F4U Corsair
Categories: Carrier-based aircraft | U.S. fighter aircraft 1940-1949
The Chance Vought F4U Corsair was a fighter aircraft that saw service in World War II and the Korean War. Goodyear-built Corsairs were designated FG and Brewster-built aircraft F3A.
When flown in 1940, the XF4U-1 became the first U.S. single-engine production aircraft capable of 400 mph in level flight. It was a remarkable achievement for Vought, as carrier aircraft are, compared to land-based counterparts, overbuilt to withstand the extreme stress of deck landings.
The most striking feature of the aircraft is the inverted gull wing. The design concept for the Corsair incorporated the largest available fighter engine — the 2,000 hp, 18-cylinder Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp radial , turning an enormous 13'4" (4.06 m) Hamilton Standard propeller. The dimensions required the bent wing in order to keep the landing gear reasonably short, as well as sturdy enough for carrier landings, and to provide ground clearance for the propeller.
However, numerous technical problems had to be solved before the Corsair entered service. Carrier suitability was especially troublesome, leading to changes of the landing gear, tailwheel, and tailhook. Additionally, a small spoiler was added to the leading edge of the port wing to reduce adverse stall characteristics. A noticeable problem with the Corsair design was its inability to recover from a developed spin, as its wing shape interfered with elevator control.
Due to visibility problems on landing caused by a combination of the pilot's position and the length of the nose, which made landing tricky for poorly trained pilots, Corsairs were largely barred from U.S. carrier service until the end of 1944. When the aircraft finally saw combat it was nonetheless a superb fighter compared to its contemporaries, achieving a 10 to 1 victory ratio. However, nearly as many Corsairs were lost to landing accidents as the type downed enemy aircraft. Growing pains aside, Marine Corps squadrons readily took to the radical new fighter.
From February 1943 onward, the "U-Bird" flew from Guadalcanal and ultimately other bases in the Solomon Islands. Corsairs were flown by the famous Black Sheep Squadron VMF-214 led by Marine Fighter Ace Maj. Gregory "Pappy" Boyington in an area of the Solomon Islands called The Slot. Corsairs also served well as fighter-bombers in the Central Pacific and the Philippines. Night-fighter versions were produced, equipping Navy and Marine units ashore and afloat. British units flying from carriers developed a curved approach to the carrier that allowed the Corsair pilot to maintain a view of the carrier's deck, allowing safe carrier operations. At war's end, Corsairs were ashore on Okinawa combating the Kamikaze suicide pilots and flying from fleet and escort carriers.
During the war, Corsair production expanded beyond Vought to include Brewster (F3A) and Goodyear (FG) models. Allied forces flying the aircraft included the British Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm and the Royal New Zealand Air Force.
Contents |
Royal Navy
The Fleet Air Arm introduced the Corsair into service before the USN. In the early days of the war RN fighter requirements had been based on cumbersome two-seat designs, such as the Blackburn Skua, Fairey Fulmar and Fairey Firefly, on the assumption they would only be fighting long range bombers or flying boats. The RN hurriedly adopted higher performance but less robust types derived from land based aircraft, such as the Supermarine Seafire. The Corsair was welcomed as a much more robust alternative to naval adaptations of these. In RN service, most Corsairs had their outer wings clipped to assist with storage and low altitude performance. Despite clipped wings and shorter decks of British carriers, the pilots of the RN apparently found landing accidents less of a problem than USN aviators.
Royal New Zealand Air Force
Equipped with obsolescent Curtiss P-40s, the Royal New Zealand Air Force Squadrons in the South Pacific performed impressively compared to the American units they operated alongside, in particular in the air to air role. The American government accordingly decided to give New Zealand early access to the Corsair, especially as it was not initially being used from carriers. Some 424 Corsairs equipped 13 RNZAF squadrons, including No. 14 Squadron RNZAF and No. 15 Squadron RNZAF, replacing SBD Dauntless as well as P40s.
However by the time the Corsairs arrived, there were virtually no Japanese aircraft left in New Zealand's allocated sectors of the Southern Pacific, and despite the RNZAF Squadrons extending their operations to more northern islands, the Corsairs were primarily used for close support of American, Australian and New Zealand soldiers fighting the Japanese. New Zealand pilots noted the Corsair's poor forward view and tendency to ground loop, but found this could be solved by pilot training in curved approaches before use from rough forward airbases. 14 Squadron took its Corsairs to Japan as part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force. Two privately owned Corsairs remain airworthy in RNZAF colours.
Korea, Suez and the Football War
The F4U-4 and -5 logged combat in Korea between 1950 and 1953 while the "dash seven" model flew with the French Navy during the same period. Corsairs flew their final combat missions during the 1969 "Football War" between Honduras and El Salvador.
The AU Corsair was a ground-attack version produced for the Korean War. The Pratt & Whitney R-2800 engine, while it was supercharged, was not as highly "blown" as on the F4U.
The F4U in fiction
The exploits of a Marine Corps squadron which flew the Corsair in the Pacific during the war were depicted in the popular 1970s television series, Baa Baa Black Sheep {1976-1983}. The TV series actually featured about six genuine flying Corsairs. Most of the storylines were fictional. See also Pappy Boyington.
Specifications (F4U-4)
General Characteristics
- Crew: one, pilot
- Length: 33 ft 8 in (10.30 m)
- Wingspan: 41 ft 0 in (12.50 m)
- Height: 16 ft 1 in (4.90 m)
- Wing area: 350 ft² (32.5 m²)
- Empty: 9,205 lb (4,175kg)
- Loaded: lb ( kg)
- Maximum takeoff: 14,670 lb (6,654 kg)
- Powerplant: Pratt & Whitney R-2800-18W Double Wasp 18-cylinder radial, 2,450 HP (1,827 kW) with water injection
Performance
- Maximum speed: 446 mph (717 km/h) at 26,200 ft (7,986 m)
- Range: 1,560 miles (2,510 km), with external fuel tanks
- Service ceiling: 41,500 ft (12,649 m)
- Rate of climb: 3,100 ft/min (945 m/min)
- Wing loading: lb/ft² ( kg/m²)
- Power/Mass: hp/lb ( kW/kg)
Armament
- 6x .50 cal Browning M2 machine guns (F4U-4) or
- 4x 20mm Hispano cannon (F4U-4B or C)
- 8x 5 in (127 mm) rockets or
- 2x 1,000 lb (454 kg) bombs
Related content
Designation sequence:
Similar aircraft:
External links:
- http://www.warbirdalley.com/f4u.ht Warbird alley general informationm
- Corsairs in french service
- http://www.thecorsairexperience.com Interviews with Corsair pilots
- http://www.F4Ucorsair.com Information on the remaining Corsair projects, museum Corsairs, and blueprints
- Baa Baa Black Sheep the television series
|
Lists of Aircraft | Aircraft manufacturers | Aircraft engines | Aircraft engine manufacturers Airports | Airlines | Air forces | Aircraft weapons | Missiles | Timeline of aviation |