"Manny's Menace" Republic F-84C Thunderjet

A descendant of the P-47 Thunderbolt, the F-84 was an in-flight refuelable fighter bomber and the last straight wing subsonic fighter produced by the US. The F-84 set the American speed record of 611 mph in 1946. During the Korean War, US F-84 pilots flew 86,408 sorties and delivered 55,987 lb of ordnance. There were 355 F-84’s lost to enemy guns in the Korean War. The F-84G was the first aircraft flown by the Air Force Demonstration Squadron, The Thunderbirds, in 1953.

The F-84C “Thunderjet” is a single seat (pilot sitting ahead of the wing), straight wing, sub-sonic fighter. Production of the “C” model began in May of 1948. Features of the “C” model are its tri-cycle landing gear, wing tip fuel tanks, 6 x .50 Cal. machine guns, and the Allison J-35 turbojet rated at 4,000 Lbs. thrust. The ribbed canopy was retrofitted as an in-service modification; photos of F-84Cs, as built, indicate that early F-84s had clear canopies. In all, 191 “C” models were constructed.

The aircraft at the March Field Museum is serial number 47-1595. It was manufactured by Republic Aviation in Farmingdale, New York and delivered to the Army Air Force on 10 December 1948. It served in the Aerospace Defense Command and Air Training Command until retired in November 1953. Our F-84C was used at the Glendale College, Glendale, Ca., as a technical instruction airframe for 27 years before being donated to the March Field Museum in 1982. This aircraft is on loan from the USAF.

According to the Air Force Historical Research Agency (AFHRA/RSA), Maxwell AFB, AL, the museum’s F-84C has the following history:

The F-84C, s/n 47-1595, was manufactured by Republic Aviation, Farmingdale, NY, and delivered to the USAF on 10 Dec 1948. Its assignments were:

Dec 1948 - To Robins Air Materiel Center

Jun 1949 - To Republic Aviation, Farmingdale NY

Oct 1949 - To 33rd Fighter Wing (ADC), Otis AFB MA

Apr 1950 - To 116th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron (ANG), Geiger Field WA

Jan 1951 - Unit transferred to ADC

May 1951 - To 113th Fighter-Interceptor Wing (ADC), New Castle AP DE

Jun 1951 - To 148th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron (ADC), Dover AFB DE

Nov 1951 - To 127th Pilot Training Wing (TC), Luke AFB AZ

Jan 1953 - To 3600th Flight Training Wing (TC), Luke AFB AZ

Feb 1953 - To 195th Fighter-Bomber Squadron (ANG), Long Beach AP CA .

Nov 1953 - Dropped from USAF inventory as surplus