WW II Air War 23Not the most glamorous
airplane of the conflict, the
P-47, nonetheless, was
one of the most success-
ful. However, few survived
into the 50s. Those that
did were being operated by
foreign air forces and were
slow to come back into
the U.S. and even slower
being restored. The P-47D
pictured was one of the
very first to fly in civilian
hands and was owned and
flown by an ex-Jug pilot,
Les Friend. (Photo by Budd
Davisson)