The Don Englebreston Collection

Republic P-47D Thunderbolt 'HUN HUNTER XVI', Serial 490460, in Flight at the Tennessee Museum of Aviation Air Show, 7 June 2014

Republic P-47D Thunderbolt 'HUN HUNTER XVI', Serial 490460, in Flight at the Tennessee Museum of Aviation Air Show, 7 June 2014

7 June 2014, Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge Airport, Sevierville, Tennessee. The Republic P-47D Thunderbolt 'HUN HUNTER XVI', serial 44-90460, banks overhead in polished natural metal with a red cowl ring, an orange fin band and a small red devil painted beside its name. The name recalls the series of Thunderbolts flown in Europe by Colonel Gabreski-era fighter pilots who marked successive aircraft with Roman numerals as each was lost or replaced. A second Thunderbolt, 'WICKED WABBIT', serial 44-90438, also flew at this show, an unusual pairing given that fewer than a dozen P-47s remain airworthy worldwide. Project: 219309