Maj. Squadron: P-47D
Thunderbolt
Welcome to the Maj. Squadron Series of
Geocaches.
I needed a theme for this series of geocaches and being a fan of
WW2 era aircraft I decided to settle on the names of some of my
favorite fighters and bombers to hold the title of the geocaches in
this series.
Every cache in the "Maj. Squadron" series is a stand alone,
traditional geocache with the exception of the final cache:
"Maj. Squadron: B-17G Flying Fortress". The coordinates of
that cache are unpublished and in order to find that 7th and final
geocache you will have to first find the other 6 geocaches in the
series as each cache container holds part of the coordinates for
the final cache.
There is a decent amount of quality swag located within the
final, appropriate container (an ammo can). The First
To Find will have his/her choice of goodies to choose
from but as an intended FTF prize I have provided an 1882 S
Morgan Silver Dollar in about XF condition.
There is traditional geocache and hiking items such as
compasses, LED flashlights, carabiners, hydration pack bite valves
and other miscellaneous bits to rummage through in all the caches
in this series.
About this cache: The container
is a little smaller than an ammo can but it is larger than the
"small" containers in this series. It is located just outside the
Wild Wings development. It is a gated community but the gates are
open during the day, when you're most likely to come. My first two
hides are located near by.
Congratulations to riledwino for the
First To Find
The geocaches in the series:
"Maj. Squadron: P-51D Mustang"GC2NFER
"Maj. Squadron - P-38L Lightning"
GC2NFDR
"Maj. Squadron - P-47D Thunderbolt"
GC2NFFJ
"Maj. Squadron - F6F-5 Hellcat"GC2NFCA
"Maj. Squadron - F4U-4 Corsair"GC2NFBV
"Maj. Squadron - P40E Warhawk"
GC2NFCJ
"Maj. Squadron - B-17G Flying Fortress" (Final Cache)
GC2NF45
Have fun.
S! Maj.
The P-47D Thunderbolt:
The Thunderbolt was the most famous of all the Republic aircraft
in WWII. First flown on 6 May 1941, the P-47 was designed as a
(then) large, high-performance fighter/bomber, utilizing the large
Pratt and Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp engine to give it excellent
performance and a large load-carrying capability. The first
deliveries of the P-47 took place in June 1942, when the US Army
Air Corps began flying it in the European Theater.
Though it was an excellent airplane, several improvements were
made as production continued, with each improvement adding power,
maneuverability and range. As the war progressed, the Thunderbolt,
or "Jug," as it was affectionately called, gained a reputation as a
reliable and extremely tough airplane, able to take incredible
amounts of damage and still return its pilot home safely. P-47s
logged almost 2 million flight hours during the war, during which
they were responsible for the destruction of over 7,000 enemy
aircraft in the air and on the ground in the European Theater
alone.
Later in the war, Jugs served as escort fighters for B-29
bombers in the Pacific. Mostly, though, they excelled in the
ground-attack role, strafing and bombing their way across the
battlefields of Europe. Early versions, up through the P-47C, had
"razorback" fuselages, but the popular P-47D featured a bubble
canopy which gave the pilot increased rearward visibility.
P-47s were also used during the war by the air forces of Brazil,
England, France, Mexico and the Soviet Union. Following the war,
the Jug served for nine more years in the US, flown by the Air
National Guard. It continued to serve for many additional years
with the air forces of over 15 nations around the world.
TECHNICAL NOTES:
Engine: 2535hp Pratt & Whitney R-2800-59W Double Wasp
radial piston engine
Weight: Empty 9,950 lbs., Maximum Takeoff 17,500 lbs.
Wing Span: 40ft. 9.25in.
Length: 36ft. 1.75in.
Height: 14ft. 8in.
Performance:
Maximum Speed: 433 mph
Ceiling: 41,000 ft.
Range: 1900 miles with drop tanks
Armament:
Eight 12.7mm (0.5 in.) wing-mounted machine guns
Up to 2500 lbs. of externally-mounted bombs, rockets, or other
free-fall ordinance
Number Built: 15,677