Browse Items (8 total)

Laughlin_Flight_Test_September_1943.JPG
In order to make sure pilots were combat ready and effective, the Army Air Corps required Instrument Flight Tests be completed every six months. This one, completed during the 362nd Fighter Group's training at Groton Army Air Field in Massachusetts,…

fivebyfive.gif
Captain Rarey's renderings were very important to Colonel Laughlin and the airmen of the 362nd. Colonel Laughlin was so enamored with his nose art that he asked his crew chief to salvage them off of every plane he flew. His crew chief, Sergeant…

Five_by_Five_original_nose_art.JPG
The cowl color of P-47s fresh from the factory was black. They did not require a new color until they were to enter combat. However, Colonel Laughlin was so enamored with his nose art that he asked his crew chief to salvage the cowl off of every…

Five_by_Five_nose_art.JPG
The staff of the National Museum of the USAF researched the original nose art done by Captain George Rarey. They replicated it, in honor of both Colonel Laughlin and Captain Rarey, understanding the respect and love that Colonel Laughlin had for…

P47_propellor_Museum.JPG
The propeller on the engine of a P-47. The engine, a Pratt and Whitney R-2800, helped to determine the size of the plane. The engine was covered with metal plates known as a cowling. During combat, the cowling cover was color-associated with the…

Laughlin_Rendering_by_Rarey_back.JPG
When they were not training, flying missions, sleeping, or eating, pilots needed downtime to unwind. Captain George Rarey did so by sketching. In this illustration, Captain Rarey catches an easy-going face on then-Major Laughlin as members of the…

Laughlin_in_front_of_last_nose_art.JPG
Colonel Laughlin is all smiles as he looks out onto the field full of men and planes. He appears in his flight suit with his uniform underneath, ready to take to the skies. The checkerboard cowl color indicates this was taken towards the end of the…

Laughlin_in_front_of_original_P47.JPG
Colonel Laughlin talks and smiles as he poses in front of his first P-47. Although he had already been called Five by Five (for looking five feet tall and five feet wide) the elephant with the four leaf clover was a surprise. Captain George Rarey…
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