F-84 Thunderjet

The Republic F-84 Thunderjet (very cool name) was an American jet-powered fighter-bomber. Primarily flown by the US Air Force from 1947-1964, it suffered many issues during its development and early service. That being said, it could carry a large payload for its size, and it performed admirably during the Korean War in the ground attack role.

STAGING fires HVAR rockets one at a time, the rocket racks will retract in to the wing automatically after the the rockets are fired to reduce drag
AG1 : Engine, on by default
AG2 : Cycles flap settings between 0,10,22,35 and 45 degrees
AG3 : Toggles air brake and wheel brakes between 0% and 100%
AG4 : Jettisons drop tanks, there is a red light that will indicate the tanks are empty in the cockpit
AG8 : Landing gear
ELEVATOR TRIM is controlled by slider 1 and/or by i and k keys on a keyboard
CRAFT INSTRUCTIONS available in flight log during flight
BAG OF DIRT available in the cockpit to appease the dirt sniffer device.*

Design and development

In 1944 work began on a jet fighter meant to replace the P-47 piston engined fighter,during development it was plagued by many problems with structure and aerodynamics and it wasn't really ready for service until the G model. The F-84 was the first production fighter aircraft to utilize inflight refueling and the first fighter capable of carrying a nuclear weapon. It was later developed into the swept wing F-84F Thunderstreak but that was almost a completely different aircraft sharing only a few components with the straight winged variants.

Operational history

First aircraft became operational in December 1947, it was sent to fight in the Korean War in 1950, it was outmatched by the MIG-15. The F-84 switched to the ground attack role at which it excelled.Typical of most early jets, the Thunderjet's takeoff performance left much to be desired. In hot Korean summers with a full combat load, the aircraft routinely required 10,000 ft (3,000 m) of runway for takeoff even with the help of rocket-assisted take-off F-84s had to be pulled off the ground at 160 mph (140 kn, 260 km/h) with the control stick held all the way back.

*Pilots nicknamed the Thunderjet "The Lead Sled" as a testament to its long takeoff rolls. F-84 lore stated that all aircraft were equipped with a "sniffer" device that, upon passing takeoff safety speed, would look for the dirt at the end of the runway. As soon as the device could smell the dirt, the controls would turn on and let the pilot fly off the ground. It was suggested a bag of dirt should be carried. Upon reaching takeoff safety speed, the pilot would dump the dirt under the wheels, fooling the sniffer device.