Republic F-47D-40-RA 45-49329 88th Air Base Wing Wright Field Airspace Intercept

These are 1/72 scale decals for Republic F-47D-40-RA Thunderbolt 45-49329, assigned to the 88th Air Base Wing at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, wearing natural metal with an Olive Drab (ANA 613) anti-glare panel, buzz number PE-329 on the nose and wing undersurfaces, and the most direct paint scheme in USAF history: "CLEAR WRIGHT FIELD AREA" in bold black lettering along the fuselage.

In the postwar years, Wright Field — home of the Air Materiel Command and one of the most sensitive aviation research and development installations in the United States — was routinely overflown by civilian light aircraft operating out of the numerous small airfields surrounding Dayton, Ohio. Pilots unfamiliar with or indifferent to the restricted airspace boundaries presented a persistent security and safety headache for base authorities. The solution was characteristically direct: assign a F-47D Thunderbolt to intercept the offending aircraft and make the message unmistakably clear. The bold "CLEAR WRIGHT FIELD AREA" fuselage legend left no room for misinterpretation — a Thunderbolt pulling alongside your Piper Cub with that painted on its side was a message even the most oblivious Sunday flyer could not miss.

The 88th Air Base Wing patch is included on the decal sheet alongside buzz number PE-329 and serial 549329 in two sizes each. The "CLEAR WRIGHT FIELD AREA" and "WRIGHT FIELD AREA" fuselage legends are included in two sizes.

One of the most characterful and conversation-starting postwar Thunderbolt schemes in existence — a must-have for any F-47, postwar USAF, or "you can't make this up" collection. Please allow some time for decal printing and shipping.