Propeller of a P-47

Propeller of a P-47

An up-close look at the propeller of a P-47

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 fighter squadron that the pilot was assigned to. Yellow was the cowling color of the 379th Fighter Squadron (F.S), one of three squadrons that made up the 362nd Fighter Group. Pilots with nicknames would have those nicknames in caricature on the cowling of their plane, known as nose art. Much of the nose art of the 379th F.S. and the 362nd F.G., was done by Captain George Rarey and Corporal Joe Carpenter, both of the 379th. The nose art on this plane has been painted to represent the plane of Colonel Joseph Laughlin, nicknamed Five by Five. The original nose art was done by Captain Rarey.

Republic Aviation Corporation

The National Museum of the United States Air Force

United States Air Force

1940s