Almost at home |
Somewhere in the Pacific ocean 1943
Landings aboard an aircraft carrier were always the most demanding task for any pilot, especially when those carriers only had a straight flight deck.
The Chance Vought F4U Corsair was a carrier-capable fighter aircraft that saw service in World War II and the Korean War (and in isolated local conflicts). Goodyear built Corsairs were designated FG and Brewster -built aircraft F3A. The Corsair served in some air forces until the 1960s, following the longest production run of any piston-engined fighter in U.S. history (1942–1952). Some Japanese pilots regarded it as the most formidable American fighter of World War II. The U.S. Navy counted an 11:1 kill ratio with the F4U Corsair.
In February 1938, the U.S. Navy Bureau of Aeronautics published two requests for proposal, for twin-engined and single-engined fighters. For the single-engined fighter the Navy requested the maximum obtainable speed, and a stalling speed not higher than 70 mph (113 km/h). A range of 1,000 miles (1,610 km) was specified. The fighter had to carry four guns, or three with increased ammunition. Provision had to be made for anti-aircraft bombs to be carried in the wing. These small bombs would, according to thinking in the 1930s, be dropped on enemy aircraft formations. In June 1938, the U.S. Navy signed a contract for a prototype, the XF4U-1, BuNo 1443. After mock-up inspection in February 1939, construction of the XF4U-1 powered by an XR-2800-4 engine, rated at 1,805 hp (1,350 kW) went ahead quickly. The first flight of the XF4U-1 was made on May 29, 1940, with Lyman A. Bullard, Jr. at the controls. The maiden flight was eventful, although a hurried landing was made when the elevator trim tabs failed because of flutter. On October 1, the XF4U-1 made a flight with an average ground speed of 405 mph (650 km/h), the first U.S. fighter to fly faster than 400 mph (640 km/h). The XF4U-1 also had an excellent rate of climb. Reports coming back from the war in Europe indicated that an armament of two .30 caliber (7.62 mm) (mounted in engine cowling) and two .50 caliber (12.7 mm) machine guns (one in each outer wing panel) was insufficient, and so when the U.S.Navy asked for production proposals in November 1940, heavier armament was specified. The Navy entered into a letter of intent on March 3, 1941, received Vought's production proposal on April 2 and awarded Vought a contract for 584 F4U-1 fighters on June 30 of the same year. It was a remarkable achievement for Vought; compared to land-based counterparts, carrier aircraft are "overbuilt" and heavier, to withstand the extreme stress of deck landings.
The F4U incorporated the largest engine available at the time, the 2,000 hp (1,490 kW) 18-cylinder Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp radial. To extract as much power as possible, a relatively large, 13 ft, 4 inch (4.06 m) Hamilton Standard Hydromatic three-blade propeller was used. To accommodate a folding wing, the designers considered retracting the main landing gear rearward, but for the chord of wing selected, it was difficult to fit undercarriage struts long enough to provide sufficient clearance for the large propeller. Their solution was an inverted gull wing, considerably shortening the length of the main gear legs. Early F4U-1s had difficulty recovering from developed spins, since the inverted gull wing's shape interfered with elevator authority. It also found that the Corsair's starboard wing could stall and drop rapidly and without warning during slow carrier landings. In addition, if the throttle were suddenly advanced (for example, during an aborted landing) the port wing could stall and drop so quickly that the fighter could flip over with the rapid increase in power. These potentially lethal characteristics were later solved through the addition of a small, six inch long stall strip to the leading edge of the outer starboard wing, just inboard from the gun ports. This allowed the starboard wing to stall at the same time as the port. Other problems were encountered during early carrier trials. The combination of an aft cockpit and the Corsair's long nose made landings hazardous for newly-trained pilots. During landing approaches it was found that oil from the hydraulic cowl flaps could spatter onto the windscreen, badly reducing visibility, and the undercarriage oleo struts had bad rebound characteristics on landing, allowing the aircraft to bounce out of control down the carrier deck. The first problem was solved by locking the top cowl flap down permanently, then replacing it with a fixed panel. The undercarriage bounce took more time to solve but eventually a "bleed valve" incorporated in the legs allowed the hydraulic pressure to be released gradually as the aircraft landed. The Corsair was not considered fit for carrier use until the wing stall problems and the deck bounce could be solved. In the event, because the more docile, and simpler to build F6F Hellcat had begun entering service, Corsair deployment aboard U.S. carriers was to be delayed until late 1944. Production F4U-1s featured several major modifications compared with the XF4U-1. A change of armament to six wing mounted .50 cal (12.7 mm) M2 Browning heavy machine-guns and their ammunition (400 rounds per gun for the inner pair, 375 rounds per gun for the outer meant that the location of the wing fuel tanks had to be changed. In order to keep the fuel tank close to the center of gravity (CG), the only available position was in the forward fuselage, ahead of the cockpit. Accordingly a 237-gallon (U.S.) self-sealing fuel tank replaced the fuselage mounted armament, the cockpit had to be moved back by 32 inches and the fuselage lengthened. In addition 150 pounds of armor plate was installed, along with an 1.5 inch bullet-proof windscreen which was set internally, behind the curved Plexiglas windscreen. The canopy could be jettisoned in an emergency and curved transparent panels, providing the pilot with a limited rear view over his shoulders, were inset into the fuselage, behind the pilot's headrest. A rectangular Plexiglas panel was inset into the lower center-section to allow the pilot to see directly beneath the aircraft and assist with deck landings. The engine used was the more powerful R-2800-8 (B series) Double Wasp which produced 2,000 hp (1,491 kW). On the wings the flaps were changed to a NACA slotted type and the ailerons were increased in span to increase the roll rate, with a consequent reduction in flap span. IFF transponder equipment was fitted in the rear fuselage. All in all these changes increased the Corsair's weight by several hundred pounds.
The performance of the Corsair was impressive. The F4U-1 was considerably faster than the F6F Hellcat and 13 mph (21 km/h) slower than the P-47 Thunderbolt, the two other fighters powered by the R-2800. Carrier qualification trials on the escort carrier USS Sangamon, on September 25, 1942, caused the U.S. Navy to release the type to the U.S. Marine Corps. Early Navy pilots spoke disparagingly of the F4U as the "hog", "hosenose" or "bent wing widow-maker". After all, the U.S. Navy still had the Grumman F6F Hellcat, which did not have the performance of the F4U but was a far better deck landing aircraft. The Marines needed a better fighter than the F4F Wildcat. For them it was not as important the F4U could be recovered aboard a carrier, as they usually flew from land bases. Growing pains aside, Marine Corps squadrons readily took to the radical new fighter.
Despite the decision to issue the F4U to Marine Corps units, two Navy units, VF-12 (October 1942) and later VF-17 (April 1943) were equipped with the F4U. By April 1943, VF-12 had successfully completed deck landing qualification. However, VF-12 soon abandoned its aircraft to the Marines. VF-17 kept its Corsairs, but was removed from its carrier, Bunker Hill (CV-17), due to perceived difficulties in supplying parts at sea. In November 1943, while operating as a shore-based unit in the Solomon Islands, VF-17 reinstalled the tail hooks so its F4Us could land and refuel while providing top cover over the task force participating in the carrier raid on Rabaul. The squadron's pilots successfully landed, refueled and took off from their former home, Bunker Hill and the USS Essex (CV-9) on November 11, 1943.
The U.S. Navy did not get into combat with the type until September 1943 and the FAA would qualify the type for carrier operations first. The U.S. Navy finally accepted the F4U for shipboard operations in April 1944, after the longer oleo strut was fitted, which finally eliminated the tendency to bounce. The first Corsair unit to be based effectively on a carrier was the pioneer USMC squadron, VMF-124, which joined USS Essex. They were accompanied by VMF-213. The increasing need for fighters as a protection against Kamikaze attacks resulted in more Corsair units being moved to carriers.
General characteristics:
Crew: 1 pilot Length: 33 ft 4 in (10.1 m) Wingspan: 41 ft 0 in (12.5 m) Height: 16 ft 1 in 4.90 m) Wing area: 314 ft² (29.17 m²) Empty weight: 8,982 lb (4,073 kg) Loaded weight: 14,000 lb (6,300 kg) Powerplant: 1× Pratt & Whitney R-2800-8W radial engine, 2,250 hp (1,678 kW) Maximum speed: 425 mph (369 knots, 684 km/h) Range: 1,015 mi (882 nm, 1,634 km) Service ceiling 36,900 ft (11,200 m) Rate of climb: 3,180 ft/min (16.2 m/s) Guns: 4× 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns, 400 rounds per gun or 2× 0.50 in Browning M2 machine guns, 375 rounds per gun Rockets: 4× 5 in (12.7 cm) High Velocity Aircraft Rockets and/or Bombs: 2,000 lb (910 kg)
USN08 René Hieronymus Scale 1:72 Building time: 31 hrs.
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