We are all anxious to hear news about our latest restoration project  

Below is a quote from Dick Troy, the P47 crew chief,  with some details as to the status of the project: 

A couple of things are going on with the Bolt. At first glance it may seem to be just occupying space but looks can be deceiving. The team has emptied all the boxes that came with the Bolt and most have been labeled. It has yet to be determined if any of those parts will be useable. The bulk of the work at this juncture will be composed of trying to locate missing parts, locating the log books for the aircraft and attempting to obtain the maintenance and repair paperwork that was generated after the accident.

Additional major components that are missing is the aircraft engine and the propeller hub and related items . These are just a sampling of the parts that are missing. As we all know memories tend to fade over the years and major players expire or move on so the simple issue of contacting anyone with useable knowledge about any of these items is very difficult. I have made some progress in these areas by locating the pilot that was flying the aircraft at the time of the accident. He is in the DFW area and is quite busy but he told me he would help in locating these items and providing whatever helpful information he has but on his terms. All of these issues need to be resolved prior to commencing any meaningful progress toward the restoration. All of these issues are fixable but they are going to take some time to straighten out. Closer to home we are designing a support gantry for the fuselage so it can be raised, lowered or rotated as the need arises so the maintenance crew will not have to work from ladders or lay on their backs to work on the belly. That’s about the extent of what’s going on st this point in time. One thing I have learned about the restoration process is patience, patience and more patience. 

Until next time please stop by the office and we can have some dialogue on our long range plans for the Bolt.

Best to you

R.J. Troy

Crew Chief Rep P-47

Use this link to donate to the P47 restoration project.
Thank you!