Uploaded December 2024 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Fighter Aviation Engineering's Republic P-47D Thunderbolt, 'Nellie B',
G-THUN, with Stu Goldspink flying a display routine at The Shuttleworth Military Pageant 2019. The concluding landing was the first of a P-47 at the airfield.
This P-47 is operated by Air Leasing. It was built as a P-47D-40-RA in 1945 at Republic’s Evansville factory, Indiana, as serial No. 45-49192. It served with the United States Air Force (USAF) Air Training Command during the last few months of the War. It was later stored at Tinker AFB, Oklahoma with the Air Material Command.
It was restored to full operational status at Hensley Field, Texas in 1952, after the Rio Pact had been signed by the USA, and was assigned to the Military Assistance Program.
In 1953 it was part of a group of P47’s which went to the Peruvian Air Force, who paid one dollar for each of the 25 aircraft. This aircraft was allocated the Peruvian Air Force serial number 119. In the hands of the Peruvians it served until 1967, initially as a front line fighter and then as a fighter trainer, and having had an all over silver paint scheme applied. Six Thunderbolts, number 119 among them, were stored in the open at the Piura Air Base until 1969 when, after long and difficult negotiations, aviation historian and enthusiast Ed Jurist was able to recover them, with over 45 tons of spares, to the USA.
Each of the aircraft were given new FAA registrations, this machine being N47DD.
By February 1974 all six were airworthy and being operated by the CAF from Harlingen. N47DD wore colours of a 12th Air Force machine, from the 86th Fighter Group, 527th Fighter Squadron, which was based in Italy during the war.
In April 1975, Ed Jurist sold his aircraft holdings to David Tallichet. The deal included a Mosquito, a Mustang, a Spitfire and the six P47s. The aircraft were flown to Barstow-Dagget Airport, by Tallichet himself, where they were stored in the open for some time. The collection was effectively split up with the formation of Tallichet's 'Yesterdays Air Force' with wings of the organization set up around the country.
N47DD was delivered to the Kansas Wing of the YAF, at Forbes Field in Topeka, in February 1977. The silver paint applied by the CAF had worn and the Peruvian markings were showing through. The airframe was stripped to bare metal and the scheme and markings of Col David Schilling from the 56th FG, 62nd FS, were applied with the aircraft forming the star exhibit in the new YAF museum at Forbes field, which opened on July 2nd 1977. Two and a half years later, in January 1980, N47DD was sold by Tallichet to B-52 pilot, Robin Collard, in Texas.
After some preparation, N47DD left Kansas on the 8th February 1980 bound for Del Rio, Texas, although it made a stop-over in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that night. The following morning, the engine refused to develop sufficient power to take off normally and then failed completely, leaving the ferry pilot no option but to force land about half a mile from the end of the runway. Maintaining the Jugs safety record to the full, the pilot suffered only minor injuries. The Thunderbolt was badly damaged. Robin Collard intended to restore the aircraft to flying condition, although in June 1980 all the parts, including two fuselages and the complete project were sold to Jon Ward. Everything was shipped to Truckee-Tahoe airport in Nevada, where the massive rebuild job was started. Four years later, the project was sold on again, this time to Ward’s friend, Jim Kirby, who in turn parted with it, to The Fighter Collection at Duxford UK, in late 1984. A second project fuselage and parts of N47DD were also sold to the Imperial War Museum at Duxford, for completion of a second static P-47D airframe that's now located in the American Air Museum at Duxford.The main project aircraft was about 70% complete at this stage.
The aircraft was sent to Steve Hinton’s Fighter Rebuilders in Chino, California. With an overhauled P& W 2800 engine installed, in August 1985 the aircraft flew again for the first time since February 1980. It appeared as 'No Guts, No Glory', at the 1985 Gathering of Warbirds at Medera, CA, USA in the hands of Steve Hinton himself. It was shipped to the UK in October and arrived at The Fighter Collection, Duxford on 22nd of January 1986, where it was based until sold to Claire Aviation Inc and sent back to the USA on 01/3/2007.
In early 2018 the aircraft was sold to Fighter Aviation Engineering and returned to the UK. It now wears markings representative of 'Nellie B', the aircraft of Lt. Col. James K. Johnson, Commanding Officer of the 48th Fighter Wing, whilst the Wing were based in Belgium and Germany between October 1944 and June 1945. The aircraft was assigned to the 492nd Fighter Squadron (The Mad Hatters) - one of 3 Fighter Squadrons with the 48th Fighter Wing.
Edited with Da Vinci Resolve 19 & iMovie 10.
Copyright © StephenKeeler (HightFlight/SkyHighFlightTV) All Rights Reserved
Fighter Aviation Engineering's Republic P-47D Thunderbolt, 'Nellie B',
G-THUN, with Stu Goldspink flying a display routine at The Shuttleworth Military Pageant 2019. The concluding landing was the first of a P-47 at the airfield.
This P-47 is operated by Air Leasing. It was built as a P-47D-40-RA in 1945 at Republic’s Evansville factory, Indiana, as serial No. 45-49192. It served with the United States Air Force (USAF) Air Training Command during the last few months of the War. It was later stored at Tinker AFB, Oklahoma with the Air Material Command.
It was restored to full operational status at Hensley Field, Texas in 1952, after the Rio Pact had been signed by the USA, and was assigned to the Military Assistance Program.
In 1953 it was part of a group of P47’s which went to the Peruvian Air Force, who paid one dollar for each of the 25 aircraft. This aircraft was allocated the Peruvian Air Force serial number 119. In the hands of the Peruvians it served until 1967, initially as a front line fighter and then as a fighter trainer, and having had an all over silver paint scheme applied. Six Thunderbolts, number 119 among them, were stored in the open at the Piura Air Base until 1969 when, after long and difficult negotiations, aviation historian and enthusiast Ed Jurist was able to recover them, with over 45 tons of spares, to the USA.
Each of the aircraft were given new FAA registrations, this machine being N47DD.
By February 1974 all six were airworthy and being operated by the CAF from Harlingen. N47DD wore colours of a 12th Air Force machine, from the 86th Fighter Group, 527th Fighter Squadron, which was based in Italy during the war.
In April 1975, Ed Jurist sold his aircraft holdings to David Tallichet. The deal included a Mosquito, a Mustang, a Spitfire and the six P47s. The aircraft were flown to Barstow-Dagget Airport, by Tallichet himself, where they were stored in the open for some time. The collection was effectively split up with the formation of Tallichet's 'Yesterdays Air Force' with wings of the organization set up around the country.
N47DD was delivered to the Kansas Wing of the YAF, at Forbes Field in Topeka, in February 1977. The silver paint applied by the CAF had worn and the Peruvian markings were showing through. The airframe was stripped to bare metal and the scheme and markings of Col David Schilling from the 56th FG, 62nd FS, were applied with the aircraft forming the star exhibit in the new YAF museum at Forbes field, which opened on July 2nd 1977. Two and a half years later, in January 1980, N47DD was sold by Tallichet to B-52 pilot, Robin Collard, in Texas.
After some preparation, N47DD left Kansas on the 8th February 1980 bound for Del Rio, Texas, although it made a stop-over in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that night. The following morning, the engine refused to develop sufficient power to take off normally and then failed completely, leaving the ferry pilot no option but to force land about half a mile from the end of the runway. Maintaining the Jugs safety record to the full, the pilot suffered only minor injuries. The Thunderbolt was badly damaged. Robin Collard intended to restore the aircraft to flying condition, although in June 1980 all the parts, including two fuselages and the complete project were sold to Jon Ward. Everything was shipped to Truckee-Tahoe airport in Nevada, where the massive rebuild job was started. Four years later, the project was sold on again, this time to Ward’s friend, Jim Kirby, who in turn parted with it, to The Fighter Collection at Duxford UK, in late 1984. A second project fuselage and parts of N47DD were also sold to the Imperial War Museum at Duxford, for completion of a second static P-47D airframe that's now located in the American Air Museum at Duxford.The main project aircraft was about 70% complete at this stage.
The aircraft was sent to Steve Hinton’s Fighter Rebuilders in Chino, California. With an overhauled P& W 2800 engine installed, in August 1985 the aircraft flew again for the first time since February 1980. It appeared as 'No Guts, No Glory', at the 1985 Gathering of Warbirds at Medera, CA, USA in the hands of Steve Hinton himself. It was shipped to the UK in October and arrived at The Fighter Collection, Duxford on 22nd of January 1986, where it was based until sold to Claire Aviation Inc and sent back to the USA on 01/3/2007.
In early 2018 the aircraft was sold to Fighter Aviation Engineering and returned to the UK. It now wears markings representative of 'Nellie B', the aircraft of Lt. Col. James K. Johnson, Commanding Officer of the 48th Fighter Wing, whilst the Wing were based in Belgium and Germany between October 1944 and June 1945. The aircraft was assigned to the 492nd Fighter Squadron (The Mad Hatters) - one of 3 Fighter Squadrons with the 48th Fighter Wing.
Edited with Da Vinci Resolve 19 & iMovie 10.
Copyright © StephenKeeler (HightFlight/SkyHighFlightTV) All Rights Reserved
