F4U Corsair

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Snake45

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Hashknife Hartley said:
The Bearcat came along in 1946, ...and the Skyraider not till 1951, so they had to wait till Korea to show their good looks. The Skyraider wasn't a fighter, more an assault plane and could carry a ton of ordnance, and was used clear up to Viet Nam.
HH
The first Bearcats were on the way to the war zone when the Japs quit. If the war had lasted another month, they'd have seen action.

The first Skyraider flew before the end of WWII, too. And the Skyraider, while not a fighter, scored at least four aerial victories--one in Korea, two in Nam, and at least one in the Cold War that I know of.
 

Hashknife Hartley

Single-Sixer
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You're right on both counts Snake, thanks for making me look further in my books. The first Bearcats reached squadrons in late 1945, with more in 1946, and improved models after that. The AD1 Skyraider was developed to replace the Navy's dive bombers, and first became operational in 1946, with several versions until the AD5 came along in 1951 and the AD6 in 1952. I also answered my own question in an earlier part of this thread, the F4U became operational at Guadacanal on Feb 12, 1943 with VMF 124.
HH
 

KWYJIBO

Blackhawk
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Nov 19, 2007
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609
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Utah
The Corsair is interesting because of its unique polyhedral wings. They were designed this way to give clearance for a huge propeller without the need for impractically long landing gear struts.
 

mohavesam

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Jan 4, 2004
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Never pass up a visit to the AirZoo in Kalamazoo. They have a full collection of flying 'cats - even a Tigercat and a Tomcat!
Corsair too. The Corsair design legends are plenty, but one WWII-era curator there told us the cylindrical fuselage demanded a wing root at a near-right angle to reduce drag at dive speeds, plus the folding wing carrier requirements...

He also related the original F4F Wildcat had crank-up/down main gear, pilots had one hand cranking the gear, one hand on the stick - and effects evident when you see war footage showing Wildcats on carrier approach, watch those wobbling wingtips!

The AirZoo also has a 3-axis simulator you can drive! Just be sure to empty your pockets and remove eyeglasses!
 

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