P-47 Thunderbolt Nude - 11x17, Vintaged

All P-47s had an inherent ground handling challenge exacerbated by torque of the large propeller and the large nose that was difficult to see over during taxiing. Ground crewmen sometimes sat on the wing and used hand signals to provide directions to the pilot. The heavy weight resulted in a long takeoff run and, once in the air, the P-47 was not particularly maneuverable, though it became more agile, in comparison to most other fighters, at high altitudes. It did possess a good roll rate and climb/dive performance. Its success in combat depended on utilizing energy-conserving "dive-and-zoom" tactics. One Thunderbolt pilot compared it to flying a bathtub around the sky. On the positive side, the P-47 was rugged and well-armed. It could sustain a large amount of damage and still be able to get its pilot back to base. Quentin C. Aanenson documented his experiences flying the Thunderbolt on D-Day and subsequently in the European Theater in his video documentary A Fighter Pilot's Story, aired on PBS in 1994.

The Thunderbolt was also one of the fastest-diving aircraft of the war — it could reach speeds of 480 knots (550 mph, 885 km/h). Major Robert S. "Bob" Johnson described the experience of diving the big fighter by writing, "the Thunderbolt howled and ran for the earth".^[15] Some P-47 pilots claimed to have broken the sound barrier, but later research revealed that due to the pressure buildup inside the pitot tube at high speeds, airspeed readings became unpredictably exaggerated.