Republic P-47N Thunderbolt (oz1279)

About this Plan

Republic P-47N Thunderbolt. Radio control scale WWII fighter model. Torp 45 power, 700sqin area, 7lb weight. Note this is a low resolution plan.

Quote: "The well-known Republic P-47 Thunderbolt was one of the more effective single-seat fighters of WWII. It was conceived as a high altitude turbo-supercharged fighter (40,000 feet) to cope with the Messerschmitt climb and maneuverability at 16,000 feet. In March 1943 the 'Jug' became operational in the European theater. 15,329 P-47 were produced to December,1945 when it was discontinued. Two-thirds of the total were employed overseas in combat, where the score was 4.6 enemy planes destroyed for every P-47 lost in the air.

At the end of fighting in Europe, longer range was required for escort duty in the Pacific war. Republic added 18 inches to the wing of the classic P-47D along with squared tips, larger ailerons, dorsal fin, wider wheel spread, and thus evolved the P-47N. Power was a 2100 hp Pratt and Whitney R-2800-5, 8-cylinder, double row radial en-gine. Armament consisted of eight .50 caliber machine guns in the wings, two 1000-pound bombs and ten 5-inch rockets under the wing, and fuel tank or one 500-pound bomb under the fuselage. The gross weight rose to 20,000 pounds. Wing area was 322 square feet.

Information for the model was taken from the Air Age Technical Manual (published by MAN) and Walt Musciano's scale U-control Republic P-47 Thunderbolt (oz1955) model in the 1954 Air Trails Model Annual.

The original model presented here and in the photos was constructed in 1960 and is still in existence although somewhat bent and possibly retired after a mishap last June. The flight count was forgotten some years go at a total of 200. The plans were drawn earlier and reflect the design thinking of that time, the then available power of the Torp 35, the killing effects of a hot summer day at Albuquerque altitude (1 mile), and the desire for an everyday plane and full performance after all the labor. That is, scale wing, stab, and aileron areas were increased to a degree not very obvious by eyeball. True scale dimensions are included in the plans and can be followed without difficulty at reasonable wing loadings, especially at lower altitudes.

The P-47N makes a good choice for this type of model. However, so do a surprisingly high percentage of successful full-size aircraft. Aerodynamic layout comparisons are remarkably close, even with R/C contest types. It is also interesting that scaled wing loadings (weight 1/3), power loadings (within a factor of 2 or 3), flight speeds, and even airfoils obtained, particularly, for WWII jobs. The most significant deviations from model proportions is the low stabilizer area common to full-size planes. This is probably not as critical as generally supposed..."

Update 02/01/2016: Re-scaled this plan up to fullsize, thanks to Rudy.

Update 22/05/2018: Added article, thanks to theshadow.

Supplementary file notes

Previous scan version. Unscaled, but includes article text. Also separate article file.

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