luftwaffe vet might offer up the TA-152. Such beautiful machines all of them. Monuments to a golden age of fighter design.

[skyking61]

Shafeone, the T-Bolt's climb was only poor until 1944, when the paddle-blade props got added on - then it could hang with anyone in a climb. Robert Johnson (28 kills) outclimbed a Spit MkV with the new prop .

[Shafeone]

Yes! I forgot about that. Gabreski said it made a huge difference over the Hamltn standard. Good point. Sounds like you, too, are a fan of the "Jug".

[skyking61]

Yessir, I am.  Became one after Reading Bob Johnson's book. The Corsair remains my fave, but the P38 and P47 are tied for a VERY close second.

[groovy67]

Every plane has good n bad points.Mustangs got more recognition and kills due to longer range(not to mention a British-American co-op)and media.I heard a pilot on Discovery say the P-40 was more manuverable than a Mustang at low altitudes.Would like to see a Merlin in a P-40...hmmm.The P-47 did the grunt work and they're just plain tough!Check out a vid called A Fighter Pilots Story.Good documentary about a P-47 pilot.

[AlanMartinNala]

There was a Packard Merlin-powered P-40: the P-40F; the only P-40 version with a Merlin engine, which of course improved its performances at higher altitude, but I don´t know how much... And yes, the P-40 is more manouvrable than the Mustang at low-and-middle altitude; in fact, many pilots and experts consider the P-40 the most manouvrable American WWII fighter at these hights.

[skyking61]

AlanMartinNala - The P40, the most maneuverable US fighter?!?

Oh, please - no way that can be truthfully said when, according to JAPANESE pilots, the Hellcat could turn inside a Zero if flown just right. The F6F outmaneuvers a P40 any day of the week - twice on Sunday.

[AlanMartinNala]

It was an important group of knowing pilots who tested a number of WWII US fighters (one of which was the P-40) who agreed that the P-40 was -at least- one of the most manouvrable; so better believe them. I´m not saying this just because I´m a P-40 lover.

I just don´t believe that a huge and heavy "beast" like the Hellcat is more handling than a P-40; not to say a Zero. Everybody knows that no WWII fighter ever matched the handling of a Zero. (no more room left to set more proofs)

[skyking61]

Everybody except Saburo Sakai (64 kills) and Hiroyoshi Nishizawa (102-147 kills, depending on the source), BOTH of whom saw Hellcats outmaneuver Zeros.

I'll take their word over your belief, no offense.

Besides - low wing loading is everything to maneuverability, and there the F6F shines, with a loading of 37.7 lbs/sq.ft. as opposed to the 55.2 of the P-40E, and the 37.21 of the A6M5 Zero. The F6F had the biggest wing of ANY single-engine fighter in the war.

[AlanMartinNala]

Though the F6F is my 2nd fav warbird, I find it hard to believe that a fighter of its size and weight has such a low wing load (if it were 45 or 50, it´d be easier for me to believe it), the same way that 55 sounds TOO HIGH indeed for me for a P-40 (40 seems more realistic to me). Numbers aside, I heard many pilots praising the P-40 handling; some even compared it to a Pitts if compared even to a P-51 at low level; not me who said that!, like its diving performances; but not the Hellcat.

[skyking61]

You don't have to believe it - do the math on the F6F. Gross weight was roughly 12500 lbs with a wing area of 334 sq ft (biggest wing of any single-engine fighter in the war) - even the Spitfire didn't have THAT low a wing loading.

And BTW, what are your sources on the P-40's handling? Everything I've ever read says pilots would run to the P38, P47, or P51 from the P40 in the proverbial New York minute...

[dhart1977]

P-40 - (noun) ; pee-for-tee : A World War Two propeller "fighter" aircraft used by the Americans. Not to be confused with an actual fighter plane. See definition of miracle to see how it survived.

[GerbilEssences]

The p-40 was definately sluggish but it could turn quickly by account. Perhaps more than an Me109.

[komepollass]

@skyking61 it all depended on the "corner speed" of the aircraft, zero had low corner speed and excelled at low speed manouvers, p40 had high corner speed and was very manouverable at high speeds. Also the question of instantaneous turn rate depended on wing load and sustained turn rate depending also on power to weight ratio.then the matter of roll rate (to turn you first have to roll, and p39 was the best at this, also the p47, depended on wing load, span, ailerons and rigidity of the wing)

[Treetopflyer172]

@skyking61 Chanault told his pilots never to turn with a Zero. They mastered killing Zekes by using the Tomahawk's superior rate of climb, then diving on the zeros.

[whitewings92]

Hey groovy67, A merlin was fitted to a version of the P-40. It was a P-40F and one has just flown in Australia.

[jakey130486]

the p-51 mustang owned the skies over europe once they were brought into the fight. nothing could match them. hence why every time they have a top 10 fighters of all time on discovery it comes out on top. speed,climb,manouverability,an­d a stable gun platform. it had it all..... foke wulf haha....... but you ask any german panzer crew what they feared the most and the thunderbolt is right up there as far as ground attack aircraft go

[lander4545]

And it was powered by the Packard V-1650. An improved,updated variant of the Rolls Royce Merlin. The Brits don't like to hear this but it was true!

[Shafeone]

The top scoring ace (Gabreski) and top scoring fighter group (56th) flew the Jug. It was faster than the P51 -- anything -- in a dive. Had eight guns. Better snap roll than the P51 and could take MUCH more damage with its big air cooled radial than the Mustang. (one hit in the water line and the Mustang was toast...p47 had could lose whole cylinders and still get home). The P51 had the range...THAT is what made it so great. I'll take a Jug any day though if I want to get home alive!

[Bracketzz]

Nice sound! I like it

[Shafeone]

That would be the Pratt-WItney 18-cylinder double wasp R2800 engine...could generate over 2000hp used in the P47, F6f Hellcat, and F4U Corsair. Nothing like it. Sounds like a growling pit bull. Would scare the hell out of me to hear these guys bearing down on my six!

[yakovlev3a]

most ww2 fighters have their distinct hums but the sound of certain planes such as p-47 (and f4u) are very recognizable

[1bearcatf8f]

the real only good way to destroy a messerschmitt me-262 was to shoot while its landing

[1bearcatf8f]

he was the pilot and he told me he got escorded by 2 p-47s

[1bearcatf8f]

my great unlce flew a b-24 in ww2

[keithcruzer]

German fighters were outmatched by the mustang, lightning and thunderbolt and were dealt with accordingly

.

[lfcdave8]

biggest crap ive ever read

[keithcruzer]

German fighters were outmatched and dealt with accordingly

[swiftclaw1]

yea the p-47 was awesome! wat makes me upset is that it really isnt as famous as some of the other fighters that werent half as good

[mctim64]

Love the "Jug"!

[tomtheplumber]

My Dad flew thunderbolts and said the razor backs were faster and handled better. The bubble canopy causes turbulence in front of the tail.

[FASpitfire]

Man that razorback looks so much better then the bubble canopy.

[Biscuitchris7again]

Would you rather have to bob and weave and skid sideways every 30 seconds to see if you had any fighters sneak up on your tail while looking really nice....or just turn your head around while not looking as great?

Yeah, I'll take the bubble.

[FASpitfire]

I said the razorback looks better, not that it has a tactical advantage...

[Biscuitchris7again]

Yeah I know...but I'm just saying.

[devil952]

indeed really makes the machine that much meaner

[daydaysince1986]

ah, the "flying milk-jug" never looked so good!

[yakovlev3a]

1:05 - 1:12 pure amazing

[kirkconway]

a spit sound's better than a stang anyway much more throaty,

and alot more pretty in the air too,

"Good Show Old Chap,"

[r32adt3db]

Bahaha "tally-ho" then. :)

I agree the Spitfire was a gorgeous plane with an even more beautiful hum than a mustang, which is hard to believe.

Loving these ultra rare p47's.

[GerbilEssences]

Mustang has more of a screamy whine noise over the top of the merlin roar. Must have been a different supercharger or something?

[kirkconway]

what,,, you gonna tell me that a lightning has more firepower than a jug,

you can cut the wings off a 109 or a fock wulf with the jug,

a P-38 will do just half of that then it wont take near as much battle damage as the jug,

[kirkconway]

Yes but a radial dont give up and die when it gets shot at with a 50 cal slug like a rolls will when you hit the glycol tank and it siezes up couse of lack of coolant,

[cobrachoppergirl]

Give me a P-38 instead. Longer range, more fire power, faster, two engines to get you back home if one gets shot up. Wicked dangerous in a ground attack or escort role.

[Chuckjagermeister]

A plane with two powerful engines spaced wide apart like the P-38 or Grumman Tigercat make me nervous, personally. At full power (with the other engine failed) the running engine can flip you upside down before you know what happened. But generally they could outclimb single engined fighters of the day. At least initial climb rate at wheels up.

[GerbilEssences]

When you have the mass of two engines spaced that far apart it must require more force to roll the aircraft than with one centre of mass with a single engine fighter? I.e. the wings get more leverage when the centre of gravity is the point the plane it turning around.

[Cheiracanthium]

"The Jug" is my favorite plane.

[opnminded1]

This plane looks as if it were on steroids when compared to most of it's contemporaries.

[GerbilEssences]

It could take some incredible damage and still make it home. I think the top 10 P-47 aces survived the war (whereas the other fighters were not as safe).

Although you don't want to stall the engine. My Grandad saw one stall on takeoff during WW2 and it bit the dirt. Took his hat off as respect for the pilot who he knew must be dead, but the officer in charge told him off :(

[drumdude12]

my great uncle flew the p-47n model in ww2 out of sipan but he got shot down....he got hit by flak and had to bail out. his wing man circled him till he had to go back for fuel...they never found him

[noonedude101]

Sorry to hear that, and also sorry to say that unless that flak was almost right next to him and at his side the P-47 would not have gone down. Your great uncle faced an angry Japanese fascist with a crack shot... The N model was a great plane, in fact the P-47 flew 532,000 sorties or somewhere around there. Just to let you know, the loss rate for P-47's due to enemy fire was only 7/10'th of a percent. Your great uncle was probably honored to be able to fly it... He died doing his duty.....

[noonedude101]

none of the 47 series was built by Curtis... They were built by Republic

[silverbird58]

whirlepool at hwy41 evansville ,ind.

[ScrapyardApe]

Actually, Curtiss did build some. Republic could not keep up with USAAC demands and licensed Curtiss to build 350 P-47's. They were usually designated as "G" models and had a suffix of "CU" attached.(example: P-47G-1-CU)

[Auggie56]

I was at Chino in 97', and I think there was five Jugs there at the time.

[groovy67]

My favorite all time plane.Still haven't been able to see one in person living in Miami,Fla. but I'm workin on it!...lol.Sounds like a Harley on steroids....not enough superlatives to describe this plane!

[bertusblorrepap]

I love the sound..

[ThePhantomMajor]

... but, of course, doesn't compare to the music of the merlin.

[GabeV08]

This is my favorite plane from WW2

[devil952]

man did Kartveli get it right with the Jug

[octane130]

I use a Panasonic GS-400, but I have to manually set the shutter speed at 1/60th of a second when shooting propeller-driven aircraft, specifically to get the smooth propeller-arc effect. This is much slower than what your camera will shoot at when set on automatic shutter speed in comparable light conditions. This will work with any camcorder that allows manual shutter-speed settings.

[mmamajor]

Hey Octane130, what kind of video cam are you using for this video? At least your cam will show the propeller moving in real time. All the cams I try will almost stop the propeller in flight and I hate watching everything I shoot because of this effect.

[irishoforiel]

The real tankbuster of World War Two!Eight .50 caliber Browning M-2 machine guns,two 500 pound GP bombs and eight 5 inch rockets!All that and drop tanks (for extra fuel)!Plus they were one hell of a fighter in air to air combat.And that big radial engine a Pratt and Whitney R-2800 Twin Wasp Major of 2800 horsepower with a turbosupercharger also having water/methanol injection if needed for extra speed!Some later versions could almost reach 500 miles per hour to catch V-1's!

[frontline1966]

.....Emozione Unica!...

[kbrtiger22]

The Jug!  Man, it sounds powerful.

[JackFlemingFan]

Beautiful airplanes!!

[ryanspeed]

Cool video!

The P-47 was a brute of an airplane that could take a lickin' and keep on tickin'!

[tucker1012]

I went to this one with fmily, we loved it!!

[hainesy86]

The planes of fame razorback p47 is the only existing razorback p47 in the world...neat huh

[gio31brasil]

brazilian air force used p-47 to help allieds to kick german's asses!!

[TritonV82005]

The P-47D was the bubble canopy, not the razorback. My favorite of all warbirds was the razorback though.

[razgrizaceblaze259]

Amen, my brother. Amen. Nothing against the bubble canopy variants of the Thunderbolt, but the razorback variants just look better. That's why their my favorite variant of the mighty P-47 Thunderbolt.

[Workinbus]

Don't you have them labeled backwards?...The 1st jug, the Razorback, was the D model, was it not?? and the second, with the bubbletop, was the later G varient...correct??

[octane130]

Nope! Everything is labeled correctly. The G-model Razorback is a super-rare plane manufactured by Curtis. Thanks for looking at the video.

[askdslhsda]

There were also P-47D's which were razorbacks, and later variants with the same designation had bubble canopies. Look up P-47D-22 and P-47D-27.

[anglosax001]

@Workinbus P47D5 was the last of the razor backs if im not mistaken..also the razor back in this video is not an original razorback..it was originaly a bubble canopy ..later having the rear part of the fuselage built up to represent a razor back..i remember seeing this in an aviation magazine years ago..cheers

[100thbombgroup]

The P47. Say no more.

[Auggie56]

I never tire at the sight of a pair of Jugs !

[DRG1939]

HA HA HA...are we still talkin' airplanes!! I love it!

[squirrelkillr]

Oh man that is sooo sweet! Some times I wish I was around during WW2 just to fly those machines.

[alexsapienza]

i just think that the planes in wwII were so sleek and cool looking, even better looking than the planes of today. They were real machines that broke the ground of real avaition. I build models in my spare time, and i am currently working on building this model. The planes of world war II were truly a marvel.

[guitarjesus9]

i love the jug

[telebambam]

Beautiful sounds, both planes very different than one another.  Thanks for sharing!

[azhitman33]

JABO!

[blackburnbuccaneer94]

The first P47D-5 is from the 56th fighter group based at Halesworth , the second P47D-27 is from the 78th fighter group based at Duxford, both are eighth airforce planes.

[zempke]

p-47, most produced fighter in ww2, the US learned to fight in the p-47, the ONLY plane that could handle ground attack and expect to come home for dinner. I would take a 47 over anything else because. It took on the best in Europe and the pacific and came out smiling from both. A p-38 had 2 engines so the pilot could get home on the one running, the p-51 was nothing till an English motor went in it and then it was not much more (imho) than a gas tank with the endurance of a prius

[mmamajor]

Gromit801, go to the Planes of Fame website and you'll see that this P-47 is indeed a G model

[texasfathead]

No offense but the P-47 is a ugly airplane, I have never flown one but I have flown with them in formation.

[mitsudave]

You are, of course, entitled to your opinion, but I disagree...

[mrgower]

You must be looking at your wife not the P-47! I'm sure the Marines on Saipan or the GI's in Europe didn't think it was ugly. At speeds it's a beauty.

[texasfathead]

mrgower That's not nice I will tell her a she will kick your butt.:)

[Gromit801]

That razorback P-47 is an early model D. NOT a G.

[octane130]

The Planes of Fame P-47 is REALLY a genuine P-47G, built by Curtiss. The only other G-model that I know of was recently transported from the USA to the UK and should be back in the air in the near future.

[mmamajor]

Out of 15,660 P-47 Thunderbolts produced for the USAAF during WWII, perhaps the least known version were the Curtiss-built P-47Gs. New York-based Republic Aviation Company built a 2nd plant in Evansville, Indiana and licensed the Curtiss-Wright Company to produce the airplane under the P-47G designation. Between Dec. 1942 and March 1944 Curtiss-Wright produced 354 P-47G's which were identical to the Republic-built "razorback" P-47D models.

[bakontrack]

P-47G with a Razorback canopy? I don't know a lot about them, but I thought all models after the D were bubble canopies.

[petenkel]

Yes, my grandfather can testify to the toughness of these tanks. He flew P-47's in the ETO during WW2. He has told me many times that I am here because of that airplane.

[patriot91101rip]

id rather fly a P47 in combat over the p51 the p47 can take more hits and make it home

[razgrizaceblaze259]

I'd probably also prefer the P-47 over the P-51, but I'd easily fly the P-38 Lightning over any of them.

[Scooterjohnn]

The P47 was a much better ground attack plane with the lack of vulnerable cooling fluids and that beefy radial, but the P51 outmaneuvers it in a dogfight fairly easily.

I love 'em both.

[kiwisith]

what a pricless piece of art those are