RAZORBACK P-47D THUNDERBOLT FIRST FLIGHT

As Rare As It Gets

Finally, the AirCorps Aviation’s restoration effort has paid off. The one and only Republic-built P-47D-23RA Razorback has just made its maiden flight last May after roughly eight years of restoration. 

First discovered in the jungles of Papua New Guinea, this P-47 has had quite a journey. Almost nobody in the world would think that an aircraft that looked like that could fly again in the future – yet here we are.

After completing their restoration project, the team worked on getting approvals from the FAA before pilot Bernie Vasquez took the historic P-47 for a 35-minute test flight. And once the aircraft has had ample hours of flight testing, it is expected to join the EAA Airventure Oshkosh Airshow this year.

Today, this historic and unique P-47 sports the paint scheme of “BONNIE”, another P-47 flown by Brigadier General William “Bill” Dunham of the USAAF 460th Fighter Squadron, 348th Fighter Group based in the Pacific.