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JOE DAVIES HERITAGE AIRPARK AT PALMDALE PLANT 42

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F-105 THUNDERCHIEF

Aircraft at the Joe Davies Heritage Airpark at Palmdale Plant 42

Nicknamed "Thud"

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A/C SN	62-4416
Date Acquired:	August 1998
Acquired From:	USAF George AFB, CA (Loan)
Displayed:	October 1998

History

F-105G recovery crew, Murphy, Pinkham, Sinclair at George AFB

Entered the inventory on 26 May 1958 and on 12 July 1980, she made her last scheduled operational Air Force flight at George AFB before going on for a brief stint with the guard and reserve.

F-105G-1RE SN 62- 4416 was manufactured by Republic Aviation, Farmingdale NY and gained by the USAF on 27 Nov 1963.

Jan 1964	To 4th Tactical Fighter Wing (Tactical Air Command), Seymour Johnson AFB NC (deployment to Eglin AFB FL)
Jun 1966	To 4520th Combat Crew Training Wing (TAC), Nellis AFB NV
Aug 1966	To 4525th Fighter Weapons Wing (TAC), Nellis AFB
Jun 1967	To 388th Tactical Fighter Wing (Pacific Air Forces), Korat RTAFB Thailand
Feb 1968	To 18th Tactical Fighter Wing (PACAF), Kadena AB (deployments to Osan AB Korea and Kwanju AB Korea)
Oct 1968	To 355th Tactical Fighter Wing (PACAF), Takhli RTAFB Thailand
Dec 1969	Converted to F-105G
Sep 1970	To 18th Tactical Fighter Wing (PACAF), Korat RTAFB
Nov 1970	To 355th Tactical Fighter Wing (PACAF), Korat RTAFB
Mar 1971	To 388th Tactical Fighter Wing (PACAF), Korat RTAFB (deployment to Takhli RTAFB)
Oct 1972	To 561st Tactical Fighter Squadron (TAC), Korat RTAFB
Jul 1973	To 35th Tactical Fighter Wing (TAC), Korat RTAFB
Sep 1973	To 35th Tactical Fighter Wing (TAC), George AFB (deployments to Shaw AFB SC, Eglin AFB and Karup AB Denmark)
Sep 1978	"416 was the first aircraft I was a crew chief on. I was stationed at George A.F.B. between 75 and 79. I was there in Denmark when the right 450 gal. wing tank wrapped over the wing on an FCF after a horizontal stabilizer change. They did a temp fix to get her home and when they went to repair her at George, they found a drill hole in the wing spar. 62-4416 was grounded at George in Sept. 1978." - Dale Schafer normiendale@gmail.com
May 1980	Dropped from inventory by transfer to museum status
Aug 1998	Loaned to Joe Davies Heritage Air Park

General Information

MANUFACTURER:	Republic Aircraft Corporation
PRODUCTION PERIOD:	1957 to 1965
NUMBER PRODUCED:	833
PRODUCTION SERIES:	USAF: F-105A, B, & D single-seat A/C, F-105F & G two-seat A/C
ROLES:	Designed as a land-based all-weather long-range strike fighter-bomber for the US Air Force, capable of close air support, air defense suppression (Wild Weasel) and supersonic delivery of a nuclear weapon

Performance and Specifications

(Figures given are for the F-105D model)

MAXIMUM SPEED:	1,372 mph (Mach 2+)
SERVICE CEILING:	48,500 feet above sea level
RANGE:	1,917 miles (unlimited with aerial refueling)
WEAPONS:	AIM-9 Sidewinder, AGM-12 Bullpup, AGM-45 Shrike, M61A1 Vulcan 20mm cannon, and a variety of air to ground bombs and unguided rockets
CREW:	Pilot
LENGTH:	64 feet, 5.3 inches
WINGSPAN:	34 feet, 11 inches
HEIGHT:	19 feet, 8 inches
MAXIMUM TAKEOFF WEIGHT:	52,838 lbs.
POWERPLANT:	Pratt & Whitney J75-P-19W turbojet engine with afterburner and water injection providing 26,500 lbs. of thrust
ACHIEVEMENTS:	First supersonic fighter-bomber aircraft for the USAF; largest single-seat, single-engine combat aircraft ever built; established several altitude and speed records; operated by the USAF Thunderbirds Flight Demonstration Team

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