Big time all time favorite war bird of mine , and the Mustang One Ol Navy Base i fly out of ONZ Grosse Ile michigan has been storing a few war birds for Willow Run this past year while a hangar is being built, they have had some walk thru tours and have had them on display out on the deck, Love going and seeing them, I believe they had a polish up the aluminum party here last week on one of them..things of beauty, no doubt And as a pilot myself i just cant get enough of sitting in them Definetly a Sky Hot Rod
sweet planes! the goodyear built F2G "super corsair" was another sweet version. Unfortunately it was better on paper than in real life. they put the 3000hp R4360 engine in it!
Thanks for the pictures. We were out and about yesterday watching the Air Force Thunderbirds practice for the air show in Smyrna, Tn. As a kid my dad was stationed at Smyrna in the 60's and we went to the air show for free. I had almost forgotton the noise level that they reached. Brought back fond memories.
My favorite was the Blackbird - The entire hull is titanium and cruizing altitude is 80,000 feet. Bad ass!
If you grew up in the 50s, you built models of most of the WWII birds. There is something about the inverted gull wing that just makes it a favorite. I think Hubley made a metal model with the folding wings. I get a grin every time I see a picture of one. Thanks for the detail shots.
Thanks for the pics.My neighbor just got back from NZ and the Omaka airshow Easter weekend. In this clip flying his Mercedes powered Albatross DVa that he'll be bringing back here and you can see a Corsair demonstration around the 7 minute mark. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWBxLNHE8Yo&feature=youtu.be
I'm not sure the shrouds on the MG's were for hiding flash? My bet is it was an effort to control air flow and keep the barrels from melting down? Any one know for sure? Or it may be that the dummy barrels installed are longer than they should be?
i would have to say the corsair is my favorite WWII plane. i have a model of one that i never painted, and i remember building a few models when i was a kid. and of course i had to watch The Black Sheep Squadren when i was a kid!
these folks are doing a resto in Chester CT. I've seen them at many local solidworks user group meetings. They're doing a lot of reverse engineering and I find it amazing that so much of the manufacturing methods and blueprints they used in Stratford Ct to make these things is gone to history forever! I sent them a link to this thread, in hopes that this interesting info will benefit their efforts. http://www.connecticutcorsair.com/index.php -90% Jimmy
My dad was a crew chief on Corsairs for a while during WWII. He said he took one short flight in one -- had the tail wheel tied to a post while testing the engine and about the time the engine got to full power the rope broke. According to him that bird jumped into the air instantly He did get the throttles shut off before it went very far, but sure make an impression on him
No, they are definitely muzzle suppressors. The non night fighters had a different configuration. That's a nice Corsair for sure. The new issue of Warbird Digest has another Korean War Corsair on the cover too.
Got it thank you sir! How effective were they since it seems they still leave the end of the Ma-Deuce barrel fully exposed? What other tricks did they have for night fighting? My dad probably saw these bad boys flying CAS in the pacific as a Infantryman in the 1st Cav Div. I got to see the A-10 in Desert Storm open up a T-55 like a tuna can as an Infantryman with the 3rd Armored Div, CAS is a grunts good friend (most of the time).
My uncle Bob flew B-25s on numerous bombing missions in WWII with out a scratch. After the war he was flying an F4U out of a Marine base in California just doing stick time to keep his rating. As he came in to land, his plane "flipped" on approach and he "cracked up" as he says it. A jet had just departed and the vortex they think caused the accident. Some where I have seen the crash photos and all you can see is his leg sticking out of the fuselage. By some miracle of fate he lived, but lost his sight in both eyes. He is 90 years old and I just saw him while visiting my mother in the nursing home today. He had four sons but only had the opportunity to see his oldest who was just a baby at the time of the accident. He has told me numerous times the last thing he remembers seeing in life was the vapor trails coming off the wing tips as he made the sweeping turn for the approach.
About two years ago I got to sit in one in a hanger in West Bend wisconsin that was undergoing a engine "Freshening" up . While in the cockpit say on a carrier deck you can't see SHIT just a big ass nose in front of you. That plane just inspires awesomeness. The F4U and the P-47 even though piloted by dudes half my age "expertly" mind you = MAN'S GAME. Rome
I had the pleasure of meeting a guy several years ago that has a collection of war birds that include just about every one that was used..he said the Corsair was his favorite..All his planes were operational and he personally flew each at least once a month. He had a restoration shop that would rival the Big Dog car shop. He said they only made about 6 super Corsairs with the 4360 engine and that it had so much torque it was almost unflyable. Talk about a hot rod!!
Thanks for sharing. IMHO the Corsair and the Mustang are the most beautiful and graceful planes to ever fly.... just not many of them left in the world.....
Factory Hot Rod - One of ten F2G Super Corsairs that were developed by the factory with 4360 radials (B29 engines) and bubble canopies. Several were raced post war, very successfully. This is 'Race 57'.
That airplane sat for years in storage at a museum I worked at. It was sold to the current owner who did a helluva job restoring it. He's got a second one under rebuild.
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