The F-105D Thunderchief was a Republic-built warbird, one of 833 manufactured, powered by a J-75-P-19W engine with 26,500 pounds of thrust, capable of supersonic speed at Mach 2 above 36,000 feet, with a maximum range of 2390 miles and a ceiling of 48,500 feet. Its armament included one 20mm M61A1 Vulcan Gatling gun with 1028 rounds, or sixteen 750-pound conventional bombs, or one nuclear bomb. This aircraft fought in Vietnam from 1968 to 1970 and was stationed at Takhli Airforce Base in Thailand with the 355 Tactical Fighter Wing. More than half of the fleet was lost to combat or mechanical failures. Two men who flew the F-105D Thunderchief, Capt. Leo Thorsness and Capt. Merlyn H. Dethlefson, were awarded the Medal of Honor. In 1968, with almost 6000 flying hours, this Thunderchief was retired and placed on display in Jackson, Mississippi. It remained there until 2010, when it was transferred to Veterans Memorial Park in Dixon, Illinois, on loan from the United States Air Force Museum, Wright Patterson AFB, Dayton, Ohio.

Photo: Sean Flynn

Photo: Sean Flynn

Photo: Sean Flynn

Dixon, Illinois · USA